This week on the Pod for the first we will not be relating this podcast to a film released in the cinema. Instead as its Remembrance Day, this week we will be picking our favourite war films for this week.
Warning we will be talking SPOILERS. AND we will be talking about very graphic and disturbing imagery, so take care before pressing play.
Martins pick for this week is arguably the best Kubrick film ever made and arguably the best world war one film ever made, Paths of Glory. On this one we talk about how angry we felt watching this film because of the incredible script. We talk about how well this film is designed in a visual sense too. IMDB page
Boaz's pick for this week is the fairly unknown Soviet film Come and See. On this one we talk about how this film mixes so many different styles of storytelling in this film. We talk about the incredibly difficult to watch scenes near the end which seem to go on forever. IMDB page
Twitter
Instagram
As ever please enjoy.
This week on the Pod for the first we will not be relating this podcast to a film released in the cinema. Instead as its Remembrance Day, this week we will be picking our favourite war films for this week.
Warning we will be talking SPOILERS. AND we will be talking about very graphic and disturbing imagery, so take care before pressing play.
Martins pick for this week is arguably the best Kubrick film ever made and arguably the best world war one film ever made, Paths of Glory. On this one we talk about how angry we felt watching this film because of the incredible script. We talk about how well this film is designed in a visual sense too. IMDB page
Boaz's pick for this week is the fairly unknown Soviet film Come and See. On this one we talk about how this film mixes so many different styles of storytelling in this film. We talk about the incredibly difficult to watch scenes near the end which seem to go on forever. IMDB page
Twitter
Instagram
As ever please enjoy.
Hello film fans welcome to the film versus film podcast. My name is Martin Harries your host and I'm joined by the filmic Cyclopedia man pious Dix. We are a couple of filmmakers on occasion but mainly Can't Stop yapping about movies. On this podcast every episode, we pick a topic from a film that's coming out at the cinema, or on VOD, myself and buyers pick our favourite film from that topic, and we battle out to decide which film will become the greatest film of all time. According to two film geeks from Wiltshire, England if you enjoy this podcast please leave us a review and subscribe Hello Potter Rooney's that is the only giggle you'll get on this week's episode as it is Remembrance Day coming up. So we're not actually going to be relating this podcast to a film release. And obviously Remembrance Day is certainly very important in the UK and a lot of parts of the world. Today I will be talking about our favourite war films. And as always, I am joined by the Mr. Uncyclopedia man and certainly half the reason why he's called the Mr. encyclopaedia man is that he knows a lot about Yes, I do the wars loves going down a huge rabbit hole. Yeah, I watch a lot of World War One and World War Two stuff. So this is right up my alley. As always, we have a buy me a coffee account. So if you want to say a really big thank you, you can buy us a coffee by following the link in the show notes below. And you can just say thank you with a nice big fat milky coffee out it'd be lovely. Just before we get started on this episode, I think it's important to just give out a warning because we'll be talking about very like graphic imagery in this episode. We've certainly picked some very Yeah. