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Brainland
A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH: The story of a movie.
Season 1, Ep. 28
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'A Matter of Life and Death' (AMOLAD) is a 1946 film by Michael Powell and Emerich Pressberger. Peter Carter, a bomber pilot is returning from the last raid of the war. His plane and parachute are shot up so he decides to 'jump rather than fry' and has a last conversation over the radio with June, an American radio operator before jumping, as he expects, to his death. He doesn't die but washes up on a beach and as a love story unfolds between him and June he is menaced by recurrent episodes (clinically, complex partial epileptic seizures though the words aren't mentioned in the film) during which a 'conductor' from the afterlife tries to persuade him to return with him as he shouldn't really have survived. The film culminates in a realistically staged neurosurgical operation on Peter whilst in the afterlife his case to go on living is put on trial trial. Ian explains why this is his favourite film of all time (as it is Ken's),their conversation ranging over origin and influences, forebears and progeny, design and music, the clincial neuroscience that underpins it and much more.
Participants:
Ian Christie, Professor of Film and Media History, Birckbeck, University of London. www.ianchristie.org
Ken Barrett, artist and writer, retired neuropsychiatrist http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/
For more about 'A Matter of Life and Death': https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038733/ (SEE IT!)
https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/b58b75d7-e9e2-5a1f-a448-afa92a35462d/a-matter-of-life-and-death
In the UK it is currently (on 21.6.24) On BBC Iplayer.
Ian's book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matter-Life-Death-Film-Classics/dp/1839023899
The other book mentioned, on the neuroscientific background of the film, is by Diane Broadbent Friedman: https://www.amazon.com/Matter-Life-Death-Revealed-Michael/dp/1438909454/ref=sr_1_1?crid=44HWRLDHFBAD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OOo1Jr5zS9T5S66Qxafa0k1nEXlGBWJ8OtH_BdckQVxe0Adbh0U9UUXtsF-ikO6S470ZJafISz1fi5BjjOZt-K4rfe3RUVnVfT9z9-aIffzEet5ZKUBDQFbGEV1HSo4yU3JpZWvHWWe5uGzjy5AUH9iAiT5oKdx7a4wWP-x7lubaTLPDggjtJ2wGe_Lz08kwaBYDzg2E6_aKIPxfYYVvKk2vtaR4ghzBqTRUdFZ8-kE.RnIRY1ho2lgxZvWxZW4th9yrxYt89JrWLPj42mXYmKg&dib_tag=se&keywords=friedman.+a+matter+of+life+and+death&qid=1719513403&sprefix=friedman.+a+matter+of+life+and+death%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-1
This is a paper by the same author: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1344781/
This is the the book by Frigyes Karinthy which was part of the inspiration: https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/A_Journey_Round_My_Skull.html?id=trCxtdw5OHcC&redir_esc=y
Opening music, extract from the prelude to Brainland by Stephen Brown.
Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.uk
Sketch by KB.
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37. SCREEN TIME 2: Sci-fi cinema's art of memory.
35:13||Season 1, Ep. 37This is part 2 of the conversation with Russell Kilbourn on memory and movies. In part 1 we talked about the way memory is treated in literature and movies but we didn't have time to discuss memory in sci-fi movies so Russ agreed to return. In this podcast we discuss the varying treatment of memory in the genre. Eg: removing memories (Total Recall, Severance and particularly Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind); inserting false memories (Blade Runner); repurposing memories (Strange Days, and particularly Solaris and La Jetee). La Jetée led to an interesting discussion about the strange and interesting Canadian film My Winnipeg. We close by returning to literature, in the science fiction genre.Participants:Russell J Kilbourn is Professor of Literature and Film, Dept of English and Film Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario, Canada. http://rjakilbourn.com/Ken Barrett, visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Sci fi movies discussed (Russ's 'must sees' in bold):Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982) and BR 2049 (Denis Villeneuve, 2017)Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)La Jetée (Chris Marker, 1962)Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972)Oblivion (Joseph Kosinski, 2013)2046 (Kar-wai Wong, 2004) (lost memories)After Life (Hirokazu Koreeda, 1998)Minority Report (Steven Spielberg, 2002)Source Code (Duncan Jones, 2011)Strange Days (Kathryn Bigelow, 1995)Total Recall (Paul Verhoeven, 1990)Upstream Color (Shane Carruth, 2013)Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram: #brainlandcollectiveSketch by KB.
36. WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?: Memory, the brain and our sense of self.
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35. OBJECT WITH SOUL: The strange power of puppetry in healthcare
58:09||Season 1, Ep. 35In this podcast puppeteer and academic Cariad Astles talks about how she got interested and trained in puppetry, before discussing her experience of puppetry in China and Africa. We explore why puppetry tends to be viewed as a practice for children in the UK (Cariad blames protestantism) before talking about a number of healthcare applications of puppetry including training medical students and nurses, in psychotherapy (citing an especially powerful project in Chile), health education including promoting empathy, in dementia and autism. Cariad concludes by speculating on how robotics and AI may impact puppetry and its applications in the future and shares her hope that its' value should be more widely recognised in the west, not least in ritual.Participants:Cariad Astles, Lecturer at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and at Exeter University. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cariad-AstlesKen Barrett, artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Cariad's paper 'the Art of Puppetry Practice: Embodiment, Enchantment, Memory History' can be downloaded here: https://www.academia.edu/83808501/Puppetry_The_Art_of_Puppetry_Practice_Embodiment_Enchantment_Memory_HistoryOpening and closing music: Prelude to Brainland the opera by Stephen BrownBrainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram: @brainlandcollectiveSketch by KB.
34. SCREEN TIME: Cinema's art of memory
01:00:00||Season 1, Ep. 34In this conversation we talk about the earliest representations of memory in classical, latin, literature (the original 'art of memory') then move, via St Augustine, to Proust and his madeleine. Russell describes how the representaion of memory, the 'flash back', appeared in the first years of film-making but identifies the real innovations in Casablanca (1942) and Citizen Kane (1941). We move on to what made Fellini and Bergan masters in the use of memory before coming up to date with last year's excellent 'All of Us Strangers' . We end with an extended discussion of the ethics of memory in film, in particular the way the Holocaust has been depicted, and give the views of Goddard and Deleuze an airing.Participants:Russell J Kilbourn is Professor in the Dept of English and Film Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario, Canada. http://rjakilbourn.com/Ken Barrett is an artist, writer and former neuropsychiatristhttp://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Some of the films discussed:Curtiz - Casablanca: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034583/videogallery/Wells - Citzen Kane: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033467/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_5_nm_3_in_0_q_citizen%2520Bergman - Wild Strawberries: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050986/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_wild%2520strawberiesFellini - 8 1/2: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056801/Haigh - 'All of Us Strangers': https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21192142/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1Opening and closing music: Prelude to Brainland the opera by Stephen BrownBrainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukInstagram: #brainlandcollectiveSketch by KB.
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32. THE VITAL SPARK: The Evolution of Imagination.
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31. THE VITAL SPARK: The Creative Brain.
59:05||Season 1, Ep. 31In this wide ranging conversation Anna outlines the particular difficulties involved in researching the psychology and neuroscience of creativity. We talk about the popular idea that the right hemisphere is the creative brain (it isn't), links between mental health and psychedelics to creativity, and the possible contribution of the default mode network. We also discuss the special quality of creativity in the context of humour. In an afterword we talk about some of the problems involved in research that engages the popular press, bypassing peer review, but also the 'status bias' that can colour even peer review.Participants:Anna Abraham PhD, E. Paul Torrance Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, Director, Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development, Mary Frances Early College of Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA. http://www.anna-abraham.com/Ken Barrett, artist, writer, retired neuropsychiatrist http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Anna's Books: The Creative Brain: Myths and Truths: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262548007/the-creative-brain/The Neuroscience of Creativity: http://www.anna-abraham.com/book-the-neuroscience-of-creativity-2018.htmlOpening music: Prelude to Brainland Act 1, composed by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukSketch by KB.
30. OBJECTS WITH SOUL: The strange power of puppets in opera.
49:40||Season 1, Ep. 30In this podcast Hayley talks us through the early history of puppets in opera, including the eighteenth century fashion for opera composed specifically for puppets. She goes on to describe the conclusions reached in her doctoral research, applying musicological thinking to marionette operas in our era, conclusions she considers applicable more widely to cinema and animation. These include her theory 'performance networks and poetic synchronicity. She talks about her experience of various performances and her conviction that the movement of puppets, expertly 'played', are inherently musical. Participants:Hayley Burton Richards, musicologist, musician, educator, Head of Music, Wilson's School.Ken Barrett, artist, writer, retired neuropsychiatrist http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Hayley"s beautifully written Harvard PhD thesi. 'Breath, Gravity and Death' can be accessed here: https://dash.lib.harvard.edu/handle/1/37372118?show=fullSome of the performances discussed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWi-7aTW_pohttps://www.kentridge.studio/projects/wozzeck/Richard Teschner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY38P-6TYQMLotte Reiniger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-TJvNBO1fwOpening music: extract from scene 2 of Brainland composed by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukSketch by KB.