Episode 209: The Tender Side of Samuel Fuller

## Show Notes

We discuss the two-fisted cinema of Writer/Director Samuel Fuller and focus on PARK ROW and SHOCK CORRIDOR.
## Films Discussed

* Directed by Samuel Fuller
	+ *The Steel Helmet* (1951)
	+ *Fix Bayonets* (1951)
	+ *Park Row* (1952)
	+ *Pick Up on South Street* (1953)
	+ *Forty Guns* (1957)
	+ *The Crimson Kimono* (1959)
	+ *Shock Corridor* (1963)
	+ *The Naked Kiss* (1964)
	+ *Shark!* (1969)
	+ *The Big Red One* (1980)
	+ *White Dog* (1982)
	+ *Thieves After Dark* (1984)
	+ *Street of No Return* (1989)
* *It Happened in Hollywood* (1937) Dir. Harry Lachman
* *The Magnificent Ambersons* (1942) Dir. Orson Welles
* *Pierrot le Fou* (1965) Dir. Jean-Luc Godard

## Discussion Notes

* Samuel Fuller - a director of films that grab you by the balls
	+ His style is recognized as déclassé, 'in your face', or angry, but it also can convey complex and progressive subjects
		- Used B-movie recognition to tackle dangerous subject matter
		- One of Justin's favorite directors
	+ Traveled the US as a reporter, meeting the poor and marginalized and covering Klan rallies, riots, and Depression-ravaged communities
	+ Went from journalism in New York to screenwriting in Hollywood, then enlisted in World War II, and eventually returned to Hollywood
	+ Thrived in the studio system since his pictures made money, but New Hollywood pushed him out the door
	+ Eventually moved to Paris where he was recognized for the exceptional talent he was
* *The Steel Helmet*
	+ Korean war film made while the war was going on
	+ Fuller's experience in WWII moved him to focus his war films on the camaraderie of soldiers rather than their fighting and needless death
* *Pickup on South Street*
	+ A Hollywood anti-communist noir thriller that cares more about the poor dejected lives of it's subjects more than it cares about its anti-communism
	+ Sets up idea that global politics don't matter when to people who are already miserable in their everyday life
		- 'Death is a way to not be tired anymore'
* *Park Row*
	+ A 'big set' movie about a newspaper circulation war in the 1880s
	+ Displays Fuller's passion for the working-class physicality of journalism
		- Fuller put $200,000 of his own money into the film!
	+ Has an excellent and lengthy single-take scene
* *Forty Guns*
	+ A big Cinemascope black-and-white western
		- Possibly the most widescreen movie ever, say our hosts
* *Shock Corridor*
	+ The story of a journalist who goes undercover in a mental institution to solve an unsolved murder
	+ A Poverty Row film tackled with the highest emotional complexity and visual punchiness Fuller could muster
	+ Has a stripped down dream-state feel, which explores the thin line between sanity and insanity with disturbing results
* *The Naked Kiss*
	+ The story of a prostitute who moves to small town to change her life
	+ One of Will's favorite opening scenes, where the actress literally attacks the camera
* *The Big Red One*
	+ Auto-biographical dream project that was a big hit
		- Was originally 200+ minutes in length, but was cut down against Fuller's wishes
	+ Came after a long period of Fuller being ousted from Hollywood
* *White Dog*
	+ A young woman unknowingly gets a dog that violently attacks black people
		- Originally supposed to be directed by Roman Polanski
	+ An anti-racist film that attracted negative publicity early on from people who thought it was actually pro-racist
		- Paramount pulled the film, until a programmer tricked them into screening it for a full week instead of a single evening

## Post-Outro Discussion

* Our hosts took part in a screening of the films of Motern Media
	+ A double-bill of *Local Legends* and *Freaky Farley* in a sold-out digital theater, with creators Matt Farley and Charles Roxburgh
	+ The magic of Motern - an unwavering tone and the magic question of 'are they serious?'
	+ Our hosts discuss the evolution and possible future of Motern Media