Showing her love of movies, Izzy from Be Kind Rewind chats with us about her process of creating video essays and connection to researching actresses in the Hollywood system. We discuss how her fannish love of TCM films turned into a passion for making videos and navigating complex topics often overlooked or simplified into gossip. Diving deeper into this, Izzy speaks about her recent video on actress Merle Oberon’s race as it relates to William Wyler’s Wuthering Heights (1939) and its latest adaption by Emerald Fennell. There we discuss how the construction of stardom and the text of a piece impact readings of race as a racialized work attempts to become de-racailized by directorial choices. Using her Vanessa Redgrave video, Izzy also talks to us about the Oscars,its relationship to politics, and how it impacts actresses. We end this longer epsiode with a hint of the future for Be Kind Rewind and our 2026 Oscar predictions. Afterwards, Samantha and Henry give their Oscar predictions in every category.
This episode is filled with fun, fandom, and just a touch of Hollywood magic! We get into what passions drive a video essayist and the interesting topics that can happen about the film industry if we are not strictly going by salacious headlines. It is an episode that not only asks viewers to watch more films but, also challenges them to think about the wider implications of the moving image.
Here are some of the references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper:
Some Suggested BKR Videos:
YouTube [Channel Link]
Nebula [Channel Link]
Merle Oberon and the Whiteness of Wuthering Heights
Why Vanessa Redgrave Gave the Most Controversial Oscar Speech Ever
How Carrie Fisher Blurred Fact and Fiction
Performing Authenticity: The Cinema of Lady Gaga
Sofia Coppola and The Godfather Part III Disaster
How Michelle Yeoh Went from Bond Girl to Best Actress Oscar Winner in the American Media
The Feud of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford | 1963: Pt. 2
Academic/Educational readings and resources:
Black Oscars: From Mammy to Minny, What the Academy Awards Tell Us about African Americans Hardcover
WMC Investigation 2026: Gender and Non-Acting Oscar Nominations - Full Report
Why Analyze Inclusion at the Oscars?
Hollywood Diversity Report
JSTOR
Hollywood Babylon
People & Places:
Lindsay Ellis
Princess Weekes
Emerald Fennell
Merle Oberon
Vanessa Redgrave
Lady Gaga
Sophia Coppola
Diane Keaton
Ryan Murphy
Betty Davis
Joan Crawford
Laurence Olivier
Nicole Kidman
Vivien Leigh
Anna May Wong
Hattie McDaniel
Rock Hudson
Cole Escola
Michelle Yeoh
Teyana Taylor
Wunmi Mosaku
Jessie Buckley
Jamie Lee Curtis
Chon A. Noriega
Karina Longworth
Liza Minnelli
Judy Garland
Yoko Ono
Samuel Goldwyn
William Wyler
Lana Turner
Lupe Velez
Media:
TCM
Oscars
The 98th Academy Awards (2026)
Wuthering Heights (1939 film)
Wuthering Heights (2026 film)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Did Yoko Break Up The Beatles?
Sadly, Wuthering Heights Discourse Is That Deep
1978 Oscars Vanessa Redgrave Win
Kanopy
Criterion Channel
Tubi
Little Gold Men podcast
Film Comment podcast
Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast
Funny Girl (1968)
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Bad Cinderella
Gone With The Wind (1939)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Sinners (2025)
One Battle After Another (2025)
Hamnet (2025)
The Godfather Part III (1990)
Hollywood (TV mini series)
Feud (TV series)
You might also enjoy our previous Oscar Themed episode and the Oscar Watch series Henry is currently running on his blog.
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