We’re doing a Madonna movie! No, come back! This week, Graham and Sarah go back to the Material Girl’s breakthrough moment, when her Nile Rogers-produced sophomore album Like a Virgin proved she wasn’t a fluke, and Desperately Seeking Susan became one of the top five highest-grossing films of 1985. But don’t think this is a safe choice for a young pop star: it’s a screwball comedy, a tough genre to get right, by Susan Seidelman, a director with only one, punk-inflected, previous film. And wait until you find out what film inspired Seidelman…
It was, in short, a huge gamble that paid off. On this week’s show, Graham and Sarah discuss the home-made appeal of Madonna’s early image, and why the desperately sought Susan was a better fit for Madonna than most of her later roles. We also discuss her directorial effort W.E., an early indicator that Oscar Isaac’s talent and charisma would strongly outpace his ability to choose a good script.
If you’ve recently received a windfall from going through the pockets of your dead gangster boyfriend, you might consider donating to our Patreon, where you can get access to a monthly bonus episode of Pop Screen, Graham’s Doctor Who reviews, a whole exclusive movie podcast – Director’s Lottery – and more. Stay tuned to our Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to find out what we’ve got planned for the future!
Pop Screen is on iTunes, Google Podcasts & Spotify
AND ALL GOOD PODCAST APPS
