Read the Cunk On Cinema review to discover how comedian Diane Morgan turns her beloved and famously clueless documentary persona, Philomena Cunk, toward the world of film. Spanning three hilarious episodes, the series tackles everything from the earliest moving pictures to modern blockbusters and the looming threat of the AI apocalypse. Along the way, she interviews actors, directors, and film experts, peppering them with wonderfully misguided questions delivered with her trademark deadpan innocence.
Charting the Evolution of Film
First appearing on the satirical program Weekly Wipe in 2013 by Charlie Brooker, Morgan’s wonderfully idiotic journalist has previously hosted documentaries exploring Britain, the world, and the universe while remaining blissfully untroubled by any actual facts. Now, she takes on the greatest art form in the world with that exact same mixture of childish naivety, misplaced self-confidence, and absolute seriousness.
Patient Experts and Memorable Encounters
Across the three episodes, Cunk traces the journey of cinema from the Lumière brothers to Michael Bay while posing peculiar inquiries to a lineup of remarkably patient experts. Composer Daniel Pemberton tickles the ivories at her request. Benedict Cumberbatch discovers that his double Oscar-nominated career is somehow less memorable than Cunk spotting him buying chickpeas in Tesco. Meanwhile, Helen O'Hara finds the traditional notion of Marilyn Monroe as the ultimate male fantasy thoroughly challenged by Cunk's firm conviction that the true fantasy must be owning your own podcast.
A Masterclass in Deadpan Comedy
Morgan remains utterly mesmerising throughout the production. Her long silences, enormous unblinking eyes, and unwavering certainty that everyone else is making an immense fuss over nothing create a true tour de force. The interviewees gamely try their absolute best to answer questions that only grow more unanswerable the longer you ponder them. Ultimately, cinema proves to be exceptionally fertile ground for her unique brand of interrogation.
Affection for the Medium
The program's underlying affection for its subject matter is entirely unmistakable. While viewers do not need an encyclopedic knowledge of film history to appreciate the jokes, it certainly helps that the writers clearly know the medium inside and out.
