Just as the universe expands with stars being born every minute, podcasts about movies flicker into existence as you read this very sentence. It can be hard to find the best. Luckily For Screen And Country shines the brightest. The gimmick – a doozy. Brendan and Jason work there way through the BFI top 100, randomly. Offering the perfect blend of insight and commentary, with humour and wit, and never tips too much in one direction. Moreover the podcast is hugely addictive and binge-able. It’s great to hear love for some real neglected movies, and seeing some non British observations on some very British movies.
We were pleased as punch to catch up with Brendan and Jason to talk all things BFI!
First of all though if you don’t subscribe to For Screen and Country on your preferred podcaster – do so now! If you’ve never heard it I would suggest starting off with Kwai as that is a standout episode… or maybe the one that covers your favourite on the list!
Hey guys, great to catch up! I hope that Guinness is super chilled, Jason. Let’s start with the obvious question – how did two Canadian guys come to do a podcast about the BFI top 100 movies?
Brendan: I’m a big fan of the Unspooled podcast where Paul Scheer and Amy Nicholson talked about the movies on the AFI Top 100 list. I thought, well, everyone knows about 80-90% of these classic American films but I really like the idea of doing a ‘list’ podcast so I thought if the American one is covered, why not go to the other side of the pond? Let’s do it! Plus I had seen like 12 of the movies on the list before we started the podcast so any chance to get more cultured. And then I asked one of my bestest buddies to co-host with me ’cause he’s fucking hilarious. I think, maybe, I also needed a podcast about GOOD movies to off-set my other one about BAD movies.
Jason seems something of an Anglophile, but Brendan, um, less so… how prepared where you going in? A lot of these movies you’ll find on the telly in Britain on a Sunday afternoon, so you can often see Genevieve for example. In fact on Sunday 26th September you can watch Kind Hearts and Coronets. Oddly, I’m sure Bridge On The River Kwai is on every Christmas here.
Jason: Prepared, I suppose, only in the sense I was more familiar with British stuff than Brendan was. My preparation was watching PBS and Bravo as a teen, Are You Being Served?, Keeping Up Appearances, Monty Python, Fawlty Towers etc. And I’d seen a few of the movies on the list just in my life.
B: What’s an Anglo?
It’s a sort of corner (little etymology joke for you there). Which actors and directors that you knew of have most impressed you? And whose come from nowhere to blow you away?
J: David Lean, of course. Lawrence and Kwai were huge movies to me in my early 20s and still are. I pictured him mainly as a director of epics so imagine my joy when I was blown away by Brief Encounter. On the other end, I’d never even heard of Powell and Pressburger in my life and wow – I was missing out. A Matter of Life and Death is now one of my favourite movies.
B: I second David Lean but this is coming from someone who had not seen a SINGLE David Lean film before as well as Powell and Pressburger, all of whose films have impressed me. I think Neil Jordan was kind of a dark horse for me too with Mona Lisa Smile and The Crying Game, which I HAD seen but barely remembered. Maybe Bill Forsyth too – I really like the style of cozy comedies like Gregory’s Girl and Local Hero. As for actors – this podcast really made me fall in love with Julie Christie.
Let’s do some negative questions then some positive ones. You seem a little lukewarm on the Ealing comedies. I am too actually, I’ve long suspected they are popular because of the Ealing “brand” and because there’s Alec Guinness.
J: I think it comes down to [the fact that] comedy doesn’t age nearly as well as drama. I think that’s why I liked The Ladykillers remake better – it had a more modern comedic sensibility. But that’s not a hard and fast rule – Passport to Pimlico and I’m Alright Jack made me laugh!
B: Jason is an enemy of joy. That’s the answer. Nah, ya know, comedy is subjective and what works for some doesn’t always work for others. I personally enjoyed the Ealing comedies especially The Lavender Hill Mob and was still mostly okay with the lesser ones like Whisky Galore.
Interestingly, some of the movies discussed like Dr No and Whisky Galore seem to be there and maybe too high because of their influence and their foundational aspects? This list by default says Dr No is the best Bond and clearly that’s not true!?
