Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Ministry of Film
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
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| Waterloo (1970) with Matthew Palmer | 27 Nov 2025 | 01:13:32 | |
Robin and Carolina are joined by writer and former British Army soldier Matthew Palmer to discuss the best (and hammiest) film about Napoleon Bonaparte. Politics include: everything you needed to know about the egomaniac, manipulative, completely genius character of Bonaparte; how Wellington was a massive dick, but so was everyone else; the nuts story behind how the film came into existence, and how it literally couldn't be made today; and of course the politics of the battlefield at Waterloo. Plus some of the best one-liners committed to film in the history of cinema. Hold on to your horses: it's going to be a good one. Need more Bonaparte in your life? Check some of these monumental works - there are many, many, many others
If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Brief Encounter with Groovy Movies | 13 Nov 2025 | 00:44:20 | |
Robin and Carolina join the wonderful Lily Austin and James Brailsford from the Groovy Movies podcast for a discussion on the most swoony, heartachy British film of all time, Brief Encounter (1945). Politics include: the very universal feeling of having to say no to the thing you want most; the class politics of being able to cheat on your partner if you're working class but not if you're middle class; how director David Lean having six wives is actually pretty relevant here; and how arguably the most romantic film of all time was shot during the Blitz in WWII, and was all the better for it. Check out Groovy Movies on:
They're also on Instagram and TikTok, so check them out there! If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Spirited Away | 06 Jun 2025 | 01:04:40 | |
Carolina and Robin talk about Spirited Away, Japan's most successful film of all time, and likely one of the best films about life in a ghost bathhouse. Politics include: how said bathhouse is maybe a metaphor for oppression, but also a really lovely-looking place; the post-80s economic bubble haze in Japan; and a very cool radish ghost. Continue the reverie:
If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| The Wizard of Oz | 23 May 2025 | 00:48:41 | |
Robin and Carolina discuss the Wizard of Oz, the most-watched film of all time, and likely the children's film with the most religious, LGBTQ+ and feminist theories around it. Politics include: how Dorothy is the ultimate feminist, queer queen, how the yellow brick road may be a metaphor for the gold standard (?!) and how you can genuinely spot a bit of Plato's Republic in this fantasy musical from 80 years ago. More wizarding nerdery, just for you:
If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| BONUS: Conclave | 08 May 2025 | 00:49:53 | |
Carolina and Robin are back in your ears for a bonus episode to mark the best real-life sleepover that is the Papal Conclave. Politics include: faith and politics being quite icky together, how the West Wing really did dictate political art through the 2010s, and how electing a Pope is actually not that dissimilar to electing your Constituency Labour Party Secretary. Genuinely. Conclave nerds, rejoice:
If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| The Zone of Interest | 02 May 2025 | 01:25:27 | |
Carolina and Robin take you through one of the worst calamities in history and the people behind it in domestic-drama-turned-holocaust-film The Zone of Interest (2023). Politics include: literal Nazis, how there was no God in the house of the Commandant, and how Robin will (maybe) quietly compare your LinkedIn posts to a Rudolf Hoss memo to the SS. As the 80th Anniversary of VE Day approaches, we encourage you to consider donating to organisations supporting those suffering from the atrocities of war. Our further recommendations:
And many many more... If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Seven Samurai | 04 Apr 2025 | 01:04:41 | |
Robin and Carolina discuss the best samurai film of all time, Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954). The bandits are mean, our heroes are heroic, and the farmers are just trying to survive. Politics include: how Jaws and Star Wars blatantly copied this film, the making of a seven-person army, and a village trying to stay safe in an uncertain world that is basically, literally all of us at the moment. Hungry for more? Good stuff on Seven Samurai
If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Wallace & Gromit | 21 Mar 2025 | 00:57:46 | |
Carolina and Robin discuss two of Wallace & Gromit's fabulous films: The Wrong Trousers (1993) and Vengeance Most Fowl (2024), two films that confirm that dogs really are better than human beings. Politics include: a murderous penguin that uses technology for evil, a robot that is terrifyingly pliant until it's not, the turbulent Yorkshire-Lancashire border, and the literal fundamentals of AI ethics. See here the complete Sight & Sound critics' list of the 100 best films of all time. Yes, Jeanne Dielman is at the top. Somehow. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| The Shining | 06 Mar 2025 | 00:58:02 | |
