He never would have sold it this way, but Steven Soderbergh concedes that his latest film, Magic Mike, could be potentially described as a Bressonian stripper movie. To apply the aesthetic of French New Wave director Robert Bresson to a film about a stripper and entrepreneur hustling in suburban Florida may seem like a stretch, but Magic Mike is the kind of film that simply defies categorization into a pre-established genre. Elvis Mitchell welcomes Soderbergh back to discuss, among other things, why he was so fascinated with Channing Tatum's real life story as a stripper, and what his plans are once he stops directing films. Also, he recalls, with horror, a fateful encounter with Tom Stoppard that taught him about the importance of listening.
Banner image: © Claudette Barius