Oscar-winning director Brad Bird joins TCM's The Essentials

April 23 2020

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) announced today that two-time Oscar-winning director, screenwriter, animator, producer and voice actor Brad Bird will join The essential, The famous TCM franchise that showcases classic films not to be missed. Bird, known for movies like The Incredibles, Ratatouille, The Iron Giant e Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, joins TCM host Ben Mankiewicz for the new season, where every Saturday they will present a hand-chosen film and offer comments on its cultural significance, its influence on other films, behind-the-scenes stories and their personal reflections.

The new season of The essential, which airs every Saturday evening, premiered on May 2 at 20:00 (ET).

"I love joking about movies almost as much as I enjoy watching them," Bird said. “In fact, I first met Ben Mankiewicz while playing movies. My wife and I were at a film festival walking briskly down a street when we ended up walking next to Ben, who was heading to the same screening. Who knew our random film talk would turn into a wonderful TCM event? Ben is very knowledgeable about cinema, as well as being a sharp and fun person to hang out with, and a perfect host. Having the opportunity to talk with him about indelible films on TCM was an absolute joy. My biggest challenge was figuring out which movies to choose, because for every great movie I talked about there were 10 that I left out! "

“Following the return of The essential last season with Ava DuVernay, we are so lucky to be able to bring in another elite director this season as my co-host, Brad Bird, "said Mankiewicz." Brad's particular artistic sense makes its way in every conversation we've had together. He sees so many stories through the eyes of an animator, providing a rare perspective on the films we think we know well, such as Casablanca, Doctor Strangelove e At the end of the treatment. And his childhood enthusiasm for films, animations and live actions is unparalleled and contagious. What a thrill to bask in this season The essential".

Bird movie selections for this season of The essential we are:

Cantando sotto la pioggia (1952) - Co-directors Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen's musical comedy about Hollywood stars is adjusting to the arrival of sound.
Ace up the sleeve (1951) - Kirk Douglas plays a small town reporter milking a local disaster to go back to the big times.
The general (1926) - Buster Keaton writes, stars and co-directs this silent film in which a Confederate engineer fights to save his train and girlfriend from the Union Army.
Casablanca (1942) - this classic, in which an American sedan owner in North Africa is drawn to World War II when his lost love shows up, has the distinction of being the most played film on TCM.
The red shoes (1948) - Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger interpret Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale of a young ballerina torn between her art and her love affair with a young composer.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) - the epic and radical story of TE Lawrence who enlists Arabs for desert warfare during World War I. Bird stands out for being the only TCM guest to talk about this film which he also directed Peter O'Toole in a movie (2007 Ratatouille).
Gunga Din (1939) - one of two featured Cary Grant films The essential, three British soldiers seek treasure during an uprising in India.
A matter of life or death (1947) - Another Powell and Pressburger film in which a wounded aviator argues to the celestial court the possibility of living on.
A night of a hard day (1964) - a typical day in the Beatles' life turns into a musical comedy.
The Music Man (1962) - Robert Preston plays a con man who shoots musical instruments and band uniforms in the small American town.
Dr. Strangelove o: How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb (1964) - Stanley Kubrick's black comedy, in which Peter Sellers plays three roles, including a mad United States general who orders an air strike against Russia.
The Maltese hawk (1941) - The first of two essential noir films, hard-hitting detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) is caught on a murderous search for a priceless statue.
2001: Odissea nello spazio (1968) - Kubrick's classic science fiction epic about a mysterious monolith that appears to play a key role in human evolution.
Ball of Fire (1941) - Howard Hawks heads a group of professors (led by Gary Cooper) who welcomes a nightclub singer (Barbara Stanwyck) who hides from the law to protect her gangster boyfriend
City lights (1931) - Charlie Chaplin writes, directs and stars in this silent film in which the Little Tramp tries to help a blind flower seller see again
Un americano a Parigi (1951) - Vincente Minnelli directs Gene Kelly as an American artist who finds love with Leslie Caron in Paris but almost loses it in conflicting loyalties.
At the end of the treatment (1956) - a John Ford and a John Wayne Western in which a Native American-hating Civil War veteran tracks down the tribe that slaughtered his family and kidnapped his granddaughter.
North from north-west (1959) - Alfred Hitchcock's latest film starring Cary Grant, who plays a commercial man mistaken for a spy, sparking a deadly chase across the country.
Boys and dolls (1955) - Frank Sinatra bets on Marlon Brando that he can't seduce missionary Jean Simmons in this musical comedy.
Out of the past (1947) - one of Robert Mitchum's many noir films, in which he portrays a private eye becoming the monster of a murderous moll.