Hannah Long – The Train
Manage episode 435248126 series 3348486
Is it ever justified to sacrifice a human life to save a work of art?
Brent is joined by Hannah Long to discuss the 1964 movie ‘The Train’ starring Burt Lancaster and Paul Scofield.
The first part of a two part feature – the second part will drop in a couple of days! In the second part, Brent interviews author Michelle Young about Rose Valland, the World War 2 Resistance spy whose book became the basis for ‘The Train’.
Hannah is a passionate cinephile. She writes cultural commentary and film criticism for a number of publications including ‘The Dispatch’, ‘Angelus News’, ‘American Consequences’ and ‘The Bulwark’.
- (1:00) ‘The Train’ and John Frankenheimer;
- (2:45) The story;
- (5:40) The historical background – Rose Valland;
- (9:25) Colonel von Waldheim;
- (16:00) The Colonel’s motivation;
- (17:35) High art and evil in the movie;
- (19:25) ‘Degenerate’ art in the Third Reich;
- (21:10) The use of art and culture in the Third Reich;
- (25:00) The Colonel and evil;
- (25:40) Can it be immoral to reject beauty?
- (28:10) Sacred objects?
- (30:10) Scripture and beauty;
- (32:50) Labiche;
- (34:30) Labiche’s view of art;
- (36:00) Movement;
- (37:45) Burt Lancaster;
- (39:20) Is it ever right to sacrifice a life for the sake of a work of art?
- (41:45) The Resistance and Madame Villard;
- (43:50) Labiche’s motivation and why he breaks his rules;
- (50:20) Mephisto-like imagery;
- (52:15) The end of the movie;
- (56:40) Frankenheimer’s view of art and the final shot.
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