J: Yeah, Goldfinger is clearly the Superior movie. And while Dr No is way better to me now than when I first saw it, I don’t think I’d even put it as the second Bond. Today you’d probably replace that with Casino Royale ’06. Or, selfishly, Goldeneye.
B: I’m not super well-versed in Bond but Dr. No seems fine being on the list but I’ll have to second Casino Royale because I do remember that being a real good time. The Woody Allen one from the ’60s, of course. Daniel who? But for real – I think On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a pretty overlooked one probably due to the fact of the one-and-done Bond casting of George Lazenby, who admittedly isn’t very good in the film.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a great shout, apart from Lazenby it’s a terrific movie. Imagine if they’d made that with a re-energised Connery. Mouth watering! Nothing selfish about Goldeneye, what a movie! I think there’s a huge case for The Spy Loved Me, now I’m a Roger fan and I know you two not so much, but that film is almost like the Platonic ideal of a Bond movie, and if it hadn’t been a hit the franchise could have died a death.
J: I can’t remember the last time I saw that one! I liked Roger Moore but the goofiness got a bit much by the end. And then they went too hard the other way with Dalton!
B: I can’t stand Roger Moore in the couple of Bond films I saw him in. He’s too goofy like Jason mentioned but I just didn’t find him believable especially after Connery was the one that preceded him.
As the list was made in 1999 some of the movies seem included based on their popularity at the time, yes we’re looking at you, The English Patient. Also Brassed Off which was following in The Full Monty’s success. Now The Full Monty is class, but Brassed Off is cold misery soup washed down with a bleach chaser. Could have been worse though as there was another called East is East and boy that is bollocks.
J: Strong words! I really liked Brassed Off. It tickles me to think someone hates it so! And without it, would we have “Tubthumping?!” I think not!
B: Whoa! I’m also surprised by the vicious attack on Brassed Off! For sure, there are some popular choice ones like EP and maybe “Oliver!” which is an okay musical but nothing special. Chariots of Fire was fine but maybe a little worse as I think back on it. Certainly, films like Gandhi and The Killing Fields fall into that category for me.
OK let’s be positive, it was great to hear some love for The 39 Steps, now that movie manages to both massively foundational AND a phenomenally entertaining and well made movie. It ticks every box! Hitchcock was way ahead of his time, though that’s hardly a news flash!
J: Way ahead of his time, no question. That movie is great, so watchable even today. No need for remakes, the one we watched was so boring.
B: Hitchcock was great – they should include one of his best early British films, The Lodger. I wouldn’t toss either The 39 Steps or The Lady Vanishes in exchange but David Lean has like 17 movies on there. C’mon.
Kwai or Arabia?
J: Tough question! For many years now I would have immediately said Lawrence, but I’ve come to think Kwai is simply a tighter movie. And the relationship between Nichols and Saito is so compelling. And it’s a bit shorter. I might still say Lawrence but Kwai is pulling in…
B: Arabia but it’s a photo finish. I think Kwai is a magnificent film but Lawrence is such an impressive epic that is never dull for one moment. They are both five-star movies.
At the time of writing you haven’t done Carry On Up The Kyber yet… I think you’ll like it! I think after this is done you should do Carry On Up The Carry On Podcast. I double dares ya.
J: Well you’ll very soon be able to hear our thoughts! The entire series though? Man, there’s 30 movies; surely no more of them are classics..
B: Yeah, I think that episode is up now. That’s… one that I found funny but obviously problematic. I can confirm no “Carry On up the Carry On” podcast is in our future. Sorry!
You’re doing number one last, The Third Man, it will have a lot of pressure on it! For me, I find it somewhat overrated.
J: I’m excited anyway, any chance to watch Welles at work
B: Real curious to see if this is #1 for me/us. It’s gonna take a lot of legwork because I have a few I’m eyeing for that top spot right now and they are pretty flawless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21h0G_gU9Tw
You did a great job with Olivier’s Henry V, you made me interested in Shakespeare! I watched it on youtube and the framing device of it starting as a literal play with Olivier playing an actor playing Henry V was genius. You really made me appreciate his craft. You’re also right that it’s odd that Branagh isnt represented.
