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Wigs and Candles

Wigs and Candles

by Andreina Romero and Gabriela Mörken-Romero

Season 5

Episode 4 - Van Gogh: At Eternity's Gate

To close their 5th season dedicated to artists and films about their lives, Gaby and Andreina discuss the 2018 film Van Gogh: At Eternity’s Gate. Directed by Julien Schnabel and starring Willem Dafoe as Vincent Van Gogh, the movie is a visually arresting and moving depiction of the painter’s last years. In their discussion, Gaby and Andreina discuss the representation of the artist’s imagination and subjectivity in film, Julien Schnabel’s rich directorial approach, and their connection to Van Gogh and his art. ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film, we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!*** Links and sources: Interview with director Julian Schnabel at the TIFF 2018 Interview with Willem Dafoe Interview with Oscar Isaac John Berger, The Sense of Sight Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, Vincent van Gogh Van Gogh Museum

Episode 3 - Camille Claudel

In this episode, Andreina and Gabriela learn more about the French sculptor Camille Claudel (1864-1943), through two films: Camille Claudel (1988) and Camille Claudel 1915 (2013). An artistic prodigy from a very young age, Claudel gained recognition and acclaim as an artist during her lifetime. However, in the popular imagination, she is most often remembered as Auguste Rodin's lover. Andreina and Gabriela discuss how Camille Claudel is portrayed in the two movies and how her dimension as a female artist and woman in a male-dominated art practice is conveyed: do the films give us a good sense of who she was as an artist? Join us in this third episode of our series of discussions about artists and their art in film. Links and sources: Abstract of article “Camille Claudel: trajectory of a psychosis” The Art Institute of Chicago: Member Lecture: Camille Claudel Camille Claudel through Five Works Camille Claudel, Bust of Rodin August Rodin, Thought (Camille Claudel)

Episode 2 - Mr. Turner

Gaby and Andreina continue their exploration of art through period film and discuss the film Mr. Turner. Directed by Mike Leigh and starring Timothy Spall as the English romantic painter J. M. W. Turner, the movie tells the story of the painter during the last 50 years of his life when he was at the peak of his artistic abilities. Gaby and Andreina discuss Timothy Spall's portrayal of the painter and how the tone and style of the movie shape our perception of Turner's art. Links and sources: J. M. W. Turner Untold Lives Blog: Hannah Danby – JMW Turner’s housekeeper The Art of the Sublime J.M.W. Turner RA (1775 - 1851)

Episode 1 - Hilma

In this first episode of the 5th season of Wigs and Candles, Andreina and Gaby discuss the film Hilma, a biographical movie about the Swedish painter Hilma af Klint. Gaby and Andreina talk about Klint's career as a female painter in the 19th and early 20th centuries and her unusual approach to art and spiritual painting, a genre to which she greatly contributed. Touching on themes of what it is to live a creative life and follow your artistic calling and dreams as a woman, Gaby and Andreina open the season with a film that deeply touched their hearts. Links and sources: Art historian Julia Voss on Hilma af Klint See the Guggenheim Museum’s Most Popular Show Ever Hilma af Klint Foundation

Season 4

Episode 6 - Barry Lyndon

To cap off their 4th season, Gaby and Andreina discuss the 1975 Stanley Kubrick film Barry Lyndon.With the help of a very special guest, we discuss the technical marvels of this film as well as it enduring beauty and depth. Sources and links: Barry Lyndon Making ofLeon Vitali on KubrickReview from The GuardianRoger Ebert Review

Episode 5 - Pride and Prejudice

In this episode, Gaby, Andreina, and a special guest, discuss the beloved 2005 Joe Wright adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. One of the most popular adaptions of the novel by Jane Austen, the film remains surprisingly fresh after almost 20 years since it was released. Gaby, Andreina and their guest discuss the movie timelessness, the remarkable cast, and many other fun detours along the way. ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!***Links and sources: Short interview with Keyra Knightley Behind the Scenes Pride & Prejudice BTS - The Politics of 18th Century Dating (2005) The Cast Manic Pixie Girl Trope Wanderer above the Sea of Fog Karolina Żebrowska: I watched every version of "Pride and Prejudice" so you don't have to

