{"podcast":{"title":"Morally Offensive","slug":"morally-offensive-7096551","podcast_index_feed_id":7096551,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/morallyoffensive/feed.xml","website_url":"https://www.morallyoffensive.com","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/19598152/1000003763_g4d3ud.jpg","author":"Morally Offensive","episode_count":52,"summary":"Morally Offensive is a weekly film podcast about the movies the Catholic Church tried to warn you about. We revisit films labeled “condemned” by the Legion of Decency and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, unpacking the outrage, the censorship, and the cultural shifts behind them. Whether you grew up with Catholic guilt or just love controversial cinema, this is where dirty movies meet film history.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-29T12:20:30.354906+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/morally-offensive-7096551"},"episode":{"title":"American Gigolo (1980): Paul Schrader's Naked Man in a Room | Part 2 (American Giallo)","slug":"american-gigolo-1980-paul-schrader-s-naked-man-in-a-room-part-2-american-giallo","published_at":"2026-07-17T17:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/morally-offensive-7096551/american-gigolo-1980-paul-schrader-s-naked-man-in-a-room-part-2-american-giallo","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/morally-offensive-7096551","url":"https://www.morallyoffensive.com/e/american-gigolo-1980-paul-schraders-naked-man-in-a-room-part-2-american-giallo/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/z4t8cs9b9mdqstvk/american_gigolo_part_2_mixdown8dop6.mp3","summary":"Bill and Kevin are joined once again by Milwaukee journalist Michail Takach to conclude their discussion of American Gigolo (1980), the first film in the American Giallo series. The conversation covers the film’s second half, from Julian Kaye’s downfall to its quietly redemptive ending. Bill argues that Paul Schrader’s screenplay, informed by the filmmaker’s strict Calvinist upbringing in rural Michigan and the spiritual questions that run throughout his work, ultimately tells a deeply Christian—and even distinctly Catholic—story of grace, redemption, and transformation. Drawing comparisons to Robert Bresson’s Pickpocket, the hosts revisit the Catholic reviews discussed in Part One and make the case that the film’s theological undercurrents are richer than its Catholic critics gave it credit for. Along the way, they discuss Richard Gere’s star-making performance, Lauren Hutton, Héctor Elizondo, and the supporting cast, examining the performances and creative choices that have helped American Gigolo endure.","meta_description":"Bill and Kevin are joined once again by Milwaukee journalist Michail Takach to conclude their discussion of American Gigolo (1980), the first film in the…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4896,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/morally-offensive-7096551/episodes/american-gigolo-1980-paul-schrader-s-naked-man-in-a-room-part-2-american-giallo/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/morally-offensive-7096551/american-gigolo-1980-paul-schrader-s-naked-man-in-a-room-part-2-american-giallo.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}