Wigs and Candles – Détails, épisodes et analyse

To close their 5th season dedicated to artists and films about their lives, Gaby and Andreina discuss the 2018 film Van Gogh: At Eternity’s Gate.

Directed by Julien Schnabel and starring Willem Dafoe as Vincent Van Gogh, the movie is a visually arresting and moving depiction of the painter’s last years. In their discussion, Gaby and Andreina discuss the representation of the artist’s imagination and subjectivity in film, Julien Schnabel’s rich directorial approach, and their connection to Van Gogh and his art.

***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film, we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!***

Links and sources:

Interview with director Julian Schnabel at the TIFF 2018

Interview with Willem Dafoe

Interview with Oscar Isaac

John Berger, The Sense of Sight

Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, Vincent van Gogh

Van Gogh Museum

In this episode, Andreina and Gabriela learn more about the French sculptor Camille Claudel (1864-1943), through two films: Camille Claudel (1988) and Camille Claudel 1915 (2013).

An artistic prodigy from a very young age, Claudel gained recognition and acclaim as an artist during her lifetime. However, in the popular imagination, she is most often remembered as Auguste Rodin's lover.

Andreina and Gabriela discuss how Camille Claudel is portrayed in the two movies and how her dimension as a female artist and woman in a male-dominated art practice is conveyed: do the films give us a good sense of who she was as an artist?

Join us in this third episode of our series of discussions about artists and their art in film.

Links and sources:

Abstract of article “Camille Claudel: trajectory of a psychosis”

The Art Institute of Chicago: Member Lecture: Camille Claudel

Camille Claudel through Five Works

Camille Claudel, Bust of Rodin

August Rodin, Thought (Camille Claudel)

In this episode, Andreina and Gabriela discuss the 2020 film Ammonite with a very special guest.

Ammonite tells the story of 19th-century British paleontologist Mary Anning.  An imaginary retelling of a brief period of her life, the film is directed by Francis Lee and stars Kate Winslet in the role of  Mary Anning and Saoirse Ronan as Charlotte Murchinson, her lover.

Join us as we discuss this period film mixing science, history, and romance in the South West of England. In the process, we explore the dichotomy between artistic vision vs reality, period film clichés, and what dignifies or not a character.

***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this show we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!***

Sources & further readings:

Article with film’s synopsis prior to release

Interview with Kate Winslet on LGBTQ+ Representation and Honouring The History of Mary Anning

Behind the scenes

In this episode, Gaby and Andreina discuss the 2022 film Emily, written and directed by Frances O'Connor in her directorial debut. Emily is a part-fictional portrait of English writer Emily Brontë mostly converting the period of her life before she wrote her novel Wuthering Heights. Gaby and Andreina talk about the cinematic representation of Emily as a historical character, Brontë’s relationship with her equally celebrated siblings, and how the film fits within the period film movie genre.

***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this show we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!***

Sources & further readings:

Interview with director Frances O’Connor and main cast at the People + Entertainment at TIFF 2022

And because they’re so good, here’s also the Q&A at the TIFF 2022

Film Review from The New York Times

In this episode, Gaby and Andreina discuss the 2022 Netflix movie The Wonder, based on the novel of the same name by Irish-Canadian writer Emma Donoghue. 
The movie, starring the brilliant Florence Pugh as a 19th-century nurse charged with observing a so-called “ fasting girl” in a rural town in Ireland in 1862, pushes against the limits of the period film genre and opens up conversations about science, religion, faith, and belief.  Joins us as we walk through this mysterious and fascinating film. 

The Wonder IMDB Page
Interview with Florence Pugh and Sebastian Lelio
Film review on The New YorkTimes
Interview with Emma Donoghue

In this episode, Gaby and Andreina discuss the much-talked-about 2022 Austrian movie Corsage, which depicts a year in the life of Elisabeth of Austria, better known as Sisi. 

Mixing historical fact with imaginative interpretation, the film is a fascinating portrayal of this beloved Austrian icon, one that remains more a myth than a real person in the general imagination. 

