Our Film Listology exploration of variability in the cultural significance of film history continues with consideration of director George Roy Hill's ragtime-sounding, depression era "big con" feature The Sting (1973). A winner of seven Academy Awards and a top commercial earner in the year of its release, The Sting provided audiences of 70s cinema a populist escapism that feels like an echo of Hollywood's Studio System heyday. Hill re-teams with his Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid compadres Robert Redford and Paul Newman in a feature more pressed to entertain outright rather than craft a social commentary. The result was a generational commercial hit, but has this movie lost its charm over time? The dialogic duo Scott McMurry and Garret Castleberry take the opportunity to get one over on this once beloved artifact of twentieth century film lore.
Hosts: Garret Castleberry, Scott McMurry
Producers: Garret Castleberry, Will McMurry (Audio Engineer), Alli Garner (Cover Art), Austin Foster (Music)
Recommended readings paired with our Film Listology season:
Rick Altman. Film/Genre. British Film Institute, 1999.
Jim Collins, Ada Preacher Collins, Hilary Radner (Eds.). Film Theory Goes to the Movies, 1st Edition. New York: Routledge, 1992.
Ways to Connect with us online:
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Join the Special Topics in Media Facebook Group and share your reviews of the film or this episode.
Subscribe to Dr. Castleberry's academic YouTube Channel.
Garret's academic website is available at https://garretcastleberry.academia.edu/.
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