The Pointless Century

S2E2 - Paths of Glory / A Very Long Engagement

Anna enjoys vengeance; Rachel denounces injustice; Frank lectures even more than usual; we continue to ponder the concept of realism in genre film; and we all stare exhausted down the barrel of the gun that is the state.

1 year ago

Episode Notes

S2 E2: Paths of Glory / A Very Long Engagement

In our second look at great films of the Great War, Anna enjoys vengeance; Rachel denounces injustice; Frank lectures even more than usual; we continue to ponder the concept of realism in genre film; and we all stare exhausted down the barrel of the gun that is the state. // Watch us on Instagram: @thePointlessCentury // Troll us on Twitter: @PointlessCent

KEY FILMS REFERENCED: Fear and Desire. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. Perf. Frank Silvera, Kenneth Harp. Kubrick Family, 1953.

Un long dimanche de fiançailles [A Very Long Engagement]. Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Perf. Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel, Jodie Foster, Marion Cotillard. Warner Bros, 2004.

Paths of Glory. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. Perf. Kirk Douglas, George Macready, Ralph Meeker, Joe Turkel, Adolphe Menjou. United Artists, 1957.

The Pointless Crew: Frank Fucile (he/him/his) – Lit & Theory, Film & Media, Genre, Enviro & Tech Studies // Anna Wendorff (she/her/hers) – Communications, Rhetorics of Sci & Tech, Feminism // Rachel Hamele (she/her/hers) – History, Humanities, Queer Studies, Fandoms // Madalyn McCabe (she/her/hers) – Sound Editing, French, European Studies

MUSIC: The Melvins – “Sacrifice” (written by Will Shatter) from Lysol (Boner, 1992)

Refused – “Lick it Clean” (c. 1992)

ART: Paul Nash, We Are Making a New World. Oil on canvas, 1918. Imperial War Museum.

Paths of Glory, promotional poster feat. Kirk Douglas (UA, 1957).

Find out more at https://the-pointless-century.pinecast.co

The Pointless Century is a podcast of informal discussions about literature and film seeking to understand 20th century history and illuminate 21st century politics. Professor Frank Fucile and research assistants Anna Wendorff and Rachel Hamele work their way through comparative studies of canonical works, examples from pop culture, and some cult classics while reflecting on subjects like technology, art, class, race, gender, sexuality, the environment, (as always) war, and (inevitably) fascism.