Hello everyone, this is Dwayne Monroe, one of the hosts, alongside Dennis Claxton and RC Charles Roberts, of the Film Conversations podcast.

In today’s episode, we talk about the films that shaped our political views. Or, I should say, we intended to talk about this but global events intervened and we found ourselves talking about geopolitics and war (with relevant US domestic politics included for good measure).

Eventually, we found our way to discussing film, including RC’s mention of the 1992 released Bob Roberts and my mention of Akira Kurosawa’s Ran, released in 1985.

This was a good discussion and although we didn’t spend as much time on film as originally planned, fear not, there will be a part two.

We hope you enjoy.

References

Gore Vidal

Karl Kraus

Henry Simmons - Cheap Music, Numb Brains, and Stupidity

John Gray - Humanism and Flying Saucers

Doug Henwood - How the Ruling Class Became Vulgar

Welcome back to another episode of Film Conversations. After a bit of a hiatus, we’re back and at full force, so to speak: RC Charles Robert is back at the table.

Today’s film is FW Murnau’s silent masterpiece, released in 1926: Faust.

To set the scene, here’s an excerpt from the Criterion article on the film:

https://criterioncast.com/column/for-criterion-consideration/for-criterion-consideration-f-w-murnaus-faust

One of the most well known legends of the Renaissance period was Faust, a German necromancer whose exploits transformed into the tale of a man who sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for all the knowledge in the world. Over the centuries, the story has been countlessly reshaped and rebooted. Most recently Russian director Alexander Sokurov (who is most well known for his one-take wonder, Russian Ark) released a free-interpretation of the Faustian tale. The first film to directly adapt the story was made by Frederich Wilhelm Murnau in 1926, just before he moved to America. Based on a two-part dramatic poem by Goethe, Faust begins with the demon Mephisto who has made a bet with an Archangel that he can corrupt any righteous man’s soul. If the Devil succeeds, he will win dominion over earth. The Archangel agrees, on the condition that the Devil set his sights on Faust, an elderly alchemist whose pursuit of knowledge and truth sets him apart from man. The Devil delivers the plague to a local village, forcing Faust to use his alchemic skills to create an antidote. After he fails to find a cure, Faust rejects God and science, turning to a book of dark magic to summon Mephisto (played by Emil Jannings). Once Mephisto materializes on Earth, he presents Faust with a contract stating that he will now be able to cure the plague in exchange for his soul.

[...]

This was a great conversation that, as usual, ranged beyond the film to wider, yet still related matters.

Oh and during the intro, the German film company UFA is mentioned. You can learn more about UFA here.

In today’s episode, we discuss the 1966 Italian film, the Battle of Algiers. The film, based on events that occurred during the Algerian war against French occupation (1954-62) and specifically, the battle in the capital city of Algiers, depicts the actions of the various groups that fought against, and with each other during that war. Here is a synopsis from Criterion:

“One of the most influential political films in history, The Battle of Algiers, by Gillo Pontecorvo, vividly re-creates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French in the 1950s. As violence escalates on both sides, children shoot soldiers at point-blank range, women plant bombs in cafés, and French soldiers resort to torture to break the will of the insurgents. Shot on the streets of Algiers in documentary style, the film is a case study in modern warfare, with its terrorist attacks and the brutal techniques used to combat them. Pontecorvo’s tour de force has astonishing relevance today.”

As the Criterion synopsis states, ‘Battle of Algiers’ remains relevant. During this conversation, we use the film as a foundation for a broader conversation about its relevance to present concerns and the ongoing battle for liberation.

Battle of Algiers - Criterion

https://www.criterion.com/films/248-the-battle-of-algiers

George Jackson Interview (mentioned by Dennis)

https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/jacksoninterview.html

Tariq Ali article

https://socialistworker.co.uk/in-depth/the-killing-of-palestinians-is-undoubtedly-genocide-tariq-ali-and-others-speak-out/

French Algeria

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Algeria