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The Plot Thickens

TCM & Criterion

Our seventh season is Stanley, an 11-episode exploration of Stanley Kubrick created in partnership with Criterion. Stanley traces Kubrick’s journey from a curious Bronx teenager, first inspired by a camera gifted to him by his father, to a visionary director who redefined the art of filmmaking. Across his career, Kubrick pushed boundaries, challenged censorship, and pursued an uncompromising level of creative control that shaped landmark films including Lolita, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, and Eyes Wide Shut. Stanley starts September 24.

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  • 26 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 37 min
  • English

Episodes 26

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  • S5 · E2
    Jun 13, 2024 · 55 min

    The Araner

    John Ford buys a yacht, where he cavorts, drinks and vacations. But he also keeps an eye on the looming threat in Europe, and uses his new vessel to enlist in the Naval Reserve. He rises through Hollywood and turns his friends into stars, including John Wayne – though he's increasingly abusive towards them on the set. As the ‘30s dissolve into the ‘40s, Ford directs a remarkable string of movies, winning back-to-back Oscars (though he doesn’t show up to the ceremonies). Then war breaks out, and he’s shipped overseas to cover the front. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • S5 · E1
    Jun 6, 2024 · 52 min

    Go West, Young Man

    John Ford was born in Maine as Sean Aloysius O’Feeney… or so he says. His birth records say differently, and it would not be the last time he changes his name. As a child, he visits Ireland and falls in love with his heritage, and later fights at the University of Maine when confronted with an Irish slur. He rediscovers his long-lost brother Francis on the big screen and follows him to Hollywood, where he works as a stunt double until fibbing his way into directing. As silent movies transition to talkies, Ford befriends the man who would become his friend, his muse, and his enabler, a young football player named John Wayne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • Apr 18, 2024 · 4 min

    Season 5 Trailer: Decoding John Ford

    Meet John Ford, the curmudgeon with an eyepatch who just happened to be the greatest filmmaker of the 20th Century. Ford was a bully and a drunk who ruled Hollywood for five decades, making dozens of seminal movies – though he was incredibly hard to pin down. His behavior swung wildly from loyalty to cruelty, without notice. He won more Oscars than any director in history, but never showed up to accept an award. And he rewrote American history, painting the country with images so beautiful that people wished they were real. John Ford defined the attitudes of his time, ideas about masculinity and heroism that we're still grappling with today. Join host Ben Mankiewicz for a new season of The Plot Thickens, starting June 6. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • Feb 9, 2024 · 52 min

    Introducing: Talking Pictures from TCM and Max

    While we're hard at work on the next season of The Plot Thickens, we're excited to share Ben Mankiewicz's new podcast, Talking Pictures. The first guest on Talking Pictures is writer director Nancy Meyers (Something’s Gotta Give, It’s Complicated, The Holiday). Recorded at her home, Meyers talks about casting Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton, getting script advice from Sunset Boulevard director Billy Wilder, and what it’s like to become famous for her interiors. Spoiler: it’s frustrating! Nancy Meyers also answers our Super 8 questionnaire and reveals which film had her running from the theater in absolute terror. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • May 1, 2023 · 18 min

    From American Masters: Creative Spark: John Waters on the Fine Art of Bad Taste

    We’re sharing a bonus episode from our friends at American Masters: Creative Spark, the PBS podcast that goes in-depth with an iconic artist about the creation of a single work. This episode is about John Waters, a filmmaker who loves to break the rules and make you laugh along the way. The iconoclast has been doing just that over the past six decades with provocative and perverse films like Pink Flamingos, Hairspray, and Female Trouble. Now enshrined as the king of transgressive cinema, Waters breaks down the creative process behind his first novel, Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance. This episode includes derogatory epithets used in an artistic context. Listener discretion advised. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • Feb 7, 2023 · 30 min

    Bonus Episode: Donald Bogle and Racquel Gates

    Film scholars Racquel Gates and Donald Bogle detail the rise and fall of Blaxploitation, and how Pam Grier transcended the genre and stayed iconic for decades afterwards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Showing 21–26 of 26 episodes