Coming Soon: The Be Kind Rewind Substack

Hi! My name is Izzy. You might know me as “Be Kind Rewind” on YouTube where I publish videos about film history. I have been featured on TCM, in Vulture, W Magazine, Marie Claire, and selected for Sight and Sound’s annual list of Best Video Essays.

If you’re not familiar with my work but love learning about American cinema, or more specifically about the actresses who make American cinema so enchanting, may I offer you some recommendations? You might be interested in this analysis of the infamous Best Actress Oscar race of 1950, which pitted Bette Davis’s iconic performance as Margo Channing in All About Eve against Gloria Swanson’s towering turn as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard—only for Judy Holliday to take home the prize for Born Yesterday. If you’re feeling a little adventurous, try this short documentary about Todd Haynes’s Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, in which I turn the tables on Haynes and use dolls to depict the making of his legendary film. For more contemporary fare, you might enjoy this deep dive into The Cinema of Lady Gaga, which considers the relationship between artifice and authenticity in her filmography.

Things are going well over on YouTube! So why am I starting a Substack?

I plan to explore topics that might not necessarily be right for YouTube, but nevertheless fascinate me. Here, freed from the punishing authority of “the algorithm,” I’ll indulge in the nichest of subjects and give myself an excuse to engage with some of my favorite writers. Look forward to interviews with authors, critics, professors, content creators, and more! I also hope that my writing can find new audiences who may not regularly watch YouTube or who might favor referring to a written text when conducting research for their own projects. As an added perk, paid subscribers will also receive access to the scripts for my video essays. Be warned though—these are not short pieces haha.

I am new to this whole Substack thing, so there might be some growing pains as I figure this place out, but I look forward to sharing even more history, hot takes, and thoughtful conversations with you all on this platform. First up? The script for my video about Diane Keaton! Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it when it goes live!

I truly cannot believe that I get to write about film for a living. It’s a blessing that I will never take for granted. Thank you all for your continued support. See you all soon :)

bkr/Izzy

(PS: If you’re already a Patreon subscriber, don’t worry. You will have access to everything I publish on Substack too.)