Watch Next

Episode 4 – Portrait of a Lady on Fire with Deborah Beck

Can we escape our fate? Why do we go back to a story we know well? In this episode of Watch Next, we revisit the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as depicted in Céline Sciama’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Professor of Classics Deborah Beck talks to us about our human failings: doubt, temptation, and how the ancient Greeks told stories to understand ourselves and the world around us. It’s an old song, an old tale, that we sing again and again.

Works Discussed:

Portrait of a lady on fire (Céline Sciamma, 2019)Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Episode 3 – Gully Boy with Yuki Ueda and Koya Edoho-Eket

From the streets of Mumbai to the royal courts of Hindustan, poetry has always found its voice. What do the rap battles of Gully Boy have in common with the royal qawwali mehfil in Mughal-e-Azam? In this episode of Watch Next, we explore the rhythm and rebellion of Gully Boy with the cohosts of the limited-edition podcast PoeTry, Yuki and Koya.

Works Discussed:

Gully Boy (Zoya Akhtar, 2019)

“Azadi” by Divine and Dub Sharma Mughal-e-Azam (K. Asif, 1960)

Episode 2 – Battle of Algiers with David Salkowski

From the rousing sounds that fuel resistance to the elegiac music that reminds us of our shared humanity, in this episode of Watch Next we take a closer look at the music in Battle of Algiers composed by Gillo Pontecorvo and Ennio Morricone. Even when all else is taken away, you still have your voice. As Dr. David Salkowski, Assistant Professor of Musicology at the University of North Florida, explains, the ululating chorus in The Battle of Algiers carries the sound of victory.

Works Discussed:

Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966)

“Street of Tebes” by Ennio Morricone

*Correction: The opera referenced in the episode was incorrectly named Madame Bovary. The correct Puccini opera is Madame Butterfly.

Episode 1 – Queen with Brittany Murray

In this episode of Watch Next, we talk with Dr. Brittany Murray, Assistant Professor of French at the University of Tennessee, about the 2014 Bollywood film Queen. The film follows Rani, a 24-year-old homely girl who decides to go on her Paris honeymoon alone after her fiancé calls off the wedding at the last minute. We explore what travel can reveal about ourselves, its potential for self-discovery, and the liberating possibilities of solo journeys. Together, we discuss joy, emancipation, and the meaningful connections we make along the way.

Works Discussed:

Queen (Vikal Bahl, 2014)

“What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men?” (Claire Dederer, 2017)