J: Well damn, we inspired someone to Shakespeare. If that doesn’t deserve an OBE I don’t know what does. And on a new list I’d absolutely replace Olivier’s Hamlet with Branagh’s. The man is a national treasure and the finest Gilderoy Lockhart one could ask for.
B: I’m of two minds on Shakespeare. I completely understand the appeal and recognize that it’s brilliant but at the same time, I sometimes find them a chore to sit through and I get confused about the plot because the dialogue just confounds me. Having said that, Olivier’s Henry V is really interesting with the play-within-a-movie format and I did like that aspect. The rest of the movie was fine but I’m probably the wrong audience for this shit.
You suffered the 1998 movie version of The Avengers. I went to the cinema to see that, more fool me. Talk of miscast for Ralph Fiennes. Hugh Grant would have made a much better John Steed.
J: Yeah I liked that show so it surprised me that they managed to make a movie so terrible. Like that’s the sort of show i’d expect a mediocre unmemorable film version of, like the Are You Being Served? movie. So I’ll give the filmmakers credit – at least that they fuckin went for it. You’ll surely never forget it.
B: Ya know that was on April Fool’s Day and we were going to pretend it was a great movie for the entire episode but we were too drunk and silly to be able to lie for that long so we buried the lead early. I would say that’s the drunkest we’ve been for a recording but anyone that’s listened to our Whisky Galore episode can tell you that’s a downright lie
By the way, you covered Sexy Beast a while back. Did you know Ben Kinglsey based his performance on his grandmother?!
J: Now that’s a lady I wouldn’t want to encounter at my job, I’ll tell ya that. That’s fantastic; I didn’t know that. That lady must have been hard as nails.
B: Hot.
Want some recommendations? Stanley Baker’s Hell Is A City made in Manchester is an insight into real working class life without being another fucking kitchen sink drama. Lee Evans and Oliver Platt’s Funny Bones is a bizarre, surreal dark comedy with a showstopping end. I mentioned Dog Soldiers and Hell Drivers on twitter a while back. Hell Drivers is easily top 30, but I’d put all four in the 100. OK I’ll stop throwing movies at you now.
J: Ohh, I was a huge fan of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes. I’m down with any excuse to go back to Manchester. Hell Drivers sounds cool and not just cause there were a literal group of stunt drivers I saw as a kid at the local exhibition called the Hell Drivers.
B: I will watch these – I HAVE seen Dog Soldiers and it’s great.
Life On Mars is the THE BEST TV show ever made! Ok lets end with a big one, if the list was made again right now, what are the obvious movies you would drop and what would you add
J: Offhand? “Dr. No” is out, Casino Royale ’06 is in. I’d mainly drop the ones I thought the most boring you know: Women in Love, some of those Ealing comedies, probably The Dam Busters. Add in a Shaun of the Dead, perhaps. Gotta watch more modern British movies! But i’d also feel bad doing it because many of those movies, if not entertaining to modern eyes, remain important to British cinema. Maybe that’s a separate list: boring but important.
B: The Cornetto Trilogy (at least Shaun and Fuzz) would probably be on here. Maybe the Hammer Dracula movie? Under the Skin is a masterpiece. Johnny English of course (kidding!). For ones kicked off? Oh man – Women in Love, Gandhi, The English Patient, The Killing Fields, Hamlet, Caravaggio, Whisky Galore, Genevieve for starters. And I don’t even dislike all those movies; they’re just some of the ones that could be easily excised. But of course as you know, The English Patient is awful.
J: I’d love to take a trip to the coast of Italy where, on a picturesque beach, I could ceremoniously burn a print of The English Patient.
Great to talk to you, lads. All the best for The Third Man!
Normally, colourhorizon brings you the best in new psych and electro music on bandcamp. Head on over to the CONTENTS page to find reviews, articles and weird things!
… But we do have some movie articles on Miami Vice, Repo Man, To Live and Die In LA, Bullitt, Concrete Island and the lost Dune movie!
… what sort of music do we cover? Tunes like this from the band of the 21st century The Lucid Dream!
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