Marianne Jean-Baptiste & Mike Leigh

“Okay, I found one Night on Earth. Which I’m going to have.”

“But here’s a film you’re really going to like. It’s called Secrets & Lies. And it’s about a character played by you. But let’s not be so self-indulgent. No, no. Do you know what? I actually don’t have it. All right, well then you should have it. Yeah. I’ve got a big old fat VHS. There you go. Well, good. Cool. I’m having this one.”

“Oh, Charles Burnett somewhere. I’ve got to find him. There we go. To Sleep with Anger. Nice. Let’s have a look. Are you going to have it? Yes, I am. Well, then, I’m going to have it too. Do you want mine? Yeah, have one. I think you’d love these other ones. Say no more. I like his stuff but I’ve never seen this one. Great. Cool. Charles Burnett. To Sleep with Anger.”

“Are you familiar– I’m sure you are– with this wonderful film, Loves of a Blonde? No, I’m not actually. Is it a goodie? Oh, yeah. You’ll love it. Can you get it down from there? Miloš Forman. Oh, well, I’m having it. It’s a great film, it really is. You will love it.”

“Oh, Kes. Remember Kes? I haven’t got Kes. You should have it in your collection. I should. I’ve got all of Ken Loach’s stuff, I have to say. He and I get accosted in the street by people, and they say to me, 'I love your film about the boy with a bird.' You know, 'Are you, are you Ken Loach?' And I say, 'No.' And then they ask Ken, 'Are you Mike Leigh?' And he says, 'No, he’s not.'”

“Oh, gosh, White Material. Claire Denis, man.”

“Gotta take Hunger. Yeah. It’s a great film. Okay, then. Great film. Yes.”

“This is nice. I’ve never– I haven’t got it. Have you not? The Life of Oharu. You know, these Japanese films, Ozu, Mizoguchi, and the early Kurosawa, are really... They’re great. They do a lot for me. I’m going to have this.”

“And then I’m going to have Ashes and Diamonds, a film haven’t seen for a thousand years. I loved it, and I... Never thought to have it. It’s great. Wajda, Andrzej Wajda.”

“Have you seen this one? EO? No. Is that... What’s that like? What is that? I liked it. It’s all from the perspective of a donkey. Oh... Oh, I remember it now. Skolimowski. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s very good, very good.”

“Oh, I’ve got to have Claudine. Diahann Carroll. Oh, yeah, there you go. James Earl Jones, man.”

“And I spy Cassavetes. Where’s Cassavetes? Oh, right. There you go. Now I’ve got that. I got that the last time. Shadows. I’m sure it’s here. I’ve got it. It was a great influence in the sense that it made me start thinking about improvisation and stuff. Although when you look at it now, it’s not his greatest film at all. It’s interesting.”

“Because I saw an early Kurosawa set. Yeah. The First Films of Akira Kurosawa. Ha. Nice. I don’t think I’ve got this, actually. There’s two of them there, darling. Yeah. Okay, cool. That’s me, then.”

“The Ranown Westerns. Yeah. When I was growing up in Manchester, I went to the movies all the time. I never saw a film that wasn’t in English. All I saw was Hollywood and British movies. And of course we saw loads and loads of westerns. I’m going to take this. Bit of nostalgia. Yeah, yeah. And they’re probably pretty good films. They must be if they’re in the Criterion Collection.”

“This is Story of Floating Weeds. Now it’s not because I... I identify with the weeds. It’s a lovely cover. I’m going to have that. It’s going to be my first one. All right. To add to my Ozu collection.”