Film Conversations Episode Four: Ex Machina with Dr Isabel Millar
Release Date: 06/12/2023
The Influence of Film on Our Political Views
Film Conversations
Hello everyone, this is Dwayne Monroe, one of the hosts, alongside Dennis Claxton and RC Charles Roberts, of the Film Conversations podcast. In today’s episode, we talk about the films that shaped our political views. Or, I should say, we intended to talk about this but global events intervened and we found ourselves talking about geopolitics and war (with relevant US domestic politics included for good measure). Eventually, we found our way to discussing film, including RC’s mention of the 1992 released Bob Roberts and my mention of Akira Kurosawa’s Ran, released in 1985. This was a...
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FW Murnau's Faust (1926)
Film Conversations
Welcome back to another episode of Film Conversations. After a bit of a hiatus, we’re back and at full force, so to speak: RC Charles Robert is back at the table. Today’s film is FW Murnau’s silent masterpiece, released in 1926: Faust. To set the scene, here’s an excerpt from the Criterion article on the film: Criterion Excerpt One of the most well known legends of the Renaissance period was Faust, a German necromancer whose exploits transformed into the tale of a man who sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for all the knowledge in the world. Over the centuries, the story...
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Battle of Algiers
Film Conversations
In today’s episode, we discuss the 1966 Italian film, the Battle of Algiers. The film, based on events that occurred during the Algerian war against French occupation (1954-62) and specifically, the battle in the capital city of Algiers, depicts the actions of the various groups that fought against, and with each other during that war. Here is a synopsis from Criterion: “One of the most influential political films in history, The Battle of Algiers, by Gillo Pontecorvo, vividly re-creates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French...
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Misogyny in Film
Film Conversations
On July 26 of 2024, a story was published by entertainment industry trade magazine Variety about Francis Ford Coppola’s alleged behavior on the set of his film, Megalopolis. Here is an excerpt from the article: Video has surfaced of director Francis Ford Coppola that shows the legendary director trying to kiss young female extras on the set of his ambitious sci-fi epic. Variety has obtained two videos that were taken by a crewmember last year during the filming of a bacchanalian nightclub scene. Two sources told Variety that Coppola appeared to act with impunity on set. And...
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Film Conversations The Edge
Film Conversations
In this episode, we discuss 1997’s The Edge starring Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, Harold Perrineau and Elle Macpherson, written by David Mamet and directed by Lee Tamahori. Here is an excerpt from the Wikipedia entry: "The Edge is a 1997 American survival thriller film written by David Mamet and directed by Lee Tamahori starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. The plot follows wealthy businessman Charles Morse (Hopkins), photographer Bob Green (Baldwin), and assistant Stephen (Harold Perrineau), who must trek through the elements and try to survive after their plane crashes...
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Film Conversations Miranda and Dennis On Film Memories
Film Conversations
In today’s episode, we speak with our Dennis Claxton and his daughter Miranda about their personal histories of film viewing. Both are Angelinos who have taken advantage of the still existing film culture of Los Angeles (small cinemas, revivals of older films and other lovely things). There isn’t a fixed film under review but Hithcock’s and make prominent appearances. Enjoy.
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Film Conversations: Gaza
Film Conversations
This episode began as a thought months ago, not long after the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas attack. At that time, we anticipated violence - there’s a long history of Israeli assaults on the Palestinian people. We did not, however, anticipate a genocidal campaign and widening regional war. It’s a wide ranging talk between Dennis and Dwayne since Charles was unable to join us this time. Our conversation does not have the structure of our usual shows. There is a film, Farha, at the heart of things and we do discuss it but more as a point of reference than to critique or review. We’ll talk about...
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Film Conversations Episode 7 All That Breathes with Amrita De
Film Conversations
In today´s episode, we speak with Amrita De, Postdoctoral fellow in the Center of Humanities and Information at Penn State University about All That Breathes, a 2022 documentary film directed by Shaunak Sen. Let me read a bit about Amrita from her page on the Penn State University website: Amrita´s research focuses on global south masculinity studies and affect theory. Her works have been published in NORMA, Boyhood Studies, Global Humanities and are forthcoming in other edited collections. She is also working her way through her first novel centered around contemporary Indian...
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Film Conversations September Break
Film Conversations
In this brief annoucement, I talk about our September break, Ghost in the Shell (the 1995 release) and some of the things you can look forward to in upcoming shows including discussions of cinematic depictions of our home towns, Italian westerns of the 1960s and 70s, films from outside of the Hollywood orbit and more guests. See you soon! Oh and here's a link to the Wiki entry about Ghost in the Shell for the curious: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_Shell
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Film Conversations Episode 6 Vertigo with Mary Wild
Film Conversations
Hello everyone, this is Dwayne Monroe, one of the hosts, alongside RC Charles Roberts and Dennis Claxton, of the Film Conversations podcast. In today’s episode, we are very happy to welcome Mary Wild to the show to talk about Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 masterpiece, Vertigo. On her Twitter page (I refuse to call that platform, X) Mary describes herself as a Freudian cinephile and feminine jouissance maximalist, which is both a marvelous phrase and fantastic declaration. Mary is the creator of the Projections lecture series at the Freud Museum, London, co-host of the Projections Podcast,...
info_outlineIn today’s episode we speak with Dr. Isabel Millar, Author of The Psychoanalysis of Artificial Intelligence (published in 2021 - which I highly recommend). Dr. Millar is Associate Researcher at Newcastle University Department of Philosophy and both Fellow and Faculty at the Global Centre for Advanced Studies, Institute of Psychoanalysis.
She is currently working on her next book Patipolitics for Bloomsbury Philosophy.
Today’s film is Ex Machina, written and directed by Alex Garland and released in 2014. The film is ably discussed in The Psychoanalysis of Artificial Intelligence from a Lacanian perspective, an appropriate toolkit.
I’ll use the synopsis Isabel provides in Chapter 5, titled What Can I Know? Artificial Enjoyment - from page 138 of her book:
"Ex Machina depicts the attempt of a young, male computer genius Caleb, to evaluate the potential “self-consciousness” of Ava, an embodied Artificial Intelligence, via the fabled Turing Test. Hidden away in a secret bunker in the woods, Caleb is watched over by tech Svengali Nathan, the creator of a series of female AIs who appear—physically at least—uncannily human. Over the course of several days, Caleb meets and talks with Ava and tries to discern what is really going on behind the perfectly beautiful silicone face. Very soon Caleb’s Turing Test turns into a love affair, as Ava implores him to help her escape captivity from her life of subservience at the whims of Nathan. By the end of the film Ava tricks Caleb into believing she wants him, kills Nathan and leaves Caleb for dead. She escapes the concrete bunker alone and, for the first time, steps outside into the lush green natural world."
We were very happy that Isabel granted us a bit of her time to discuss this film and the way it illustrates some of the themes of her book. Check out the show notes for links and references; we hope you enjoy.
Links
The book: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-67981-1
The film: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_Machina_(film)
Dr. MIllar’s homepage: https://www.isabelmillar.com
Dialogue between Dr. Millar and Mary Wild on Wild’s podcast (requires a patreon subscription): https://www.patreon.com/posts/56533141