Episode 4 - A Royal Affair

In this episode, Gaby and Andreina finally watch a movie they have been waiting a long time to discuss.A Royal Affair, tells the story of Princess Caroline Matilda of Great Britain and her husband King Christian VII. The story follows the years during Christian's reign when the ideas of the Enlightenment start to be introduced into the kingdom, mainly through the influence of Johann Friedrich Struensee, a physician and thinker who is deeply influenced by the movement.Released in 2012 in Denmark, A Royal Affair tells a story in which love, politics, ideas, and history intersect in astonishing and heartbreaking fashion. Join us as we discuss what it means for pivotal national historical moments to be portrayed in film and what makes a period film, well, a period film. ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this movie we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!***Sources & further readings: Interview with cast + crew on the Berlinale 2012 Interview with Mads Mikkelsen - Empire Magazine Making of documentary Film Review on The Guardian Historical Accuracy of A Royal Affair

Episode 3 - The Woman King

In this episode, Andreina and Gabriela discuss the 2022 filmThe Woman King.Written by Dana Stevens and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, The Woman King tells the true story of the Agojie, an all-female warrior force in the Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1830s, in what is present-day Benin.Starring a formidable Viola Davis as the military general who eventually would become the woman king, the film tells a story of bravery, sacrifice, and female empowerment hidden within the history books during one of the darkest periods in modern times: the transatlantic slave trade. Andreina and Gabriela discuss the main cast performances, the power of representation, and their efforts to expand their knowledge of the history of women across the globe. ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film, we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!***Sources and links: Interview with cast at TIFF 2022 Interview with Viola Davis and Cast Thuso Mbedu in “The Daily Show” with Trevor Noah Lashana Lynch and Thuso Mbedu in Good Morning America Film review on The New York Times Warrior Women with Lupita Nyongo

Episode 2 - Little Women

There’s nothing little in the story of this film nor in the significance of the topics it touches on. Greta Gerwig’s Little Women (2019) is a wonderful, fierce, and modern adaptation of this classic, bringing all the themes that have made it one of the most beloved books of the last 150 years. Centered on the character of Jo March, an aspiring writer, Little Women tells the story of the March sisters, four deeply loving but very different young women, all trying to find their path in life within the restrictions of 1860s American society. Join us as we review Little Women with a special guest and talk about feminism, safe female spaces, pervasive gender roles, how they impact men and women, and much more. ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film, we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!*** Sources and links: In-depth interview with the director and cast Greta Gerwig on her idea for the film

Episode 1 - Chevalier

In a baroque opera hall in Paris sometime in the late 1700s, there’s a concert taking place. The audience is hypnotized by the virtuosity of the main violin player and the beauty of the music. And still, the most puzzling fact about the scene is the player’s skin colour: it’s Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint Georges, and he’s Black. Born in Guadeloupe to an enslaved African woman and a French aristocrat, Joseph grows up in Paris and enjoys a high-class education. His talent for music can only benefit from this, making him a renowned musician and composer and gaining the favor of Queen Marie Antoinette and her entourage. It sounds as if the boundaries of race and class are diluted in this story. Only to discover that, by crossing a line that seemed unimportant, the colour of the skin is the only thing that suddenly matters. The story of Chevalier is fascinating, and is still hard to believe that it has remained untold for over two centuries. While reviewing this movie, we learn about hidden jewels in history, what it takes to bring them back to light, and what effect they have on a wider audience. ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film, we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!*** Sources and other links: Interview with cast and crew Kelvin Harrison Jr. on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon Interview with the Cast and crew on the TIFF 2022 by “The Hollywood Reporter” Cast, crew and other facts

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