The Unique Way ‘The Zone Of Interest’ Captures Its Sense Of Recency | Jonathan Glazer Interview
Oscar-nominated director Jonathan Glazer joins the show to discuss his new, harrowing film The Zone of Interest. We chat about the impact awards nominations and wins can have on a film, his unique approach to staging and filming scenes, the film’s incredible sound design and its importance to the narrative, and more.
After our interview, Jake and Kevin dive into their reviews of the film. It’s an extremely powerful piece and one that seems to be getting the recognition it deserves throughout this year’s awards season.
00:00:00 - Intro
00:09:18 - Jonathan Glazer Talks ‘The Zone of Interest’
00:41:12 - ‘The Zone Of Interest’ Review
00:55:12 - Is The Jurassic Franchise Moving In The Right Direction?
01:12:07 - Outro
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ReelBlend is CinemaBlend’s flagship podcast featuring CinemaBlend Managing Director Sean O’Connell, Fox 5 DC Entertainment Reporter Kevin McCarthy and Fox 32 Chicago Entertainment Reporter Jake Hamilton. Join them each week as they discuss the latest entertainment news, review new movies hitting the big screen and tell stories about working as entertainment journalists.
Just saw The Zone of Interest. This movie will haunt me forever. The craftsmanship is impeccable. I was relieved when it was over. The Sounddesign with the constant bass drone was most effective. I never experienced a movie, where the soundscape makes you sick. You can feel/ hear the horror the victims of the Holocaust had to suffer.
THE ZONE OF INTEREST movie. Here are my thoughts after just watching "The Zone of Interest" and coming home. I had heard about the movie and watched many reviews. I had even heard about what the director said and felt he just demonized Jews while making a movie about the Holocaust and thus proves he is an ignorant fool. But I figured I must see this movie as it isn't maybe even about the family and more about the culture. So I went to see it. I was pleasantly surprised for the following points: 1) The father is damned. How? He stands to process the Jews from the train and thus is doing the work on the days that matter for a death camp called Bergen-Belsen & the general concentration camp of Auschwitz. They don't show it, but then the reason must be that they want to show you the idea of not damning him. You saw nothing. The director tipping his hat to his hate, so to speak. 2) The wife is damned. How? She finds a diamond in toothpaste and wants more. Why? Because in the processing there is very little the workers are allowed to take from the Nazi state as all is categorized and documented. Stealing from the Nazi state a diamond is her crime. She wants to do it more as taking toothpaste will not be cared about with the Nazi state and she knows the diamonds are untraceable anyway unless documented by being found by the workers in the camp. 3) The mother-in-law is damned. How? She realizes a woman is suffering (a Jew) who out bid her in an auction and is not worried about her. She shows no caring for her or any of them (Jews). What she hates is the burning of human flesh, the noise, and the proximity of it all to her personally. She never voices a concern for her grandchildren and their safety or upbringing. These are the three main characters and they all are damned. They are Nazis; they should be damned. Do all people who view this movie get this message? No. Some may think only of how they existed in a moment and chose and performed based on the stimuli that affected them. Of course they did. Don't we all? What is the lesson of the holocaust? Let us look at facts in regards to Triblinka and learn the lesson of the holocaust. In 16 months, 68 Germans with the help of 360 Jews slew over 600,000 Jews. The field had some evidence of buildings having been there. Nothing would have been known of the facts of Triblinka had not the Nazi state kept meticulous records of their accomplishments. What is the value of this movie? It does not show anything that would damn them. You only hear of the suffering and killing and know this man is in charge of all of it enough to be promoted to improving efficiency in all Nazi death camps and concentration camps throughout all of Europe and efficient enough to be brought back to the largest and most famous death camp and concentration camp in the history of the whole world: the death camp called Bergen-Belsen & the general concentration camp of Auschwitz. History records that the Nazis in trials after WWII and over the radio in South America while still free abroad after WWII stated aloud "Six (6) million was not enough." This is significant. It means the Nazis did not care about the fourteen (14) million killed in the holocaust. Why should Nazis care about slaying Poles, gypsies, and dissidents in Europe against the Nazi state? The HONOR and the GLORY of the Nazi mindset was in killing the people of Yahweh in large numbers. Americans today are now being asked in universities throughout our great land and through the speeches of the Democratic politicians within the Senate and Congress whether they will be antisemetic or if they support Israel. I find it absolutely amazing that the impetious for this question was Palestinians beheading Jewish babies or male children, burning alive Jewish mothers, and the fucking of Jewish female minors in cars as they drove them to Gaza Strip. It is abhorrent and explains why Yahweh's Holy Bible states upon Palestine being whole it melts in Isaiah 14:28-31 which is a time when Anti-Christ is identified for the whole world to know and this text states "None shall break rank" meaning Anti-Christ will melt inside Palestine whole not long after it is made whole per the text. Yahweh then declares in the Holy Bible He will destroy all nations off the face of the Earth for all nations will have been against Israel per Zechariah 12:3 and Zechariah 12:9. kzhead.info/sun/as6dZJyii6WQjIE/bejne.html
Best laugh of the week: “Life has found a family.” - Jake 😂😂😂 Pure gold my friend.
perfect timing cause i literally just saw Zone of Interest yesterday. congrats on getting Jonathan Glazer on the show!
