Romanian Cinema (w/Film Critic Andrei Gorzo)

03/12/21 • 83 min

In this episode we talk to top Bucharest film critic and academic Andrei Gorzo about the aesthetics, history and political context of Romanian cinema. Andrei outlines how the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu in 1989 effected a liberalisation of society, culture and the arts. But it not would be for another 10 years until the Romanian New Wave and directors like Cristi Puiu, Cornelie Porumboiu and Cristian Mungiu would spark a distinctive cinema emerge that would attained international acclaim. Andrei's research and writing is anchored by an encyclopaedic knowledge of international cinema and the connections between the emergence of the New Wave, Romania's communist history, the post-war European canon and popular cinema of the West. In this wide-ranging discussion, Andrei outlines the adoption of specific kind of realism, the problem of the concept of a national cinema with regards to Romania, the varying responses to the post-communist malaise, and the complex depiction of the uncertain relationship between the state and capitalism.

Also in this episode, Neil reviews the soon to be released BFI Blu-Ray of Romeo is Bleeding, directed by Peter Medak, and starring Gary Oldman and Lena Olin.

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Music Credits:

‘Theme from The Cinematologists’

Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass & guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.

Also in this episode, Neil reviews the soon to be released BFI Blu-Ray of Romeo is Bleeding, directed by Peter Medak, and starring Gary Oldman and Lena Olin.

You can listen to The Cinematologists for free, wherever you listen to podcasts: click here to follow.

We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists. You can become a member for only $2.50.

Music Credits:

‘Theme from The Cinematologists’

Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass & guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.

Previous Episode

Sex and the Cinema (w/Film Critic Beatrice Loayza)

In this episode, we take on the thorny issue of sex and cinema but thankfully we had the extremely insightful film critic Beatrice Loayza to help is navigate the many strands of this subject. Beatrice has bylines in Sight & Sound, LA review of Book, Reverse Shot and Mubi notebook, but it was her recent piece in the Guardian - Some sex scenes are gratuitous, but a good one can electrify a film - that was the trigger for this conversation. Dario and Beatrice discuss the polarised debate around how sex scenes should be deployed, i.e. in the service of the plot, or for their aesthetic value in their own right. The conversation examines how the implied notion of the male gaze defines so much conversation about sex on screen, the lack of actual sexual representation in mainstream cinema, how blockbusters are particularly sex-less, the influence of the internet and the accessibility of pornography, the changing attitudes to hetero and queer sexual representation, and of course, what makes a 'good' sex scene. All of this framed through a context of continuing scrutiny of the film industry and its practices when in comes to shooting sex scenes, and the history of abuse that has been brought much more to the forefront in recent years. Dario and Neil go on to discuss the tricky subject of male power dynamics acknowledging and unpacking their own roles as straight white male viewers.

The episode also features a review A Nightmare Wakes released by horror distributors du jour Shudder, directed by Nora Unkel and starring the excellent Alix Wilton Regan. It's a fabulist, hallucinatory imagining of Mary Shelley's life, as her traumatic pregnancy and birth becoming fuel for the iconic literary monster she would give to the world.

RS Benedict - Everyone is Beautiful and No One is Horny

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We produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists. You can become a member for only $2.50.

Music Credits:

‘Theme from The Cinematologists’

Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass & guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.

Next Episode

Conversations About Cinema (w/ Mark Cosgrove and Francesco Tava)

In this episode Neil talks to Mark Cosgrove, cinema curator at The Watershed in Bristol and Dr Francesco Tava, senior lecturer in philosophy at University of West England (UWE), about their current season of colonial cinema and discussions, Thought in Action, presented in partnership with MUBI.

Their conversation covers the positives of online events in the pandemic including accessing filmmakers and panel members from all over the world as well as welcoming diverse audiences, the hybrid future of cinema events and the value of meeting communally to discuss movies, and the importance of the colonial conversation being raised at this moment in history and Bristol’s prominence in that conversation.

Elsewhere Dario and Neil discuss audiences and the desire to be back in cinemas hosting live podcast events where movies are shared and discussed, they pay tribute to Yaphet Kotto, discuss the Masters of Cinema release of the 1967 Soviet folk horror, Viy, and touch on the Oscar nominations momentarily to celebrate the double nomination of the documentary Collective, in the wake of episode 117 and its focus on Romanian cinema.

For more information on the Thought in Action/Conversations about Cinema season visit here.

Upcoming panel discussion events:

Zombi Child (dir. Bonelli, 2019) - Thursday March 25, 18.00 - 19.00

Apiyemiyekî? (dir. Vaz, 2020) - Thursday April 15, 18.00 - 19.00

Bacurau (dir. Dornelles and Mendoça Filho, 2019) - Thursday April 29, 18.00 - 19.00

You can listen to The Cinematologists for free, wherever you listen to podcasts: click here to follow.

We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists. You can become a member for only $2.50.

Music Credits:

‘Theme from The Cinematologists’

Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass & guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.