CAPOLAVORO!
CAPOLAVORO!
Podcast Description
In this podcast Russell Kilbourn, Professor of Literature and Film at Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario discusses classic Italian movies, old and new with Ken Barrett, host of the Brainland podcast, visual artist and former neuropsychaitrist. Each episode focuses on one film. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast delves into a range of topics, primarily focusing on classic and contemporary Italian cinema with episodes discussing themes such as the mafia influence in Gomorrah, Pasolini's unique storytelling in The Gospel According to Matthew, and the exploration of mythological references in La Chimera, while highlighting the historical and social context of each film.
In this podcast Russell Kilbourn, Professor of Literature and Film at Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario discusses classic Italian movies, old and new with Ken Barrett, host of the Brainland podcast, visual artist and former neuropsychiatrist. Each episode focuses on one film and lasts about 30 minutes.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Frank Burke is a leading film scholar with a long interest in Italian director Federico Fellini (1920-1993). Few artists were more obsessed with their dreams than Fellini. In this conversation we talk about his early interest in puppets and circus, and his jobs, before moving into film, as an illustrator and caracaturist. Drawing was always an important part of his preparation for movies but he also kept a graphic, drawn dream diary in the ’60s and ’70s, at the suggestion of Jungian analyst Ernst Bernhard. We discuss his interest in the work of another analyst, James Hillman who leaned more to the mystical and symbolic, and explore the recurring themes in those diaries (published postumously). Films in which dreams feature large are also discussed – we mention several but we focus on four including the feted ‘Eight and a half'( 1963) and the vilified ‘City of Women’ (1980). To close Frank suggests movies that listeners new to Fellini may watch as an as a way into his work (depending on their interests and state of intoxication).
Participants:
Frank Burke, Independent film scholar and Professor Emeritus, Department of Film and Media, Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada. https://www.queensu.ca/filmandmedia/people-search/frank-burke
Ken Barrett, visual artist, writer and retired neuropsychiatrist: http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk
More on Federico Fellini: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federico_Fellini
Some films discussed:
Eight and a Half: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056801/
Juliet of the spirits: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059229/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_6_nm_2_in_0_q_%2520%2520Juliet%2520of%2520the%2520spirits
City of Women: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080539/
More on James Hillman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_HillmanParticipant:
More on Carlos Castaneda: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Castaneda
A version of this conversation was first released on the Brainland podcast in November 2025 (https://shows.acast.com/brainland)
Theme music: Tarantella composed by Stephen Brown
Collage by KB illustration
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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