Life At 24 Frames A Second

Episodes

EpisodeTitleFirst
Broadcast
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01In The Dark2011011720130613 (BBC7)
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David Thomson, author of the Biographical Dictionary of Film, takes a highly personal journey through how cinema has changed both him and us.

Film has changed us. It is all too easy to forget what a shock the coming of the moving image was to our world. First we could see ourselves and then we could imagine ourselves and then we could hear ourselves. How we kissed, fought, dreamed and died have all been projected around the world.

David Thomson writes:

Do you want a map for the dark? By now you either know the history of the movies or you have it wrong and all mixed up. It doesn't matter, the mixture is in your unconscious and your nervous system, and one of the consequences of the movies is that we trust nothing and imagine everything. That's why the dark is so important.

Producer: Mark Burman.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2011.

David Thomson explores how cinema has changed him - and us. Do we need a map for the dark?

'Do you want a map for the dark? By now you either know the history of the movies or you have it wrong and all mixed up. It doesn't matter, the mixture is in your unconscious and your nervous system, and one of the consequences of the movies is that we trust nothing and imagine everything. That's why the dark is so important.'

02Fear And Desire2011011820130614 (BBC7)
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Film is many things, but its ability to carry us into the darkest dreams and fiercest desires of its characters via the magic of the score and the sound binds us all in the dark.

Author and film critic David Thomson takes a highly personal journey through the lasting impact and power of cinema.

Producer: Mark Burman.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2011.

David Thomson explores the power of cinema. What is the special power of music and sound?

03Wired For Sound2011011920130617 (BBC7)
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The dream of a universal language of film, even one that took place in silence with titles, died as Al Jolson sang for his 'mammy' in The Jazz Singer (1927).

A new age of dreaming and illusion was upon us and it had many voices.

Author David Thomson takes a highly personal journey through the meaning of film and its impact on us.

Producer: Mark Burman.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2011.

When Al Jolson sang for his 'mammy' in 1927, a new age of dreaming and illusion was born.

04The Big Kill-off2011012020130618 (BBC7)
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Cinema has made us see death and final moments in any number of fiendish and inventive ways, but is it a little too in love with this shadowy realm?

Remembering those who lost their celluloid lives and entered our collective dreams.

Author David Thomson continues his journey through the power of cinema.

Producer: Mark Burman.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2011.

Author and critic David Thomson delves into cinema's dubious love affair with death.

05You Must Remember This2011012120130619 (BBC7)
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Continuing his journey through cinema, David Thomson meditates on time and memory.
06If It Moves, Shoot It2011012420130620 (BBC7)
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There is violence in the medium. It begins with being in the dark, monopolized and compelled by the light. There is a kind of imprisonment. It is then increased by the way film can cut. And cut is a very appropriate word.

Critic and writer David Thomson continues his journey through cinema and considers its enduring love affair with violence.

Producer: Mark Burman.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2011.

David Thomson continues his journey through cinema, and considers its spiral of carnage.

'There is violence in the medium. It begins with being in the dark, monopolized and compelled by the light. There is a kind of imprisonment. It is then increased by the way film can cut. And cut is a very appropriate word.'

07The Look Of Love2011012520130621 (BBC7)
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We got to the movies for many things, including spectacle, thrills and wonder, but many go to fall in love - again and again - with the thrill of romance and a kiss as big as a house. How can love blow us apart?

Critic and writer David Thomson continues his personal journey through the power and meaning of cinema in search of longing and romance.

Producer: Mark Burman.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2011.

David Thomson looks at the cinema with the thrill of romance and a kiss as big as a house.

08Happy Endings2011012620130624 (BBC7)
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Escaping into the world of flickering dreams, finding happiness over the rainbow, and realizing that everything is going to be all right in the end is one of cinema's most powerful allures. But is the chase more appealing than the pay off?

Critic and writer David Thomson goes in search of happiness on the big screen in his personal history of cinema.

Producer: Mark Burman.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2011.

Critic and writer David Thomson goes in search of happiness on the big screen.

09The Last Flight2011012720130625 (BBC7)
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Flight begins almost at the same moment as the motion picture camera cranks into life and many of its early directors had themselves taken to the air to experience the tumult of the clouds.

Flying on film, the camera swooping through space, promise escape. It is close to a dream. The dream of total immersion as we enter the screen and lose ourselves, perhaps forever.

Critic and writer David Thomson nears the end of his journey through the power of cinema.

Producer: Mark Burman.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2011.

David Thomson explores flying in film, and how it merges with our desire to escape.

10Fade To Black2011012820130626 (BBC7)
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As his highly idiosyncratic journey through the power and magic of cinema comes to a close - film critic and writer David Thomson considers whether, under the relentless spread of visual media, and in the age of instant delivery, the dream palaces are places to dream anymore?

Producer: Mark Burman.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2011.

David Thomson considers cinema's future. Is the dream palace the place to dream anymore?