Documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman discusses "Titicut Follies," his controversial 1967 film about a hospital for the criminally insane. In this interview with Todd Melby, he also reveals why he shot most of his movies on 16mm, how his films are structurally similar to plays and why he hates the term "cinema verite."

Ep. 4: Frederick Wiseman

Critic Terrence Rafferty of GQ called "Killer of Sheep," a film by Charles Burnett, "one of the most striking debuts in movie history." In this episode, host Todd Melby interviews writer/director Burnett, about this important film.

"Killer of Sheep" examines the black Los Angeles ghetto of Watts in the mid-1970s through the eyes of Stan, a sensitive dreamer who is growing detached and numb from the psychic toll of working at a slaughterhouse. Frustrated by money problems, he finds respite in moments of simple beauty: the warmth of a teacup against his cheek, slow dancing with his wife, holding his daughter. The movie offers no solutions; it merely presents life — sometimes hauntingly bleak, sometimes filled with transcendent joy and gentle humor.

The film was shot in roughly a year of weekends on a budget of less than $10,000, paid for partially by a $3,000 grant, and also out of the pocket of Burnett himself. Shot on location, the film offers an episodic narrative with gritty documentary-style cinematography.

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Image courtesy of Charles Burnett.

Ep. 5: Charles Burnett

Death comes to us all. Even kings.

After a hunting trip in August 1715, Louis XIV — the longest serving monarch in French history — complains about a pain in his left leg. A doctor recommends "camphoric spirit dressings and donkey milk baths." Bad advice. Soon, gangrene develops and yet, the doctors do nothing. Day by day, death crawls up his leg and the king moans in pain.

In The Death of Louis XIV, Albert Serra recreates these final days. As birds chirp in the distance, we watch the king, played by the legendary Jean-Pierre Leaud (The 400 Blows, Antoine and Colette, Irma Vep)suffer. The final portrays lonely, agonizingly painful moments full of bad medical advice, hucksters begging for money court hangers-on demanding attention and Louis XIV's demise.

The Death of Louis XIV, an Official Selection of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, represents Serra's third appearance at the prestigious festival. Two of his earlier works — Honor of the Knights and Birdsong — were featured at Cannes' Directors' Fortnight.

In this episode, we hear the opinionated and entertaining director discuss the film's origin as an art installation at the Centre Pompidou in Paris (1:58), on Louis XIV's agony (2:58), on pre-filmmaking discussions with collaborators (4:00), on going against the cliche (8:40), on how to get five "magical" minutes every day when shooting (12:12), on working with Jean-Pierre Leaud (13:10), on the intelligence of actors (17:15), on silent film star Harry Langdon (19:25), on working with non-professional actors (20:50), on the roughness of Andy Warhol's films (22:30), on why he doesn't look at shots from inside the camera (26:00), on capturing "magic" when shooting (29:15), on the most important scene in The Death of Louis XIV (33:33), on expressing silence in a film with subtle sounds (36:44), on the king realizing his death is imminent (40:10), on the relationship between truth and beauty (42:50).

Ep. 6: Albert Serra

Georges Mourier describes Napoléon as “not just a masterpiece." The Cinémathèque Française restoration expert says the 1927 silent film "is also a monster piece.” Which is why, while working on a new restoration of the Abel Gance classic, Mourier never be alone with Napoléon. Instead, a collaborator will always be with him in the screening room as he grapples with the genius of Gance. In this episode of The Drunk Projectionist podcast, host Todd Melby and Mourier discuss the many versions of the movie, discuss the snowball fight scene, analyze the singing of the Marseillaise at the Club Des Cordeliers, and much more. Also here: https://bit.ly/2jQB3aw

Ep 7: Napoléon

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