World Cinema History

Was Anthony Bourdain more than just a brilliant television host and food writer? In this feature-length, 90-minute episode of World Cinema History, host Eric Trommater is joined by Todd Kennedy, Toups Endowed Professor of Cultural Studies at Nicholls State University and author of Anthony Bourdain, Filmmaker.
​Together with our panel, we explore Kennedy’s provocative thesis: that Bourdain functioned as a cinematic auteur, reshaping non-fiction television through radical creative autonomy, unreliable narration, and deep cinematic intertextuality.
We also break down Matt Johnson’s 2026 feature film Tony (starring Dominic Sessa and Antonio Banderas)—getting Todd’s expert take on whether a fictionalized origin story does justice to Bourdain's early kitchen days. Plus, we tackle the heavy questions head-on: the collaborative friction of working with legendary DPs like Christopher Doyle and Vilmos Zsigmond, the risks of high-culture tourism, and whether applying "auteur theory" to a network travel show stretches the term too far.  
For information on how to order the book, go to Todd Kennedy's X/Twitter profile and look in the bio.
https://x.com/BayouFilmProf
Chapters
0:00 Unpacking the Provocative Thesis: Bourdain as Cinematic Auteur
7:40 Bourdain's Unreliable Authorship and Cinematic Intertextuality
16:52 Defending Bourdain's Auteur Status Against Critiques
31:20 Bourdain's Unique Freedom and Accessible Academic Writing
39:05 From Grief to Guerrilla Art: Bourdain's Visual Storytelling
50:43 Deconstructing Authenticity: Privilege and the Camera's Lies
58:59 The Biopic "Tony" and Bourdain's Enduring Cultural Connection
1:10:21 Grief, Growth, and Bourdain's Lasting Cinematic Questions

Meet the Panel
​Erin Brown
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@pizzahorseproductions 
​Jen Trujillo
Web: https://gilbertbakerfilmfestival.lgbt/ 
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/gilbertbakerfilmfest/
Clips Used 
https://youtu.be/-aH9mjIt1bw?is=CcWnpVd4p0lF1N6_
https://youtu.be/NgN2xJDJ3gQ?is=j8mwvSmxssye6Yrk 
https://youtu.be/VoDIkaDgaf4?is=nYyXRtqna5EHe9IK
https://youtu.be/aGkW-PJfP7I?is=o_Wa-ujm8NufoqJ3
https://youtu.be/FaYVk9lA0DU?is=8alyC3F2dsEn2-h3
https://youtu.be/LmtCfMncFSk?is=ApcnmqH7c0T3YJZU
Connect With Us:
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@worldcinehist 
Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/world-cinema-history/id1744483892 
Spotify:  
https://open.spotify.com/show/4YkCJSJvngtDMhey0CNsWj?si=_DmBMotVTSG4tnqY2mIM0Q&utm_source=copy-link
https://substack.com/@etrommater?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2uupu5
Substack:
https://substack.com/@etrommater?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2uupu5 
X (Twitter): https://x.com/etrommater  
Join the World Cinema History DVD Extras Club
Support the show and get closer to the booth! Benefits include:
​Bonus Episodes
​Attending Live Recordings
Our Love and Appreciation
​Future exclusive perks
Having your name mispronounced on the podcast (our sincerest apologies in advance)
Join here: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory
(Recurring monthly payments of any amount make a huge difference!)
•Join us and Friend of the Show LUKE HIGGINSON on Discord, November 2nd at 2 PM EST where Luke will provide a Director's Commentary for his film "RELAX I'M FROM THE FUTURE." 
https://discord.gg/DK4WX7UEsK

The Persona "Bootleg" Session (Unedited Vault Recording)
​A bunch of American wankers taking on one of the most discussed films in history was a bad idea. Doing so when the host had an ear infection and couldn’t hear was an even worse idea. The results were cringe-inducing and no amount of editing could save it. So this is us, warts and all.

Against our better judgment—and entirely due to public pressure—we are opening the vault. This is the completely raw, two-hour unedited audio of our attempt to analyze Ingmar Bergman's Persona.
Consider this a release purely for its archival, high-camp curiosity value: a document of good intentions unraveling in real time against an impenetrable masterpiece. There is no editing, no audio polish, and zero producer oversight. You asked for it, you got it—listener discretion (and stamina) is advised.
Chapters:

00:00 - Unedited Chaos: Retakes and Season Four Launch
08:10 - Panel's First Thoughts on Bergman's Persona
20:17 - Analyzing Bergman's Revolutionary Filmmaking Techniques in Persona
29:05 - Exploring Radicalism and Bergman's Deep Artistic Intent
43:40 - Unpacking Personal and Gendered Readings of Persona
58:50 - How Culture and Unconscious Shape Bergman's Art
1:15:01 - Debating Persona as a Sapphic or Queer Film
1:23:09 - Persona as Bergman's Critique of the Male Gaze
1:35:13 - Modern Perspectives on Bergman's Psychology and Intent
1:43:14 - The Frustration of Male-Centric Film Perspectives
1:46:23 - Persona's Lasting Legacy and Panel's Concluding Thoughts

