In this podcast we talk about Visconti's first feature film, based on the James M. Cain the novel 'The postman always rings twice', though set in the Ferrar region of Italy. Hated and banned by the fascists, the film survives because the director kept a copy, but it had to wait until 1977 for its US release as film rights hadn't been obtained to use the novel. We talk through the acting, great cinematography and visual story telling, Visconti's politics, background and use of operatic music in his films (including this) and the positive critical response to the film. In short, it looks good, is well acted, tells an interesting story and isn't over-long - what's not to like?
Participants:
Russ Kilbourn, Professor of Literature and Film, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario (Canada) http://rjakilbourn.com/
Ken Barrett, visual artist, writer, podcaster and former neuropsychiatrist (UK) http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/
The film: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035160/
Theme music: Tarantella composed by Stephen Brown.
Portrait print by KB.
A Brainland Collective production.
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