Elvis Mitchell: Under the Influence poster

Season 1

2008 · 8 episodes

Renowned film critic and television/radio personality Elvis Mitchell interviews various actors and directors to find out what has influenced them and the films they made.

1Sydney PollackSydney Pollack considers how movies can combine historical perspective and character drama in this out-take from TCM's Elvis Mitchell: Under the Influence.
2Bill MurrayActor Bill Murray on working with other actors when you're not on camera, and speculating about Cary Grant, from TCM's Elvis Mitchell: Under the Influence
3Laurence FishburneIn each half-hour episode of this series, Mitchell invites special celebrity guests to sit down and talk about how classic film has influenced their lives. In the interview with Lawrence Fishburne, the actor discusses working with director Francis Ford Coppola and his observations on actor Clark Gable.
4Quentin TarantinoIn each half-hour episode of this series, Mitchell invites special celebrity guests to sit down and talk about how classic film has influenced their lives. In the interview with Quentin Tarantino, the director discusses his interest in low-budget exploitation films and why he sometimes shows Howard Hawks' His Girl Friday to his actors.
5Edward NortonActor Edward Norton compares directors Spike Lee and Sidney Lumet in this excerpt from TCM's Elvis Mitchell: Under the Influence,
6Joan AllenIn each half-hour episode of this series, Mitchell invites special celebrity guests to sit down and talk about how classic film has influenced their lives. In the interview with Joan Allen, the actress discusses the adjustment she had to make going from theatre to film and her appreciation of genre films, citing Carrie with Sissy Spacek as one example.
7John LeguizamoJohn Leguizamo talks about Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro and his experience working with them on Righteous Kill, 2008.
8Richard GereHost Elvis Mitchell sits down with actor Richard Gere. They talk about two primary influences to the way the Gere acts: music and gymnastics. Gere talks about blues music in particular, and the natural rhythms in that style which he uses in the rhythms of his performances. He believes that all actors have an inherent musicality within them upon which to frame a performance. He also discusses what he believes are movies that have that blues rhythm in its pacing and storytelling. He equates rhythm with physical space and framing in movie making, with an actor going in and out of that frame set for him. He concludes with talking about what drew him to certain actors from the golden age of movies. With the women, it was who he considered the great beauties. With the men, it was the ability to be within the moment without looking like they were acting.

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