Like a seashell to your ear, we are here. In this extra special episode of To the White Sea we are thrilled and honored to welcome Academy Award-winning sound editor Skip Lievsay, who has worked on more Coen brothers movies than the Coen brothers themselves! This paradox wrapped in an enigma will be unraveled along with so much more.
Together we listen closely to scenes of “perfect quiet” when the volume of the soundtrack drops down to almost zero, yet it’s in this zone where a whole galaxy of perception may be unlocked. We explore how these quiet scenes build tension, intimacy, tactility, and subjectivity. We also discuss Skip’s fascinating working relationship with the Coens, as well as Martin Scorsese, Terrence Malick, and Darren Aronofsky.
Immense thanks to Skip Lievsay, Kyle Miller, Mitchell Wareham, and Nina Leitenberg for their time and effort. Mega special thanks to Kate Sanford making this connection.
Coens Covered: Blood Simple, The Big Lebowski, The Man Who Wasn’t There, No Country for Old Men, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Plus: The New World
Want to join the study group? Follow TTWS on social media, tell your friends about the show, and leave a rating/review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
***You can also support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/tothewhitesea***
For all things TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me – and join the Discord too!
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2:02:29
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2:02:29
24: Suspense and Surprise
Surprise! We're back with a new episode. We jump off from the idea introduced to us by J. Todd Anderson, by way of Alfred Hitchcock, that filmmaking is about two things (and according to J. Todd only these two things): suspense and surprise. We analyze ways in which films create a “burden of knowledge” in the mind of the audience, and how this can dramatically affect the way scenes play out on a screen and behind our eyes. Sometimes you’re ahead of the characters, and sometimes they’re way, way ahead of you.
Check us out in the new episode of Blank Check where we kick off their Coen brothers mini series Pod Country for Old Cast with the first film in the Coens ouvre, Blood Simple!
Coens Covered: Raising Arizona, No Country for Old Men, Barton Fink, True Grit, Intolerable Cruelty, The Man Who Wasn’t There
Want to join the study group? Follow TTWS on social media, tell your friends about the show, and leave a rating/review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
***You can also support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/tothewhitesea***
For all things TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me – and join the Discord too!
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1:58:19
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1:58:19
UNLOCKED: TTWS Goes on Hit Factory - A Simple Plan
Hello study group! We will be back soon with more mainline episodes of To the White Sea. To tide you over we bring you a delightful side-quest / amuse-bouche. A couple months ago we went on Hit Factory to discuss A Simple Plan, directed by frequent Coens collaborator Sam Raimi. We enjoyed our discussion with Aaron so much, and thought it Coens-adjacent-enough to put it out as a bonus. Hope you enjoy it too!
Thanks to Aaron & Carlee for giving us the go-ahead to release this premium episode, and please consider supporting their amazing show on Patreon, which is all about the films and politics of the 1990s.
Want to join the study group? Follow TTWS on social media, tell your friends about the show, and leave a rating/review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
***You can also support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/tothewhitesea***
For all things TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me – and join the Discord too!
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1:41:11
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1:41:11
ROAD EPISODE: Drive-Away Dolls Rapid Response
We're on the road! Ray and Jordan step out of the AMC Lincoln Square 13 and give their immediate impressions of Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke's new film DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS while walking the streets of Manhattan.
Spoilers are everywhere so you'll want to see the film before diving into this. Thanks in advance for rocking with the "punk rock" audio quality in this special gonzo episode.
Want to join the study group? Follow TTWS on social media, tell your friends about the show, and leave a rating/review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
***You can also support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/tothewhitesea***
For all things TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me – and join the Discord too!
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59:15
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23: INSTINCT with Devyn Waitt
Emerging from a cloud of goose feathers, TTWS returns! Filmmaker Devyn Waitt joins the study group today to discuss INSTINCT, moments in the Coens films that defy logic but somehow make sense on an intuitive, almost physical level. We touch on whether they could be a connection between survival skills and artistic expression, and speculate on the Coens’ writing process, which seems to be where their most free-wheeling moves find their form. We also discuss a scene from Devyn’s feature Not Waving But Drowning which involved getting a horse on a subway train.
Coens Covered: A Serious Man, The Man Who Wasn’t There, Miller’s Crossing (the bear version), Barton Fink
Plus: Beethoven’s 2nd (1993) - Beethoven destroys patio scene
Want to join the study group? Follow TTWS on social media, tell your friends about the show, and leave a rating/review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
***You can also support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/tothewhitesea***
For all things TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me – and join the Discord too!
A close look at the work of the Coen brothers through the lens of their unproduced screenplay To the White Sea, based on the novel by James Dickey. Hosted by filmmakers Jordan Fish and Ray Tintori, and featuring awesome guests. Every week we read two pages. Ray has read the screenplay and Jordan hasn't.
Sverige