SEEING FACES IN MOVIES

Felicia is joined by Joey Gantner to discuss the effects of lust on a man in Fritz Lang’s Human Desire (1954).

We chat about how the women in his film are more than your typical film noir femme fatale, and why it helps to separate this work from the other Grahame and Ford pairing.

This is the last episode in the Lang series, it always feels like a task to tackle a huge director but a fun task nonetheless. My guests and I wanted to pick some of his slightly lesser known films to show the range and depth of his work, and we hope you feel inspired to dig a big deeper into his catalogue.

Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]

Find Joey here:
Spotify: Out of the Podcast
Tape Record Label: sludge-people.com
IG: @sludgepeople
IG: @outofthepodcast

Listen to our previous episodes here:
To Live and Die in L.A. (D.O.P. Robby Müller 1985)
Repo Man (Alex Cox 1984)
Miracle Mile (Steve De Jarnatt 1988)

Sources:
Eisner, L. H. (1984). Fritz Lang. Cahiers du cinéma/Editions de l’étoile : Cinémathèque française.

https://mubi.com/en/notebook/posts/interview-with-fritz-lang-beverley-hills-august-12-1972

https://fourstarfilmfan.com/2019/11/17/human-desire-1954/

https://mubi.com/en/notebook/posts/no-other-kind-close-up-on-fritz-lang-s-human-desire

https://midwestfilmjournal.com/2024/05/03/fritz-on-fridays-human-desire-1954/

https://davidnilsenwriter.com/2015/06/22/the-trains-of-human-desire-1954/

https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2013/cteq/la-bete-humaine-unquiet-desperation/

https://notesoncinematograph.blogspot.com/2010/05/rivettedomarchi-interview-fritz-lang.html

Felicia is joined by Rolo Tony to discuss Fritz Lang’s return to his roots as he blends German expressionism and film noir in Ministry of Fear (1944).

We chat about the impact of the set design along with the power of Ray Milland’s performance.

Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]

Find Rolo Tony here:
Twitter: @PoorOldRoloTony
Letterboxd: @PoorOldRoloTony
YouTube: @PoorOldRoloTony
Twitter: @GuysGotJuice
Spotify: @TheseGuysGotJuice

Listen to our previous episodes here:
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (Jim Jarmusch 1999)
A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes 1974)

Sources:
Eisner, L. H. (1984). Fritz Lang. Cahiers du cinéma/Editions de l’étoile : Cinémathèque française.

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/2690-ministry-of-fear-paranoid-style

https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2022/cteq/an-entertainment-fritz-langs-ministry-of-fear-1944/

https://www.londonfictions.com/graham-greene-the-ministry-of-fear.html

https://mubi.com/en/notebook/posts/ministry-of-fear-love-during-wartime

https://mubi.com/en/notebook/posts/the-forgotten-auld-lang-syne

https://www.criterion.com/films/28065-ministry-of-fear?srsltid=AfmBOoqHJpuDu7frQOsoLl3Tg5Mcvo4IqBCqmwIAYBqx2wOmLqaRgqPT

https://vintagestardust.wordpress.com/2025/07/27/hans-dreier-art-director/

Felicia is joined by Raf Stitt to discuss Fritz Lang’s exploration of the male psyche in The Woman in the Window (1944).

We chat about the impact of a twist ending, and how film noir is deeply rooted in German Expressionism.

Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]

Find Raf here:
Website: https://screenagewasteland.com/tag/the-canon-podcast/
Spotify: @ScreenageWasteland
Apple:@ScreenageWasteland
Letterboxd: @rafstitt
IG: @rafstitt
Twitter: @rafstitt
Bluesky: @rafstitt

Sources:
Eisner, L. H. (1984). Fritz Lang. Cahiers du cinéma/Editions de l’étoile : Cinémathèque française.

https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2002/cteq/woman_window/

https://heartofnoir.com/film/the-woman-in-the-window-1944/

https://www.tcm.com/articles/176542/the-woman-in-the-window-joan-bennett-and-edward-g-robinson-in-fritz-langs-film-noir-the-woman-in-the-window

https://midwestfilmjournal.com/2024/01/05/fritz-on-fridays-the-woman-in-the-window-1944/

Felicia is joined by Martin Kessler to discuss Fritz Lang’s first foray into the world of sound in his film M (1931).

We chat about what led Lang to finally make his first talkie, and how he allows the audience to use their imagination in full by not showing the violence on screen.

This is the series opener and Fritz Lang is a director I have wanted to discuss on the show for a long time. I mainly focused on his career in America and I wanted to discuss the slightly lesser known films to show his great range.

Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]

Find Martin here:
Twitter: @MovieKessler
Website: The Pink Smoke
Spotify: @ThePinkSmoke
Apple: @ThePinkSmoke
Soundcloud: @ThePinkSmoke

Deaf Crocodile Commentaries:
Website: https://deafcrocodile.com/
The Tragedy of Man (Marcell Jankovics 2011)
Song of the Miraculous Hind (Marcell Jankovics 2002)

Listen to our previous episodes here:
The Landlord (D.O.P. Gordon Willis 1970)
Opening Night (John Cassavetes 1977)

Sources:
Eisner, L. H. (1984). Fritz Lang. Cahiers du cinéma/Editions de l’étoile : Cinémathèque française.

https://mubi.com/en/notebook/posts/interview-with-fritz-lang-beverley-hills-august-12-1972

https://www.tcm.com/articles/38694/m-1931

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1457-my-film-m-a-factual-report

https://www.c-span.org/clip/public-affairs-event/peter-bogdanovich-on-fritz-langs-m/4994498

Felicia is joined by Jason Christian to discuss the lasting impact of Jean Renoir’s Grand Illusion (1937).

We chat about how the film focuses on the relationships between these men from different sides and classes. Along with how he’s less interested in the battles and more so in his characters mindsets.

This is the final episode of the Renoir series, thanks for joining along and as always I hope my guests and I have inspired you to discover more of his work.

Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]

Find Jason here:
Website: https://jasonchristianwrites.com/
Letterboxd: @exilemagic
Twitter: @jasonachristian
Cold War Cinema Podcast on Spotify: @coldwarcinema
Cold War Cinema Podcast on Apple: @coldwarcinema

Listen to our previous episodes here:
Shoeshine (Vittorio De Sica 1946)

Sources:
Renoir, J., & Cardullo, B. (2005). Jean Renoir: Interviews. University Press of Mississippi.

Renoir, J., & Denny, N. (2004). My life and my films. Da Capo Press.

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/15-grand-illusion