With Matt Clark (Kino Ventura)!

MIDNIGHT EXPRESS is mired in a good bit of targeted xenophobia. Oliver Stone apologized for adapting Billy Hayes’s memoir the way he did, but to the people of Türkiye, the damage was done. Alan Parker’s drama film, based on the true story of an American’s confinement in an Istanbul prison, dialed up the brutality to great cinematic effect, complemented by a brooding, Oscar-winning synth soundtrack by the father of disco, Giorgio Moroder.

In this episode, we discuss MIDNIGHT EXPRESS from a couple different angles: the Turkophobia on display, the movie on its own terms, the ensemble, and (of course) the score — before playing a trivia game to see who can guess the movie based on things shouted by a member of the cast during a fight. It’s another really, really specific bit from Cody (of Cody’s Noteys).

Find Matt…

At Kino Ventura , his blog about movies
Making Apache Revolver , his zine about crime films
On Bluesky at kinoventura
On Letterboxd at kino_ventura
On Trylove episodes about SHOGUN ASSASSIN (1980), THE LAVENDER HILL MOB (1951), NIGHT MOVES (1975), THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE (1973), THE ROCKETEER (1991)

Give to these causes in need during ICE’s occupation of Minnesota:

Support Minnesotans defending their communities from ICE: https://www.standwithminnesota.com/
@sanctuarysupplydepot: Mutual aid group in Mpls getting basic necessities to our houseless neighbors https://linktr.ee/sanctuarysupplydepot
@mplsmutualaid: Clearinghouse of mutual aid for our neighbors: https://linktr.ee/mplsmutualaid
ISAIAH, an interfaith group fighting for racial and economic justice in MN: https://secure.everyaction.com/G8TCnxFlE0qd9zlUEYjjeg2
Show love to North Minneapolis families in crisis: https://www.gofundme.com/f/show-love-to-north-minneapolis-families-in-crisis

References:

“Giorgio Moroder: A Syllabus” by Sophie Durbin for Perisphere, the Trylon blog
“25 Things We Learned from Paul Schrader's 'Blue Collar' Commentary” by Rob Hunter for Film School Rejects (Nov. 18, 2020)
“I’M HEALTHY, I’M ALIVE, AND I’M FREE!" (1977) , a short television documentary of Billy Hayes’s story
“Stone sorry for Midnight Express” by Helena Smith for The Guardian (December 15, 2004)
Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets
Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog

#GiorgioMoroderMoodEngineer #DCP

Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch!

Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro: “(Theme from) Midnight Express (Instrumental)” by Giorgio Moroder from the MIDNIGHT EXPRESS soundtrack.