Gaby and Andreina also welcome a very special guest to talk about Sisi and help separate fact from fiction. 

***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film, we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!***

Trigger warning: in this episode, we briefly mention the name of Austrian actor Florian Teichtmeister, who in February 2023 was charged with possession of child pornography. We recorded this discussion prior to this news being reported and we understand if you need to skip this episode.

Sources and other links:

TIFF 2022 Women Directors: Meet Marie Kreutzer – Corsage

https://womenandhollywood.com/tiff-2022-women-directors-meet-marie-kreutzer-corsage

People +Entertainment weekly TIFF Studio 2022

https://youtu.be/OpfUWSiXdrQ  

Q&A on the TIFF 2022

https://youtu.be/4SLPnduOleA 

Marie Kreutzer on "Willkommen Österreich" (Interview in german!)

https://youtu.be/0Kf3v8mR07E 

We rarely find a more determined fictional female character in literature from the late 19th century than Bathsheba Everdeen. 

Guided by a strong will and a deep-rooted desire to build her path while keeping her full independence, Bathsheba learns the hard way that love and companionship are still not that bad after all. 

A film full of breathtaking landscapes, a plot with unexpected twists, and a love story to remember, Far from the Madding Crowd made us think about women's leadership in an unusual time and place as well as the hard choices we sometimes get in life. 

***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film, we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!***

Sources and other links:

Carey Mulligan on how she suggested casting Matthias Schoenaerts as Gabriel Oak

https://youtu.be/or_CQ_iAWA8

Carey Mulligan interview

https://youtu.be/jxgCL96ILsg 

 Making of “Far from the madding crowd”

https://youtu.be/JHhhXcxbwgw

Q&A Session with Thomas Vinterberg and Matthias Schoenarts

https://youtu.be/JbJBZaK7Kio 

To open up our third season, Gaby and Andreina discuss the South Korean film The Handmaiden, directed by Park Chan-wook.

Acclaimed by critics, this movie is a work of extraordinary vision from beginning to end: cinematography, performances, costume and set design, in addition to an incredibly well-written script–every detail of this film shows the highest ambition and achievement. 

We hope you enjoy our discussion and fall in love with this movie as much as we did. 

***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film, we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!***
Sources and other links:

Film review by Jia Tolentino on The New Yorker:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/jia-tolentino/the-handmaiden-and-the-freedom-women-find-only-with-one-another

Short clip - Making of “The Handmaiden”:

https://youtu.be/pUQ5H_bF1Ck 

Interview with Sarah Waters, author of the novel “Fingersmith”

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/apr/08/sarah-waters-the-handmaiden-turns-pornography-into-a-spectacle-but-its-true-to-my-novel-

The Liberator tells the story, in wide strokes, of Simón Bolívar, the military leader, and most important Venezuelan historical figure. In this episode, Gaby and Andreina discuss the 2013 film with the help of a very special guest. Placing the film in the historical and political context in which it was made, we look at the role of historical films in creating a national identity and memory. 

Join us as we discuss the relevance of cultural representation on the big screen, the humanisation of a mystified historical figure and the risks of too ambitious screenwriting. 

Sources:

The Liberator Interview with actor Edgar Ramirez
The Liberator Interview with director Alberto Arvelo (Spanish)
TIFF Interview with director Alberto Arvelo
Google Hangout The Liberator (Spanish)

What do you get when you take a pitch-perfect cast, beautiful but expressive cinematography, restraint but character-revealing costumes, and an inspired and poetic direction? The 2011 adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel, Jane Eyre! 

Directed by then up-and-coming filmmaker Cary Fukunaga, it remains one of the most underrated period films of the last two decades. 

Join us as we discuss the incredible and timeless characters of Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester and the way they are portrayed in the film. Adriana–Gaby and Andreina's eldest sister–joins the hosts for an in-person, prosecco-filled discussion fit for a midsummer grand season finale. 

***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!***

Sources and other links:

Jane Eyre IMDB Page

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1229822/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Jane Eyre Featurette

https://youtu.be/QaPNyABiGfU