I meandered a lot in my podcast listening this month. There was my mini deep dive in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), a dip into an old episode of a regrettably dormant show, and a conversation about a new film that documents the cinematic past. All episode title link to the show:
Lions, Towers, and Shields
September 22, 2022
This is a great discussion about William Wyler’s World War II-era classic The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), particularly because it goes into how this is still one of the best, if not the best movies about veteran’s experiencing post-conflict PTSD. One of the strengths of the panel host Shelly Brisbin assembles for each show is that she always has guests with a wide array of expertise in classic film, from expert to newbie and it makes for a more well-rounded conversation.
June 30, 2022
I craved more conversation about The Best Years of Our Lives after listening to the previous podcast and found this episode with author Alison Macor a satisfying follow-up. She has written a production history of the film and writing the book has given her a deep perspective on the making of the film and the elements that make it more relevant today than other war-related films of the time.
September 6, 2022
Like the hosts in this episode, I have my issues with the way Mark Cousins presented his extensive documentary series The Story of Film (I was also relieved when he chose not to narrate his documentary about women in film), but nevertheless I’m excited that he has completed an update to the series. As a classic film fan, it’s satisfying to see where cinema has gone because I enjoy examining the roots of that in the movies of the past.
March 22, 2021
This was a fascinating history of Howard Hughes which touched on his accomplishments, including in Hollywood, bravery, and the way mental illness made his life exceedingly traumatic.
