36: Akira Kurosawa's Ran at 40, plus a special appearance from Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tom Hiddleston

An absolutely packed episode of STUDIOCANAL Presents here, as we celebrate a birthday, and bring in a couple of bonus guests! The first order of business is Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece, Ran, which is celebrating its 40th birthday. Regular host Simon Brew is joined by The Guardian film writer Andrew Pulver to talk about the film, and the influence of Kurosawa on modern Hollywood. And then! In come Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tom Hiddleston, two of the stars of Mike Flanagan's The Life Of Chuck, which heads to UK cinemas on 20th August. Quite the chat with these two here, rounding off an extra special episode...

A very special episode of STUDIOCANAL Presents, as multi-Oscar-winning filmmaking legend Francis Ford Coppola spends some time with us. He's talking about the new restoration of Hearts Of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, the newly-remastered documentary film charting the making of Apocalypse Now. Francis talks candidly about the film, and how Eleanor Coppola went about her work.  Furthermore, co-director of the film Fax Bahr then also joins us, as he reflects on wading through all the material and fashioning it into a film. Plus, how he ended up making the movie in the first place. 

Academy Award-winning director Michel Hazanavicius joins regular host Simon Brew for a special episode of the STUDIOCANAL Presents podcast. After winning Oscar for The Artist, Michel spent many years realising the extraordinary The Most Precious Of Cargoes. He tells Simon about the challenge of making the film, and what animation afforded him that live action wouldn't. That, and about the power of Alexandre Desplat's music. Plus, a special double bill as well, and the latest news from STUDIOCANAL...

A British war movie classic comes into focus in the latest episode of the STUDIOCANAL Presents podcast, as The Dam Busters celebrates its 70th birthday.  Host Simon Brew is joined by Dr Matthew Sweet as the pair chat about the film, drawing parallels with work as far and wide as Apocalypse Now, Star Wars, Dunkirk and even a dab of Top Gun Maverick. Also, why a version of the film written by Roald Dahl and directed by Howard Hawks never came to be. Quite the bonus double bill in this episode, too!

Few filmmakers can ever match the output of the late Rainer Werner Fassbinder, a German filmmaker who died at the age of just 37, with several lifetimes of work to his name. He's in the spotlight in this episode of STUDIOCANAL Presents, with two movies in particular - In A Year Of 13 Moons and Lola - going under our microscope. Regular host Simon Brew, of Film Stories, is joined by film writer and curator Sarah Cleary to examine the work of Fassinder. Plus, a fresh double bill, and the latest STUDIOCANAL news too...

Welcome to the brand new season of STUDIOCANAL Presents, kicking off in style as Paul Merton joins regular host Simon Brew to talk about comedy legend Tony Hancock. In particular, two films that Hancock made at a pivotal point in his career: 1961's The Rebel and 1963's The Punch & Judy Man, both arriving on STUDIOCANAL's Vintage Classics DVD and Blu-ray label.  Wearing terrific socks, which might not come across in the audio, Paul Merton explains just what makes the two films special. Plus, a whole lot more in here too...

In the final episode of STUDIOCANAL Presents for 2024, regular host Simon Brew is joined by film historian and critic Henry K Miller. Between them, they're digging into some of the early work of Alfred Hitchcock. They pick out the highlights from a brand new Blu-ray boxset of Hitchcock films, not least the film that straddled the line between silent cinema and talkies. Plus, there's time too for a double bill recommendation, and the latest STUDIOCANAL news...

The work of the late screen legend Alain Delon is the focus of the latest episode of STUDIOCANAL Presents. Regular host Simon Brew is joined by broadcaster and journalist Christina Newland to chat about Delon's films, with Plein Soleil and Mr Klein in particular a focus of conversation. There's also time for more news from the world of STUDIOCANAL, and a fresh double bill recommendation too...

A real treat in this episode of STUDIOCANAL Presents, as host Simon Brew gets to go behind the scenes of the eagerly-awaited Paddington In Peru! He heads to a top secret location in London where the film was having its final touches put to it. He also finds out more from producer Rosie Alison, and the film's director, Dougal Wilson. Just enough time too for a news round-up from STUDIOCANAL as well. Paddington In Peru arrives in UK cinemas from 8th November 2024.

The work of Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar moves into the limelight in this episode of the STUDIOCANAL Presents podcast - in particular, a pair of his earlier movies. Kayleigh Donaldson joins regular host Simon Brew, examining and discussing both Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown and Kika. There's also time for the latest STUDIOCANAL news, as well as a fresh double bill recommendation as well...