169 – Suspiria

What this episode covers

“Volk” intensifies this week, because we’re talking about Luca Guadgnino’s 2018 Suspiria remake! Diverging greatly in style and story from the Dario Argento original, Luca Guadagnino followed up his Oscar success with Call Me By Your Name with this riff on witches, post-WWII Germany, feminine power, and the art of dance. Guadagnino’s mounting pedigree stirred some to expect the film as a potential awards play, even after the first footage of the film had some losing their lunch at CinemaCon. Starring Dakota Johnson as a novice ballerina from a strict religious upbringing and Tilda Swinton in three wildly divergent roles, Suspiria ultimately proved to be too violent and esoteric for Oscar, even leaving critics divided over its very unique approach to genre. This episode, we look back at a remake that was almost directed by David Gordon Green and starred Natalie Portman, and the rise of Dakota Johnson as a stealthily great actress. We also discuss Swinton’s Oscar win for Michael Clayton and the attempt to hide her prosthetic-aided performance as Lutz Ebersdorf as Dr. Josef Klemperer. Topics also include “that’s not true, Ellen”, Thom Yorke’s original score, and Amazon’s patchy history as an Oscar player. Follow Us on Twitter! @Had_Oscar_Buzz Joe: @joereid Chris: @chrisvfeil