Cold War Cinema
by Jason A. Christian, Anthony Ballas, & Paul T. Klein
Latest episode
The Manchurian Candidate (1962, John Frankenheimer) w/ guest Andrew…
The Manchurian Candidate (1962, John Frankenheimer) w/ guest Andrew…
About this podcast
Cold War Cinema is a podcast about movies made during the first few decades of the Cold War (1947–1991). Each episode primarily focuses on one film, and the hosts, Jason Christian and Anthony Ballas, discuss the director's life and work, the historical context of the film, and examine its themes that relate to the turbulent politics of the era.
Theme music and editing on the first 14 episodes by Tim Jones; theme music from then on by DYAD (Charles Ballas and Jeremy Averitt), and editing by Jason Christian.
Logo by Jason Christian
Episodes
The newest 20 of 41 episodes
- The Manchurian Candidate (1962, John Frankenheimer) w/ guest Andrew Scahill · 1 h 52 min · Season 2 Episode 16In this episode, our season finale, Jason Christian, Anthony Ballas and Paul T. Klein are joined by guest Andrew Scahill to discuss John Frankenheimer's 1962 thriller The…
- I Am Cuba (1964, Mikhail Kalatozov) w/ guest Silas Nathan · 2 h 0 min · Season 2 Episode 15In this episode, Jason Christian and Anthony Ballas are joined by guest Silas Nathan to discuss Mikhail Kalatozov's iconic film, I Am Cuba (1964), a Soviet-Cuban collaboration…
- Bonus: Getting to Know Your Hosts · 1 h 46 min · Season 2In this bonus episode we thought we'd do something different and chat about our personal backgrounds, our early cinema memories, and our scholarly interests today. We had fun…
- Bonus: Robert Kramer's Radical Cinema w/ guest Whitney Strub · 1 h 51 min · Season 2In this bonus episode, Jason interviews the historian Whitney Strub about his scholarship and his new book Films That Explode Like Grenades: Robert Kramer and the Search for a…
- Fail Safe (1964, Sidney Lumet) · 1 h 42 min · Season 2 Episode 14The Cold War Cinema team returns to discuss Sidney Lumet's 1964 film Fail Safe, a powerful (and bold) independent Hollywood production that paints a horrific picture of a…
- Ivan's Childhood (1962, Andrei Tarkovsky) w/ guest Taylor R. Genovese · 1 h 48 min"I want to underline my own belief that art must carry man's craving for the ideal, must be an expression of his reaching out towards it; that art must give man hope and faith…
- Bonus: New German Cinema and the Red Army Faction w/ guest Ryan Ruby · 1 h 54 min · Season 2In this bonus episode, cohosts Jason Christian and Anthony Ballas speak with the literary critic Ryan Ruby about New German Cinema, particularly the directors Rainer Werner…
- Bonus: Interview w/ Dr. Alice Lovejoy · 1 h 15 min · Season 2In this bonus episode, cohosts Jason Christian and Paul T. Klein interview the film historian Dr. Alice Lovejoy about her scholarship and her new book, Tales of Militant…
- Seconds (1966, John Frankenheimer) w/ guest Adam McKay · 1 h 28 min · Season 2 Episode 12On this episode, the Cold War Cinema crew is joined by director, writer, and producer Adam McKay to discuss John Frankenheimer's paranoid, psychological thriller Seconds (1966)…
- Letter Never Sent (1959, Mikhail Kalatozov) · 1 h 36 min · Season 2 Episode 11The Cold War Cinema team, Jason Christian, Anthony Ballas, and Paul T. Klein, return to discuss Mikhail Kalatozov's 1959 drama Letter Never Sent. Synopsis of the film: Four…
- The Searchers (1956, John Ford) w/ guest Aspen Ballas · 1 h 44 min · Season 2 Episode 10The Cold War Cinema team returns with special guest Aspen Ballas to discuss John Ford's 1956 western The Searchers. Aspen is a PhD student of English at the University of North…
- Ballad of a Soldier (1959, Grigory Chukhray) · 1 h 34 min · Season 2 Episode 9The Cold War Cinema team returns to discuss Grigory Chukhray's 1959 war drama Ballad of a Soldier. Alyhosha is 19-years-old private on the Eastern Front during the Great…
- BONUS: Tribute to Peter Watkins (1935–2025) · 1 h 51 min · Season 2In this bonus episode of Cold War Cinema, Jason Christian is joined by the independent filmmakers Eric Marsh and Christopher Jason Bell, to discuss the films and legacy of the…
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956, Don Siegel) · 1 h 35 min · Season 2 Episode 8"They're here already! You're next! You're next! You're next!" The Cold War Cinema team returns to discuss the 1956 sci-fi classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Something is…
- Poet (1956, Boris Barnet) · 1 h 22 min · Season 2 Episode 7This week on Cold War Cinema, we look at Boris Barnet's Poet (sometimes refered to as The Poet), a 1956 feature about the role of art and literature in war and revolution. Join…
- Pickup on South Street (1953, Samuel Fuller) w/ guest Stephen Gillespie · 1 h 14 min · Season 2 Episode 6"Are you waving the flag at me?" The Cold War Cinema team returns to look at Samuel Fuller's 1954 noir masterpiece, Pickup on South Street, with special guest Stephen Gillespie…
- BONUS: Interview w/ Christopher Jason Bell · 1 h 6 min · Season 2In this bonus episode, cohost Jason Christian interviews the independent filmmaker Christopher Jason Bell. Besides being a filmmaker, Bell is a board of director of the streaming…
- Silvery Dust (1953, Abram Room & Pavel Armand) · 1 h 38 min · Season 2 Episode 5This week on Cold War Cinema, we discuss the 1953 Soviet science-fiction drama, Silvery Dust, directed by Abram Room and Pavel Armand, a film once again set in the United States…
- BONUS: The Phoenician Scheme (w/ guest Matthew Ellis) · 1 h 35 min · Season 2"Normal people want the basic human rights that accompany citizenship in any sovereign nation. I don't… I don't live anywhere; I'm not a citizen at all. I don't need my human…
- I Married a Communist A.K.A. The Woman on Pier 13 (1949, Robert Stevenson) · 1 h 43 min · Season 2 Episode 4This week on Cold War Cinema, we discuss Robert Stevenson's 1949 drama, I Married a Communist, also known as Woman on Pier 13. This Hollywood production is one of the most…
