Podcasts Steven Benedict

Werner Herzog's hallucinatory telling of a Conquistador's search for El Dorado etches a landscape of greed on the human face. The post Aguirre, the Wrath of God appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Long before it was revered as a masterpiece, F.W. Murnau's radical reimagining of Bram Stoker's classic vampire novel had to be saved from the furnaces. The post Nosferatu appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Pather Panchali translates into English as Song of the Road, but the production was so arduous and fortuitous it should be called Song of Miracles. The post Pather Panchali appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Upon its release, Munich was attacked for historical inaccuracy, political naivety and moral equivalency. But it is one of Spielberg's greatest works. The post Munich appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Alfonso Cuarón's drug fuelled tale of two oversexed youths and an older woman on a road trip in search of a mythical beach results in a thesis on social connectivity. The post Y Tu Mamá También appeared first on Steven Benedict.

While most audiences only remember John Travolta in his white suit, Saturday Night Fever also features misogyny, racism, homophobia and gang rape. The post Saturday Night Fever appeared first on Steven Benedict.

As the title to Edward Yang's masterpiece indicates, Yi Yi is a series of doubles; narrative, thematic, visual and aural, that deliver a subtle family portrait. The post Yi Yi appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Cries and Whispers was Ingmar Bergman's fourth colour film but with a palette of just black, white and red, he still painted deep emotions and vivid dreams. The post Cries and Whispers appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Sergei Eisenstein devised montage for black and white and silent film. How have the elements of sound, colour and digital cinema extended his theories? The post Battleship Potemkin appeared first on Steven Benedict.

First seen as an eviscerating critique of Thatcherism, 30 years on it belongs with the MeToo and Time's Up movements. The post The Cook the Thief his Wife & her Lover appeared first on Steven Benedict.

In The Marriage of Maria Braun, Rainer Werner Fassbinder mixed Hollywood melodrama, historical drama and political indictment. The post The Marriage of Maria Braun appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Max Ophuls' adaptation of Stefan Zweig's novella is more than a romance; it explores memory, delusion and the meaning of art. The post Letter from an Unknown Woman appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Elio Petri's bitterly satirical Oscar winner from 1970 cuts a stark picture of today’s political leaders. The post Investigation of a Citizen above Suspicion appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Released in 1971, critics bracketed Robert Altman's McCabe and Mrs. Miller as a revisionist western. Truth is, the western has always been revising itself. The post McCabe & Mrs. Miller appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Often called the greatest thriller Hitchcock never made, Les Diaboliques is based on a book written to catch the attention of the Master of Suspense. The post Les Diaboliques appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Reviled upon its release and long out of circulation, the influence of Michael Powell's Peeping Tom is now to be found in the most unexpected places. The post Peeping Tom appeared first on Steven Benedict.

There has never been a more iconic and influential hairstyle in all of cinema than 'the black helmet' sported by Louise Brooks in Pandora's Box. The post Pandora’s Box appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom may star, yet it is Katie Johnson who gives one of cinema's greatest ever comedic performances. The post The Ladykillers (1955) appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Precious few films celebrate the joys of riding a bike. Haifaa Al Mansour's Wadjda is more than just a celebration; it is a dissection of an entire culture. The post Wadjda appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Upon its release, it seemed that Easy Rider typified the spirit of the nineteen-sixties. But it really should be viewed as the first film of the seventies. The post Easy Rider appeared first on Steven Benedict.