Recording together in the same room for the first time in Hard Truths history, Elena and Manuela discuss the wonders of Il Cinema Ritrovato directly from Bologna, Italy, where the annual repertory cinema festival organised by Cineteca di Bologna takes place. Talking about some of the prints and restorations playing there this year, they identify a timeless theme running through many of the films they’ve seen: namely, the plight of women.  

The films discussed are (in chronological order of release): 

THE SALVATION HUNTERS (Josef von Sternberg, 1925)

EROTIKON (Gustav Machatý, 1929)

RAIN (Lewis Milestone, 1932)

ALICE ADAMS (George Stevens, 1935)

DEATH IS A CARESS (Edith Carlmar, 1949)

BITTER RICE (Giuseppe De Santis, 1949) 

SUMMERTIME (David Lean, 1955) 

ESTERINA (Carlo Lizzani, 1959)

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (Steven Spielberg, 1977)

Hard Truths is an ⁠⁠Animus⁠⁠ film podcast. Every other week, Animus founder and editor Elena Lazic catches up from London, UK, with her twin Manuela, who can usually be found across the pond in Paris. Expect animated conversations about cinema, digressions into unrelated topics, and trivial facts from our personal lives. Do NOT expect to immediately be able to tell us apart. 

Hard Truths is made possible by ⁠⁠True Cinephile⁠⁠ paying members who, for £3.50/month or £35/year, access all instalments of the advice column for cinephiles Psycho. two days early, and more.