Carolina and Robin discuss The Shining, the terrifying (but always beautiful) tale of a family falling apart in a remote Colorado hotel in the 1970s. Politics include: the hotel owner who looks like a young Trump, the grim reality of the film being about domestic abuse more than it is about ghosts, and how Jack Torrance represents the broken dreams of the white American working class. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Cleo from 5 to 7 | 20 Feb 2025 | 00:45:51 | |
Carolina and Robin discuss Cleo from 5 to 7, an outrageously French film about a young woman who may or may not be terminally ill in 1950s Paris. While she waits for her diagnosis, she discovers who she is and her place in the world, politics and all. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| The Substance | 06 Feb 2025 | 00:59:24 | |
Carolina and Robin discuss The Substance, a very modern classic about a Hollywood actress who will do anything to be young and beautiful again. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Metropolis | 23 Jan 2025 | 00:40:46 | |
Carolina and Robin go from discussing the pre-modern world (see our previous episode on Barry Lyndon) to deciphering the futuristic messaging of 1927's Metropolis. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Alien (1979) | 31 Oct 2025 | 01:08:01 | |
Carolina and Robin celebrate ONE WHOLE YEAR of The Ministry of Film with Ridley Scott's 'oh-god-the-terror-of-childbirth' haunted-house Halloween special Alien (1979). Politics include: the insane gender dynamics of a film about motherhood, domestic violence and female revenge in the context of a monster flick in space; how this film is sort of about 16th-century colonial ships; and how the Weyland Yutani Corporation is the perfect allegory for rapacious capitalism and labour uprisings. Plus a xenomorph with a penis head. You will want to read more because oh boy:
If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Barry Lyndon | 09 Jan 2025 | 00:43:01 | |
In 2025's first episode, Carolina and Robin discuss the film that best depicts the pre-modern world, Barry Lyndon. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| The Lion in Winter | 31 Dec 2024 | 00:54:32 | |
Happy holidays! Carolina and Robin discuss the historical drama The Lion in Winter, a film that takes place during Christmas, but with more backstabbing than giftgiving. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| A Matter of Life and Death | 12 Dec 2024 | 00:43:52 | |
Carolina and Robin talk about the heart-warming, surreal post-war romcom A Matter of Life and Death. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| The Truman Show | 28 Nov 2024 | 00:56:49 | |
Carolina and Robin talk about brilliantly clever parody of nineties suburbia, The Truman Show. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Ratatouille | 14 Nov 2024 | 00:56:10 | |
Carolina and Robin sit down to discuss Pixar's Ratatouille (2007), in which a country rat turns out to be a Michelin-star-worthy chef. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror | 31 Oct 2024 | 00:54:26 | |
Hello! It's our very first episode! Today Carolina and Robin talk about FW Murnau's thoroughly nasty vampire horror from 1922. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Pan's Labyrinth | 17 Oct 2025 | 01:11:58 | |
This spooky season, Robin and Carolina delve into the mystical forest of fauns and folklore with Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro's modern classic tale from 2006. Politics include: why you would never find Franco inside Pan's Labyrinth, how the church in 1940s Spain may have consisted of a bunch of sellouts, and how you can portray the coolest, greenest imaginary world a 10-year-old girl could wish for. Plus a load of Spanish Civil War, WWII and fascist soldiers. But we'll make it fun, promise. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Toy Story (1995) | 03 Oct 2025 | 01:05:16 | |
Carolina and Robin revisit our collective childhoods with Toy Story, the ultimate Pixar classic, where Marx's theory of the proletariat meets the best Mr Potato gags you've ever seen. Politics include: surveillance capitalism, the rise of the enslaved worker class, the American 'end of history' obsession with alternative realities, and a hero who is a toy but turns into a man by realising he is in fact a toy. Also, for the ultra fans, you will be glad to hear that The Truman Show and the white picket fence are heavily referenced. You are welcome. No links this week, just go watch this film again: with your kids, your neighbour's kids, on your own, however you can. It is magnificent. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| A Separation (2011) | 04 Sep 2025 | 00:52:02 | |
Robin and Carolina get into the autumn spirit with the incredibly successful Iranian domestic drama 'A Separation'. Politics include: why not every Iranian film has to be about Iranian politics, how every Iranian film necessarily ends up being at least a little bit about Iranian politics, and the very universal need for directors to pick beautiful actors to portray normal people going about their normal lives. More about Iranian cinema,
If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| BONUS: Bend it like Beckham | 22 Aug 2025 | 00:39:37 | |
