Pure cinema; how do great filmmakers enhance the cinema experience through images when words just won’t do? The action begins where the last podcast episode stopped; with a movie that blows both of our hosts away. Jim and Teal devote the first half of this week’s episode to several films where images, not dialogue, take center stage. Films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Drive, Days of Heaven, and There Will Be Blood are all in the mix. Can our two hosts solve the question of what is pure cinema? Listen and find out.
And the cinematic fun continues when Jim reveals his passion and love for the film Detour, a movie he was only half-finished with during the last episode. Find out why Jim thinks B-movie actress, Ann Savage, puts in one of cinema’s great supporting performances. After this discussion, you’ll be wanting to sign up for Criterion to catch this low-budget Noir masterpiece in a brilliant restoration. But don’t be fooled by the low-grade print on Amazon Prime–trust in Jim and Teal; the Criterion channel is where it’s at.
Each week Jim includes a movie scene, and a movie-related score at the beginning of every episode. Can you guess this week’s scene and score? Submit your answers in the comments.