Hannah Long – The Train

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.

Links mentioned in this episode:

x.com/HannahGraceLong

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