Factual America examines America through the lens of documentary filmmaking. Guests include Academy Award, Emmy and Grammy-winning documentary filmmakers and producers, their subjects, as well as experts on the American experience. Find out more about the current and upcoming documentaries on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Sky Documentaries and other platforms directly from the creators. Whether we discuss true crime, music, burning social and political topics, history, or arts, Factual America is your #1 documentary film podcast. Factual America is produced by Alamo Pictures, a London- and Austin-based production company that makes documentaries about the US from a European perspective for international audiences.
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episode 40: The Political Wit and Persona of Molly Ivins
Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins is a documentary that chronicles the career of the acclaimed Texas columnist and journalist. Molly was nominated multiple times for the Pulitzer Prize for her commentary, and her Texas twang became an unlikely voice of liberal America.
Now 13 years after Molly’s untimely death, award-winning director and producer, Janice Engel, brings Molly’s acerbic wit and no-holds-barred approach to journalism to the big screen.
Janice shares with us how she went from not knowing who Molly was to making a film about her. She also talks about the sometimes tragic private side to Molly's larger-than-life public persona.
Even in death, Molly remains as unique now as she did when she was unveiling the hypocrisy of the political establishment. And she sure can still make us laugh.
“Everybody needs a dose of Molly Ivins. Firstly, how many documentaries make you laugh? And secondly, she has something to teach us all.” - Janice Engel
“Everybody needs a dose of Molly Ivins. Firstly, how many documentaries make you laugh? And secondly, she has something to teach us all.” - Janice Engel
Time Stamps: 04:14 - The extent of Molly’s lasting power and how the release of the documentary went.
08:03 - How to stream the film online.
09:16 - Who Molly Ivins was and what she did.
10:23 - A brief synopsis of the film.
16:49 - How Molly managed to make a career around Texas politics.
21:22 - The preconceived notions Janice had about Texans before visiting Texas herself.
24:40 - The things that make Molly Ivins such a unique political columnist.
27:29 - The differences between Molly's public persona and her personal life.
32:10 - Molly’s relationship with alcohol and drinking.
35:25 - How Janice Engel got involved with the project.
39:45 - How much archival footage she went through to create the film.
45:15 - The extent of love Molly had for the state of Texas.
46:39 - What Molly would think of the current state of American politics.
54:16 - The people that are following in Molly’s footsteps.
56:50 - What Janice is now focusing on.
The Molly Ivins Film Website
Alamo Pictures
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