POP ART, WHERE WE FIND THE POP CULTURE IN ART AND THE ART IN POP CULTURE.

THE SON ALSO RISES: Join me and movie hyphenate writer, filmmaker, academic, businessman and coach Tony Klinger (The Who: The Kids Are All Right; Dirty, Sexy and Totally Iconic; Solo2Darwin and many, many others) as we talk about Monty Python’s Life of Brian and The Gospel According to Matthew, two films that take, let us say, different approaches to the story of Christ.

You preach love and peace. You try to get people to think for themselves. You try to create a better world. And what do you get for your trouble? You get crucified. What’s a Messiah to do?…Sounds like it’s time for Episode 86 of Pop Art, where we find the pop culture in art and the art in pop culture. It’s the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture, and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic/indie side of cinema with a connection to it. Today, I am happy to welcome back as my guest, movie hyphenate writer, filmmaker, academic, businessman and coach Tony Klinger, who has chosen as his film, the satire of religion and Biblical epics, Monty Python’s Life of Brian, while I have chosen Pier Paolo Pasolini’s austere, neorealist The Gospel According to St. Matthew, both films revolving around messiahs.

Tony also joined me previously for Episode 57 where we talked his father’s film Get Carter with Bad Day at Black Rock.

We also covered Monty Python and the Holy Grail on Episode 3 with my guest Jay Cluitt where we combined it with The Seventh Seal.

And in this episode, we answer such questions as: What is the difference between British and American humor? What is the correct translation of the title of Pasolini’s movie? Who is Loretta? What is the difference between a European and American approach to spiritual subject matter? Why did the Pythons lose funding two days before leaving for Tunisia to start filming? Why did it take three years to get Matthew into a theater in England? What was the world’s most expensive cinema ticket? Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? How did the Pythons use Norway’s ban to promote the film? What did the Vatican City newspaper L'Osservatore Romano call Matthew? Who is Mary Whitehouse and would you want to be one? How well would Pasolini do today in regards to the metoo movement? Who is Otto? How did the Tunisian extras criticize the directing of Life of Brian? Was there a doctor in the house?

Check out Tony’s website for more information about his films and projects https://www.tonydklinger.com/

Check out my blog at https://howardcasner.wordpress.com/

My books, More Rantings and Ravings of a Screenplay Reader, The Starving Artists and Other Stories and The Five Corporations and One True Religion can be found at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=howard+casner&ref=nb_sb_noss

Meanwhile, like, follow or comment on my podcast. I’d love to know what you think. And check out the other episodes.


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