"The Leopard" (1963) (Il Gattopardo) | with Special Guest Mike Corradi.
THE NOVEL:
"The Leopard" (1958) (Il Gattopardo)
by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.
THE FILM:
"The Leopard" (1963) (Il Gattopardo)
Directed by: Luchino Visconti
Screenplay by:
Suso Cecchi d'Amico
Pasquale Festa Campanile
Enrico Mediolib
Massimo Franciosa
Luchino Visconti
Produced by: Goffredo Lombardo
Starring:
Burt Lancaster
Claudia Cardinale
Alain Delon
Paolo Stoppa
Rina Morelli
Romolo Valli
Serge Reggiani
Cinematography: Giuseppe Rotunno
Music by: Nino Rota
THE HOST:
Eric Trommater https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory
SPECIAL GUEST:
Mike Corradi, host of A History of Italy.
https://ahistoryofitaly.com/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-history-of-italy/id1318925583
https://youtube.com/@ahistoryofitalypodcast9762?si=xLN2KYFtDmvrsoHB
THE PANEL:
Erin Brown https://youtube.com/@pizzahorseproductions?si=xktDoZK2qveXxOXl
Sila Blume https://silablume.life/
Jennifer Trujillo https://gilbertbakerfilmfestival.lgbt/
Koom Kankesan https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/4953181.Koom_Kankesan
THE CHAPTERS:
(TBA)
CONNECT WITH US:
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@worldcinehist?si=z8Yay0W0I-6APEZz
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/world-cinema-history/id1744483892
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4YkCJSJvngtDMhey0CNsWj?si=i143kCA8RQKhQauUICLrmA
X (Twitter): @etrommater
Join the World Cinema History DVD Extras Club
Support the show and get closer to the booth! Benefits include:
Bonus Episodes
Attending Live Recordings
Our Love and Appreciation
Future exclusive perks
Having your name mispronounced on the podcast (our sincerest apologies in advance)
Join here: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory
(Recurring monthly payments of any amount make a huge difference!)

Oscar winning screenwriter Kevin Willmott (with Spike Lee for "BlacKkKlansman") sits down with Eric Trommater, Erin Brown, Sila Blume and Jennifer Trujillo. The subject is his 2004 Mockumentary "CSA: Confederate States of America" which he wrote, produced and directed. It imagines the United States if the South had won The Civil War.
Chapters:
0:00 - Oscar Winner Kevin Willmott Discusses "CSA: Confederate States of America"
3:14 - From "9th St." to "The 24th": Willmott's Indie Path
11:09 - Willmott's Fascination with History and "Appointment with Destiny"
15:29 - Frustration with Hollywood and the Reality of Slavery
18:34 - Mockumentary Style and Real Racist Product Commercials
24:52 - Collaborative Spirit of Low-Budget Filmmaking in Kansas
33:27 - Film's Controversy, Music, and the "Lost Cause" Narrative
38:37 - Why Films Must Challenge Audiences on American History
44:39 - USA vs. CSA: Expanding vs. Limiting Freedom
59:25 - How Fear and Hate Drive Political Decisions
1:15:45 - Are We Living in the Confederate States of America Today?
1:24:46 - The Paradox of Information and the Rise of Propaganda
1:34:28 - When Absurdity Outpaces the Power of Satire
1:39:28 - Social Media, Next Episode, and Community Discussion
Music Used:
Space Ambience by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
She Has Freckles on Her But, She is Nice
https://youtu.be/pNcjs30BZTs?si=_7ouaQAX1hpDa7yO
Lead Belly Midnight Special
https://youtu.be/zIC2hVvKzVQ?si=XqFttfpnYknQR6Rr
Elmer Bernstein Appointment with Destiny theme
https://youtu.be/Qt6eKU3v1XE?si=7hjTnAQxiNPMlppU
Connect With Us:
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@worldcinehist?si=z8Yay0W0I-6APEZz
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/world-cinema-history/id1744483892
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4YkCJSJvngtDMhey0CNsWj?si=i143kCA8RQKhQauUICLrmA
X (Twitter): @etrommater
Join the World Cinema History DVD Extras Club
Support the show and get closer to the booth! Benefits include:
Bonus Episodes
Attending Live Recordings
Our Love and Appreciation
Future exclusive perks
Having your name mispronounced on the podcast (our sincerest apologies in advance)
Join here: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory
(Recurring monthly payments of any amount make a huge difference!)

The Novel:

The Trial (Der Prozess) (1925) by Franz Kafka

​The Films:

The Trial (Le Procès) (1962)

​Directed by: Orson Welles

​Screenplay by: Orson Welles

​Produced by: Alexander Salkind

​Starring: Anthony Perkins, Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider, Akim Tamiroff and Elsa Martinelli

​The Trial (1993)

​British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

​Directed by: David Jones

​Screenplay by: Harold Pinter

Produced by: Louis Marks and Jan Balzer

Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Anthony Hopkins and Jason Robards

​The Panel:

​Host: Eric Trommater

​Guests: Erin Brown and Sila Blume

​Music Credits:

Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004: V. Chaconne by Johann Sebastian Bach. Performed live by Ben Goldstein. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

https://youtu.be/UaRrDZWhtWA?si=v_no8Gd_OZ3x5R0s

​The Chapters: (TBA)

​Connect With Us:

​YouTube: https://youtube.com/@worldcinehist?si=z8Yay0W0I-6APEZz

​Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/world-cinema-history/id1744483892

​Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4YkCJSJvngtDMhey0CNsWj?si=i143kCA8RQKhQauUICLrmA

​X (Twitter): @etrommater

​Join the World Cinema History DVD Extras Club

Support the show and get closer to the booth! Benefits include:

​Bonus Episodes

​Attending Live Recordings

​Our Love and Appreciation

​Future exclusive perks

​Having your name mispronounced on the podcast (our sincerest apologies in advance)

​Join here: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory

(Recurring monthly payments of any amount make a huge difference!)