I'm not sure TCM gets enough credit in this wild world. They are such a fun channel and so good at bringing in cool directors to talk about the classics that have influenced them.And this month, they brought in Paul Thomas Anderson, who sat down with Ben Mankiewicz to discuss the films that have shaped his cinematic DNA. The conversation covered Anderson's latest film, One Battle after Another, and dug into the power of film history and the visual language film created.Let's dive in.PTA on 'The Battle of Algiers' and 'The Searchers' So if you watch TCM, you know the conceit of these interviews is that the director ticks some influences and goes over what they love about them. Anderson chose the 1966 masterpiece The Battle of Algiers for a very specific reason. In his new film, there is a scene where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character is watching the movie, and it's a nod to how it was viewed in the 1960s.A "Training Film" for Anarchists: Anderson called the film a "blueprint" for guerrilla movements like the Weather Underground and the Black Panthers. It was so authentic that critics at the time, like Jimmy Breslin, famously called it a "training course" for revolutionaries.The Power of Non-Professional Actors: One of the film's most striking features is its documentary-like realism. Anderson notes that almost every actor, except for Jean Martin (who plays the French General), was a local non-professional. And that's why he used those people in his movie, too. This "pseudo-documentary" style, influenced...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday