About this podcast – The CineAmerican Dream Podcast

These podcasts are produced by the students of “America from Abroad: Literature and Cinema,” taught by Saskia Ziolkowski Spring 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2026 at Duke University. Each podcast explores a film from abroad about America. What “abroad” and “America” mean are both debated in the class and often in the podcasts as well.

As a group we discuss a number of films before the students chose their podcast film: Straub-Huillet’s Class Relations (1984), Federico Fellini’s Intervista (1987), Louis Malle’s Viva Maria! (1965), Josef Mach’s The Sons of Great Bear (1966), Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America (1984), and Ilya Motyleff’s The Cantor’s Son (1937). America: Films from Elsewhere, edited by Shanay Jhaveri, was very productive for considering which films would make productive objects of study. These engaging podcasts will introduce listeners to a wide range of films about America.

Embedded Writing Consultants from the Thompson Writing Center provided valuable feedback on the podcast outlines and shape. Thank you, Brock Foreman, Riya, and Julia!

The Media Reserves Coordinator of Lilly Library, David Felton, previously Nathaniel Brown, made it possible for us to watch these films. This project would not be possible without his assistance. Thank you!

Films explored in the podcasts:

Steno, Un americano a Roma (1954)

Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent, Antes llega la muerte/The Seven from Texas (1964)

Michelangelo Antonioni, Zabriskie Point (1970)

Juzo Itami,Tampopo (1985) Episode 2026

Aki Kaurismäki, Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989)

Jean Rollins, Perdues dans New York/Lost in New York (1989)

Claire Denis, US Go Home (1994) Episode 2026

Gianni Amelio, Lamerica (1994)

Terence Davies, The Neon Bible (1995)

John Woo, Face/Off (1997): Episode 2020 and Episode 2021 and Episode 2026

Ang Lee, The Ice Storm (1997)