I’m glad to hear I’m not alone in this film continuing to haunt me weeks after seeing it. So much so I’ve been compelled to watch it again and again just to try to peel back the layers. One of the greatest pieces of film ever made for sure.
was amazing to hear how he got the sound of guards shouting from bringing microphones to football matches of german players
Great interview with Mr. Glasser. I really like how thoughtful these interviews are. Looking forward to seeing "Zone of Interest" during Regal's Oscar Film fest next week. I'm afraid of the impact it will have on me though.
I watched Zone of Interest a few weeks ago and even though I had a general idea of what it was about, I was not ready for how brutal it was. You don't see any violence or abuse or even conflict, but seeing people just live so casually knowing what was happening on the other side of their garden wall was horrifying. Like Jake and Kevin said, it's an incredible movie that I will never watch again, I do not have the emotional bandwidth to be terrified like I was a second time.
Great interview, thank you.
It's one of the movies I'll probably only watch once, but I'm glad I experienced it.
one more week congratulations on 300 you deserve it and much more happy to be a blender and have met all of you in person
Hi, listening from Madrid, Spain. I love your interviews and reviews. Watched yesterday Dune: Part 2. Can´t wait for your review
HOLY COW. My two favorite cinema interviewers/infectious enthusiasts have teamed up for a pod? This has really made my month, maybe year… xo
Such a great interview, you guys have such insightful questions
I think the episode with Ivan and Jason Reitman was the first Reelblend ep I watched. I've watched every episode since
Aye! First comment! Always excited for these on Friday! Keep it up gents!
Happy Friday!
One choice for favorite Spice Girl. It's Geri (Halliwell) Horner, costar of last year's Gran Turismo!
love whenever Kevin mention old episode
I did not actually guess but amazingly the first thing I ALWAYS think of with Alan Cumming is Spice World 🤣 90s kid for life (btw my favorite is Sporty Spice 😝)
Great episode. So glad you guys covered Zone of Interest. Such a powerful film and your interview with Glazer was great. I appreciate what Keven had to say about the movie.. but honestly it's just a movie that is powerful to experience and doesn't need all that much explanation to just appreciate. You will very likely be moved and will look at things differently after seeing the film. Highly recommended! As for Jurassic Park. I agree with Jake... the latest movies have not been great. I'm excited for a new direction and Edwards could bring something fresh (which the franchise badly needs).
great great dialogue between these guys
we love the Nolan talk
The episode's opening easily Emma Stone's favorite segment (those who knows, know)
Listened on Apple. Came here just to laugh at Gabe telling Jake how dick-ish his final comments sounded. Fantastic stuff. Can't wait for next week.
So dick-ish
The actor portraying the Rudolph Höss is the softest and relatable version of that character in cinema. After watching The Zone of Interest It gives me the itch to watch other films sets in Auschwitz.
On the back of the Spice Girls discussion, I thought I’d do a Spice Girls actors edition- Jessica Chastain, (Ginger Spice), Hayley Atwell, (Posh Spice), Helena Botham Carter, (Scary Spice), and no idea who Sporty Spice could be!
Did not see SpiceWorld coming on a Glazer segment! LOL.
We keep you guessing
get them to 20k subscribers for episode 300
I am also seeing tenet
Almost to 300 so stoked for you all…but seriously tho, how much is this 299 number just eating Sean up?!😆 Gabe, throw up some extra footy you can’t make him wait a whole week🙈😎💀
Jenna gets it…
Y'all should try to get Ethan Coen on the show for Drive Away Dolls
Sophie is probably in the other side of that wall concentration camp.
Jake/Posh Spice, Kevin/Sporty Spice tied w/Ginger Spice, Sean/Baby Spice ❤
@Jurassic: am 100% with Jake 1 and 2 are great, the rest is not good! I am not very excited for another 'rushed' Jurassic-movie.
He liked Paul Feig's Ghostbusters? I can't take anything else he says seriously now. 😂
Kevin needs to be on medication lol
Academics try to create a fantasy world, using difficult terms and many metaphors. Glazer's speech at the Oscars was pathetic. We already know that the Jews are a divided people, but Glazer (a Jew) does a disservice to the people of Israel (a people to which he seems not to belong) with his acceptance speech. It really appears that he is just a nominal Jew, with no connection to Israel. Poor Israelis if they were to depend on this director to protect them.