The Rear Window Podcast

On the 50th anniversary of Roman Polanski’s classic Rosemary’s Baby, David, J. P., and Dima sit down to discuss the film, its place in the zeitgeist of the latter half of the 1960s, and how Polanski’s direction exemplifies the auteur theory. The film is currently available on blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.

After a special surprise screening for David Kleiler of his favorite film of all time, Fellini’s 8½, David, J. P., and Dima get together for a lively discussion about Fellini’s phantasmagorical, chaotic masterpiece. The film is currently available on blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.

As a producer/director team, David O. Selznick and Alfred Hitchcock had a tumultuous, yet respectful relationship which produced classic films like Spellbound (1945) and Rebecca (1940). Since Criterion has recently released Rebecca on blu-ray, in a stunning new transfer, we decided to delve into this haunting film which proved so pivotal in Hitchcock’s career.

When Antonioni’s Blow-Up came out in 1966, it did well on the arthouse circuit, but proved enigmatic to many. Was it a murder mystery? A thriller? An existential fable of the mod generation? An auteurist masterpiece by an Italian director venturing into English-language film for the first time? On the second episode of The Rear Window Podcast, David Kleiler, Jean-Paul Ouellette and Dima Ballin discuss Blow-Up’s endless artistry and its kaleidoscope of cinematic techniques; all of which are that much easier to appreciate on Criterion’s superlative new blu-ray release.

It’s been 40 years since Dario Argento unleashed his visionary masterpiece, Suspiria on an unsuspecting public. Part Giallo, part horror, part Baroque fairy tale, Suspiria has lost almost none of its ability to shock. On this first episode of The Rear Window Podcast, David Kleiler, Jean-Paul Ouellette and Dima Ballin discuss the film’s enigmatic inner world and its enduring effectiveness.