Carolina and Robin take you back to 31st July 2025, when the Lionesses won the UEFA Women's Euros (again!), by way of the brilliantly prophetic Bend it Like Beckham (2002). Politics include: the hypocrisy of families from all cultures, how an Indian wedding can look like a scene from The Godfather via Bollywood, and how a generation of girls grew up wishing and hoping that they too could bend it like Beckham... and then they did. More about Gurindher Chadha, the Lionesses, and directing good comedies:
And the Soundtrack right here - the perfect pairing to Trainspotting. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Trainspotting | 31 Jul 2025 | 01:25:05 | |
Robin and Carolina choose life, choose dental insurance, choose the best f*cking Scottish film ever made. Politics include: the working-class communities of Scotland in the 1980s that turned to drugs as a form of protest, Danny Boyle creating a film that straddles the Thatcher and Blair years (sorry, John Major), and the most perfect soundtrack ever produced. Come get (musically) high with us:
If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Jurassic Park vs Jurassic World | 17 Jul 2025 | 01:21:46 | |
Carolina and Robin go on a summer blockbuster adventure, comparing the totemic dinosaur film Jurassic Park (1993) with its on-paper extremely similar reboot Jurassic World (2015). Politics include: why a film about dinosaurs that (initially) can't reproduce is actually a film about a human couple deciding to have children after all; the evolution of our idea of the billionaire in society; and why Dennis the IT guy in Jurassic Park is basically Elon Musk. Dino-diversions and readings:
If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Eraserhead | 20 Jun 2025 | 01:03:10 | |
Robin and Carolina embrace the surreal with Eraserhead, the film featuring possibly the creepiest baby in cinematic history. Politics include: honestly, not very many - but the baby really is very scary. And there's a lot about Christian morality. And horniness. A lot of horniness. Continue the surrealist journey:
If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Lincoln (2012) with Jeevun Sandher MP | 13 Feb 2026 | 00:48:25 | |
Carolina is joined by UK Member of Parliament and Junior Minister Jeevun Sandher to discuss the ultimate blast from the past political historical drama Lincoln (2012), from Steven Spielberg. Because who better to discuss a jobbing politician than... a jobbing politician. Politics include: Daniel Day-Lewis acting his absolute socks off, something about the purity of the democratic process (remember that, USA?), the undeniable need to master words in politics, the even more undeniable need to master force in politics, and maybe a bit about why ending slavery is great but what about universal suffrage. You can expect great speeches and even better facial hair. Ready to read some tomes about the great Abe?
If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Alice (1988) | 19 Mar 2026 | 01:04:58 | |
'Alice had got so much into the way of expecting nothing but out-of-the-way things to happen, that it seemed quite dull for life to go on in the common way' Robin and Carolina come back from their brief hiatus to discuss not one, but two Alice's Adventures in Wonderland adaptations: Disney's 'Alice in Wonderland' (1951) and Jan Švankmajer's 'Alice' (1988). Politics include: Victorian satire, logic that isn't logic (but maybe is), how growing up is scary but exciting, the value of wonderment to the human experience, and a bucket of dead oysters. More cool, psychedelic writing about the meaning of Alice:
If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Taxi Driver: Part 1 | 06 Jun 2026 | 00:46:07 | |
Robin and Carolina stay in the depths of New York City, this time looking at all-time loser incel Travis Bickle in Martin Scorsese's seminal Taxi Driver. There was so much to say that, for the first time, the episode will be split into two parts. Politics include: Bobby de Niro raging his own Vietnam War on the streets of New York during the grossest-looking bin strike; young prostitute Iris creeping the heck out of viewers; the slimy US politics of the mid 1970s, which have not changed all that much; and a load of over-glamourised military paraphernalia. You will hopefully be able to see us as well as hear us, and we would love to know what you think, so please leave a comment wherever you're listening to this! If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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| Léon: The Professional | 16 May 2026 | 00:59:07 | |
Carolina and Robin step into the world of the 90s New York Italian mafia (with a side of daddy issues) in Luc Besson's 'Léon: The Professional'. Politics include: Italians called Fat Tony leading the New York underworld; corrupt cops played by Gary Oldman skimming off the top of said underworld; and a deserved swipe at the Donald Trump types sitting comfortably on top of all that. And a 12-year-old girl learning to become a killer. For the first time, we're not just in your ears but also your eyes! Tell us how you like it, and as ever, thank you for bearing with us while we get our heads around this incredibly new technology. If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
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