The Power of Film - Season 1

Episodes

Memorable and Popular

Season 1Episode 160 min

Memorable and Popular

A large proportion of the most commercially successful American films are quickly forgotten. A tiny fraction, however, are truly memorable, lasting from one generation to another. Using iconic scenes from many of these classic films, this series explores films that were both popular and memorable. In this episode, Howard Suber asks why this small minority continues to have such power.

Season 1Episode 260 min

Trapped

Nearly all memorable stories, whether told in movies or in real life, are about traps. The most memorable are generally about the loss, sacrifice, and ultimate triumph the central character must engage in to escape their trap.

Character Relationships

Season 1Episode 360 min

Character Relationships

There’s no such thing as an interesting character; there are only interesting character relationships. But, as is true for religions, myths, and the longest-lasting dramas, the structure of most memorable dramatic plots centers on a single individual, around whom all the most important action and the other characters revolve.

Heroes and Villains

Season 1Episode 460 min

Heroes and Villains

Memorable films tend to be a compensation for what we don’t see much of in the real world— justice, commitment, and altruism. Film drama frequently treats the central characters as if they were heroes or villains, but often the two are very much alike.

The Power of Paradox

Season 1Episode 560 min

The Power of Paradox

In almost every memorable film, things are not what they seem, and learning the truth about characters and situations creates much of the tension in the film. Often, the truth of the film is quite paradoxical, which is what makes us want to keep watching.

Love and Meaning

Season 1Episode 660 min

Love and Meaning

Although it’s often said that in order to succeed, a Hollywood film has to have a happy ending, when you look at the most memorable love stories it’s astonishing how many of them end with the separation or death of one or both lovers. Often, the paradox underlying the film helps explain why they stick in our memories.

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.

Saturday Night Live

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Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live is an Emmy Award-winning late-night comedy showcase.

Since its inception in 1975, "SNL" has launched the careers of many of the brightest comedy performers of their generation. As The New York Times noted on the occasion of the show's Emmy-winning 25th Anniversary special in 1999, "in defiance of both time and show business convention, 'SNL' is still the most pervasive influence on the art of comedy in contemporary culture." At the close of the century, "Saturday Night Live" placed seventh on Entertainment Weekly's list of the Top 100 Entertainers of the past fifty years.

GenreComedy, Music

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