The Art of Film with Ian Nathan - Season 1
Season 1
Episodes
The Unique Style of Powell and Pressburger
The writer and critic examines the many layers of the world of film-making, exploring styles, themes, eras, genres, studios and partnerships, and the many sensibilities that shaped cinema from its beginnings to today. He begins with a look at the British film-making partnership of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and the unique style they brought to the string of successful features through the 1940s, including The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, A Matter of Life and Death, Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes.
The Magic of Ealing Studios
The critic looks at the output of Ealing Studios, which produced black comedies including Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Lavender Hill Mob and The Ladykillers. While the studios has had various peaks and troughs, it still exists today and its more recent films include Shaun of the Dead, and it is also home to Andy Serkis's Imaginarium motion-capture studio.
Nouveau Horror
In the 80s, away from endless slasher movies, horror found a new lease of life, as directors broke the rules and added style to genre traditions.
Depiction Of War
Explore how filmmakers have depicted war, from the style they choose to ways they expand our understanding of the nature of war and humanity
Comedy, Parody, Satire and Laughs
Ian Nathan continues his exploration of cinema with a look at comedy, parody and satire, beginning with the early days of on-screen comedy with the silent actors who took vaudeville slapstick to the next level, including Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. As silent film gave way to talkies, films found new ways to keep the laughs coming, with stars like Groucho Marx bringing his famous one-liners to the screen in Duck Soup, and Peter Sellers excelling in satire in titles like I'm All Right, Jack and Two Way Stretch.
The Many Faces of Biopics
Ian takes a look at biopic, examining the different ways in which film has presented the real-life stories of significant figures. From Laurence Olivier's Shakespearean portrayal of Richard III to Robert Downey Jr's acclaimed role as Charlie Chaplin, and even stretching into the current decade with Kristen Stewart's take on Diana, Princess of Wales in 2021's Spencer.
Recently Updated Shows
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
The journey of four kids who make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, then get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. Finding their way home — and meeting unlikely allies and enemies — will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined.
On Call
On Call is an adrenalized and visceral police drama that puts us inside the squad car and on the streets with Long Beach Police. Through training officer Traci Harmon and rookie Alex Diaz, the series examines how the complexities of the job affects the human condition. Harmon will be enlightened by a kid from the streets, while Diaz will learn that policing isn't black and white - it requires shades of grey. Each episode tracks the duo as they respond to a new radio call, arriving on the scene to resolve an incident. Incorporating a mixture of bodycam, dash-camera, and cellphone footage to create a cinema verité effect, the innovative series explores the morality of protecting and serving a community.
When Calls the Heart
When Calls the Heart is inspired by Janette Oke's bestselling book series about the Canadian West, the series tells the captivating story of Elizabeth Thatcher, a young teacher accustomed to her high society life, who receives her first classroom assignment in Coal Valley, a small coal mining town where life is simple, but often fraught with challenges. Upon arrival, Elizabeth befriends Abigail Stanton, a wife and mother whose husband, the foreman of the mine, along with a dozen other miners, has just been killed in an explosion. The newly widowed women find their faith is tested when they must go to work in the mines to keep a roof over their heads. Set against the wild canvas of a 19th century coal town, Elizabeth will have to learn the ways of the frontier if she wishes to thrive in the rural west on her own.
Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets follows a girls' high school soccer team. In 1975, the Dearborn High Yellowjackets became the first team in state history to qualify for the Girls' U.S. Soccer Championship Series in Manchester, NH. They never got the chance to compete. Equal parts survival epic, horror story and pitch black coming of age, Yellowjackets tells the story of the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness, chronicling their descent from a friendly, cooperative team to warring, cannibalistic clans. At the same time, it follows the lives they've attempted to piece back together nearly twenty-five years later, proving that the past is never really past and what began out in the wilderness is far from over.
American Horror Story
American Horror Story is an horror television anthology series. Each season is conceived as a self-contained miniseries, following a disparate set of characters and settings, and a storyline with its own beginning, middle, and end. While some actors appear for more than one year, they play completely different roles in each season.