The Next Picture Show

With PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, Céline Sciamma became the first woman director to win the Queer Palm at Cannes, an embarrassingly belated milestone reminiscent of Jane Campion becoming the first woman director to win the Palme d’Or in 1993 with THE PIANO. And while these two films have much more in common than their directors’ gender, as we discover when we put them in conversation this week, both Sciamma and Campion bring a distinct point of view to their respective stories of repressed desire in repressed times that feels inextricably tied to ideas about womanhood and an oppressive patriarchy. We get into how that point of view colors the two films in their expression of desire and consent, the artistic gaze, and the function of myth and legend. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE PIANO, PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Show Notes: Works Cited • “French filmmaker Céline Sciamma on looking, longing and falling in love in Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” CBC Radio • “Portrait of a Director on a Hot Streak,” by Scott Tobias (theringer.com) Your Next Picture Show • Genevieve: Céline Sciamma’s GIRLHOOD • Scott: Jane Campion’s IN THE CUT • Keith: David Lynch’s WHAT DID JACK DO? • Tasha: Christopher Landon’s HAPPY DEATH DAY and HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U Outro music: Vivaldi’s Concerto No. 2 in G Minor (The Four Seasons, “Summer”) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Céline Sciamma’s 2019 Cannes sensation PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE is a lush, romantic film set on an isolated island and concerned with irrepressible desires in deeply repressive times, a description that neatly applies to another Cannes breakout from 1993: Jane Campion’s THE PIANO. But the love affair at the heart of Campion’s film plays with a much trickier power imbalance, which we get into as we process THE PIANO’s complicated relationships, its most essential performances, and the conversation around it both now and then. Plus, we tackle some feedback from a couple of recent episodes regarding some details we got wrong, and some we got right. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE PIANO, PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Works Cited: • “Sexism and Misogyny: Who Takes the Rap? Misogyny, gangsta rap, and The Piano” by bell hooks (1994) Outro music: Judy Garland, “I Love a Piano” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We return to the trenches of the first World War to consider Sam Mendes’ 1917 within the greater history of World War I films generally, and as a companion to Peter Weir’s GALLIPOLI specifically. Following some debate over whether 1917’s continuous shot gimmick makes it more or less emotionally affecting, and an attempt to parse the film’s attitudes about war, we look at these two films in tandem to consider what they have to say about the failures of leadership in wartime, their respective depictions of young male friendship and communication, and to what extent each registers as an anti-war film. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about GALLIPOLI, 1917, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Works Cited • “‘Full Metal Jacket’ Seduced My Generation and Sent Us to War,” by Anthony Swofford (The New York Times Magazine) • “Before 1917: Revisiting the greatest first world war movies,” by Scott Tobias (theguardian.com)  • “The 50 Greatest War Movies Ever Made,’ by Keith Phipps (vulture.com) Your Next Picture Show • Scott: King Vidor’s THE BIG PARADE and Lewis Milestone’s ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT • Genevieve: John Chester’s THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM • Tasha: Sergio G. Sanchez’s MARROWBONE, Sebastian Schipper’s VICTORIA, and Makoto Shinkai’s WEATHERING WITH YOU • Keith: Francis Ford Coppola’s THE COTTON CLUB Outro music: “Wayfaring Stranger,” performed by John Stirratt  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inspired by this year’s surprise Oscar favorite 1917, we’re digging down into the trenches and slogging through the mud and blood of World War I, with two films centering on young soldiers delivering crucial messages that decide the fates of thousands of other young men. First up this week is Peter Weir’s 1981 film GALLIPOLI, which stars a shockingly young Mel Gibson as one half of a pair of Australian mates who join the war effort out of a mixture of patriotism, pride, and recklessness; we dig into the emotional effects of film’s unusual structure, which saves the wartime action for its final moments, how its Australian provenance makes it stand out among other WWI films, and how it indulges Weir’s affinity for wide open spaces and historical authenticity. Plus, we tackle a listener question about ideal movie-watching conditions whose response may prove the undoing of Scott and Keith’s long and amicable relationship. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about GALLIPOLI, 1917, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Show Notes Works Cited: • “Before 1917: revisiting the greatest first world war movies,” by Scott Tobias (theguardian.com) • “The 50 Greatest War Movies Ever Made,” by Keith Phipps (vulture.com) • Strange Stars: How Science Fiction and Fantasy Transformed Popular Music, by Jason Heller Outro music: “Adagio in G Minor” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We return to Orchard House and Concord via Greta Gerwig’s new LITTLE WOMEN, which takes a much less traditional approach to Louisa May Alcott’s famed novel than Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 version, while still hitting on enough nostalgic touchpoints to feel like a faithful adaptation. In this second half of our March family double feature, we dig into how we processed Gerwig’s approach as an intellectual experience versus an emotional one, and how the film’s bold ending works in the context of the familiar story as well as Gerwig’s career. Then we dive into how Gerwig’s film aligns with and diverges from Armstrong’s version in its depiction of love and marriage, talent and ambition, and charity and virtue. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about any and all versions of LITTLE WOMEN, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Works Cited: • “Little Women and the Marmee Problem,” by Sarah Blackwood (newyorker.com) Your Next Picture Show:  • Genevieve: DICKINSON on Apple TV+ • Scott: James Cameron’s THE ABYSS • Keith: Wim Wenders’ UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD • Tasha: James Ivory’s HOWARDS END and Paul Downs Colaizzo’s BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices