On Tuesday, May 8, at 10:00 p.m. (EST), Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and the American Film Institute (AFI) continue their series of specials exploring some of the greatest artistic collaborations in film. In the second in a series of specials, TCM PRESENTS: AFI’S MASTER CLASS – THE ART OF COLLABORATION: DAVID O. RUSSELL AND MARK WAHLBERG, the two men discuss their collaborations in front of an audience comprised of AFI Fellows studying filmmaking at the world-renowned AFI Conservatory.
Wahlberg and Russell’s work together includes the Iraq-set drama THREE KINGS (1999), which co-starred Wahlberg, George Clooney and Ice Cube; the offbeat comedy I ♥ HUCKABEES (2004), with Wahlberg, Jason Schwartzman, Dustin Hoffman and Naomi Watts; and the Oscar®-nominated THE FIGHTER (2010), with Wahlberg, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo.
In the new AFI special, the two artists talk extensively about their collaborative process, beginning with their first meeting, when they really didn’t know what to expect from one another. They also reveal some of the movies that have inspired them. Wahlberg reveals that one of his favorite activities as a child was watching movies like THE ROARING TWENTIES (1939) with his father, a teamster who would come home each afternoon between routes. Russell talks about his taste for movies that show both the light and dark sides of family life, as in IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946). The pair also discuss the themes and visual poetry of François Truffaut’s THE 400 BLOWS (1959). AFI’S MASTER CLASS is packed with clips from these films, as well as memorable scenes from the artists’ own movies.
Master classes are a core part of the curriculum at the AFI Conservatory, which offers a Master of Fine Arts degree in six filmmaking disciplines and was named the #1 film school in the world by The Hollywood Reporter. With an audience comprised solely of AFI Fellows, two artists discuss films that inspired them and present clips from classic films. They also present and discuss their own collaborative work to illustrate different aspects of filmmaking. Each program concludes with a Q&A session with AFI Fellows.
TCM’s complete schedule for the night of May 8, with all times listed in eastern-standard time:
8:00 p.m. – THE ROARING TWENTIES (1939)
10:00 p.m. – TCM PRESENTS: AFI’S MASTER CLASS – THE ART OF COLLABORATION: DAVID O. RUSSELL AND MARK WAHLBERG (premiere)
11:00 p.m. – MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES (1957)
1:15 a.m. – TCM PRESENTS: AFI’S MASTER CLASS – THE ART OF COLLABORATION: DAVID O. RUSSELL AND MARK WAHLBERG (encore)
2:15 a.m. – TCM PRESENTS: AFI’S MASTER CLASS – THE ART OF COLLABORATION: STEVEN SPIELBERG AND JOHN WILLIAMS (encore)
3:15 a.m. – SPARTACUS (1960)
