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| The idea for the series was actually several years in the making, going back to 2018, when I was the host of Slate’s film and TV podcast Represent. Hollywood’s diversity issues were firmly in the cultural conversation at the time, thanks to viral campaigns such as #OscarsSoWhite and the backlash against whitewashing in movies like Doctor Strange and the Ghost in the Shell remake. And as is true today, many cultural gatekeepers were bemoaning the heightened attention to poor representation and accusing the “woke left”/millennials of being, among other things, overly sensitive about concerns in ways previous generations were not.
I knew this was an oversimplification of history; of course earlier audiences took issue with how their cultures were reflected via movies and TV, and for almost as long as those mediums have existed. (For one: If the Black press hadn’t been so outspoken about Gone With the Wind during its production, the final script, which is pretty odious as is, probably would’ve included the ‘n-word.’ Yikes.) My goal was to revisit some old movies that had divided the cultures they represented as a way to resurface that history in the context of the present. |
Desreta Jackson and Akosua Busia in The Color Purple. Alamy Stock Photo |
The Color Purple is, to me, an especially interesting case study of intersectionality in moviegoing and the tensions they can bring forth; Black men and women responded very differently to the film in 1985. So, too, is Basic Instinct, a movie that was so polarizing at the time of its release in 1992 that LGBTQ and feminist activists crashed Sharon Stone’s Saturday Night Live monologue to protest queer stereotypes. And with The Godfather, there’s a perfect opportunity for exploring how such protests weren’t just limited to people of color, women, or queer people; Italian Americans have had their own grievances with how Hollywood has presented them over the years.
At Slate, I did an initial round of interviews with some Black critics about the legacy of The Color Purple, but when I left to take a new job, the concept was abandoned. (If you’ve already listened to that “Screening Ourselves” episode, you heard two of those conversations from that time, with film critic Armond White and Washington Post columnist Courtland Milloy.) Fast forward a few years later, and now I’m at NPR, and lucky enough to have seen what is now called “Screening Ourselves” finally come to fruition, thanks to the support of many generous colleagues. It’s been awesome (and exhausting! and challenging!) developing my first scripted podcast, and getting to nerd out on two of my favorite subjects, movies and history. There’s a special kind of thrill that comes from digging through NPR’s extensive archives and finding on-the-ground reporting about Kansas City Italian Americans who protested the opening of The Godfather 50 years ago.
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Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather.
CBS Photo Archive/CBS via Getty Images |
There was a ton of research and audio that was left on the cutting room floor; if I recall correctly, the very first full cut of our episode on The Godfather was 30-plus pages long, and clocked in at over an hour run time. There was one particular thread that just didn’t quite work with the story we were trying to tell, and it involved the Cuomo dynasty’s persistent and deep-seated contempt for the franchise. Mario Cuomo, the late former governor of New York, spent decades railing against the media’s association of him and other Italian Americans with the mafia and he largely blamed The Godfather and other movies like it. (He refused to even watch the film until just a couple of years before his death. His assessment: “great, if you’re referring to artistry,” but still sending a “horrible” message about Italian American culture.) And in 2019, Mario’s son, disgraced former CNN anchor Chris, went embarrassingly viral when he was caught on camera berating a patron at a restaurant who’d referred to him as “Fredo,” as in the ineffectual black sheep of the Corleone family. (Chris’ response in the video is truly a sight to behold, especially because he tries to argue that calling an Italian American Fredo is akin to calling a Black person … yes, that word. Yikes again.)
But even if the Cuomos didn’t make the final cut, I’m pleased with what did, in each episode. I had the opportunity to speak with movie legends like producer Albert Ruddy and actress Margaret Avery and have deep conversations with former GLAAD and Queer Nation activists. We resurfaced some audio time capsules. And in the process, I hope, those who have listened were able to come away from “Screening Ourselves” thinking a little differently about a few movies they may have already loved or hadn’t thought about in some time. I know I did
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Last week, our friends on the Book Desk launched their annual “Books We Love” guide – a cornucopia of recommendations for the year’s 400-plus(!) best reads. (Which includes our very own Linda Holmes!)
I rarely watch movie trailers, unless I’m already in a theater and forced to sit through previews, or it’s for a franchise where there’s little room for surprise or novelty to begin with. Which is why I’m fully on board with Vox critic Alissa Wilkinson’s argument against viewing trailers as a general rule, because most of them are really bad at conveying what a movie is actually about. Go in cold! You might like some films better if you did.
If you love Christmas music but can’t stand the new stuff or are a little over the old standbys, then check out the days-long Spotify playlist “FaLaLaLaLa Sentimental Christmas Shuffle-List.” It’s mostly songs of the easy listening/jazz variety circa the mid-20th Century, and features lesser played versions of familiar songs (Jackie Gleason – yes, from The Honeymooners – singing “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm”) as well as novelty songs you’ve likely never even heard of (“When Santa Claus Gets Your Letter” by … Captain Kangaroo?). |
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Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in Wednesday.
Netflix |
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Glen and Ella Cerón chatted about the new series Wednesday.
Andrew Limbong and I tried to avoid making too many distasteful food/eating puns while discussing the cannibal-lovers-on-the-run movie Bones and All.
Linda and Cyrena Touros returned to the land of Andalasia to unpack Disenchanted.
Stephen and Ronald Young Jr. journeyed to the center of the earth to talk the animated movie Strange World.
And I sat down with Linda, Bob Mondello, and Danny Hensel to talk movies! Magic! Divorce! And lots of other things regarding Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical drama The Fabelmans. |
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| Every week on the show, we talk about some other things out in the world that have been giving us joy lately. Here they are: |
Shortbread:
4 cups flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 lb (four sticks) butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butter into flour and sugar with knife. Crumble mixture with fingers, and pat mixture into Pyrex dish. Bake for 45 minutes (10 mins into baking, poke some holes with fork). Cut shortbread into squares immediately after removing from oven (DO NOT WAIT FOR COOLING) but leave in the Pyrex dish. Remove to platter only when completely cool.
Bourbon Balls:
2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (rolled fine)
1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons white corn syrup
1/3 cup bourbon (rum or brandy also work)
Mix all ingredients. Shape into one-inch balls. Roll them in (additional) powdered sugar. Store in tightly closed container for at least one week (this is the hardest part) before serving, so the flavors can blend. (It’s tempting to use extra bourbon, but if you do, the balls will get gummy in the container and melt together.) |
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