Warming by the Devil’s Fire (an episode in the mini-series,
The Blues, 2003), among other films. Professor Naremore authored a book about Burnett’s work,
Charles Burnett: A Cinema of Symbolic Knowledge (University of California Press, 2017).
Joan Fontaine and Louis Jourdan in
Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)
The second part of the conversation concentrated on
Letter From an Unknown Woman (1948), a film directed by German-born Max Ophuls while he was in exile in the US in the 1940s. Naremore has written a study of the film, recently published by BFI Film Classics. The film, produced by John Houseman and with a script by Howard Koch (a future blacklist victim), is based on a 1922 novella by Austrian author Stefan Zweig (1881-1942).
Beyond the Elements
7.50pm, PBS America
Science writer David Pogue sets out to discover the molecules and chemical reactions responsible for making life and the universe possible in this wide-ranging three-part series. In tonight’s opening episode, Pogue explores the chemistry of life via soap and a shopping trip to find the constituent fats that make up the body. First, though, there’s a trip back to the school classroom for a recap on photosynthesis while Pogue asks how we can continue to grow enough food to feed our ever-increasing global population.
Ammar Kalia
7pm, Channel 5
DIY expert Mark Millar is helping homeowners transform what he is calling “the most important rooms of the house” in this new series. Up first is a £50,000 open-plan kitchen in Glasgow, while in Sutton Coldfield a rainforest-themed bathroom is in order.