Elvis Mitchell's The Treatment on KCRW

For those of us who miss reading the thoughtful film critic Elvis Mitchell at various news outlets. He's got a radio program broadcasting out of KCRW 89.9FM in Santa Monica, the major National Public Radio affiliate in southern California. The program now can be downloaded or listened to as a podcast.

On "The Treatment," which he's hosted since 1996, Mitchell does 28:30 minute (the standard public television/radio half hour time slot) interviews with filmmakers, screenwriters, film archivist/curators, film writers and historian. As you would expect Mitchell is erudite, and highly knowledgeable about European and US film (he may be knowledgeable about film from other areas as well, I just don't recall him writing on films from other parts of the world) .

I first listened to his interview with Charles Burnett following Milestone Films's 35th Anniversary Re-release of Burnett's first feature film, shot in 1973/74, the classic Killer of Sheep after a long effort securing the music rights (with the support of International Film Circuit, Inc., filmmaker Steven Soderbergh and Turner Classic Movies.)

"The Treatment" also features insightful discussions of craft, influences, film scoring, screenwriting, directing actors, literature and playwrighting etc. with filmmakers as accomplished as Kimberley Peirce (Boys Don't Cry, Stop-Loss), Brett Morgan (The Kid Stays in the Picture, Chicago 10), Neil LaBute (In the Company of Men, Nurse Betty), Nancy Oliver (screenwriter, Lars and the Real Girl) Joel and Ethan Cohen (Fargo, O Brother, Where Art Thou, No Country for Old Men), Jason Reitman (Juno, Thank You For Not Smoking).


Endnote:
• Movies reviewed by Elvis Mitchell at the New York Times (1998-2004).
• New York Magazine coverage of Mitchell's departure from the New York Times.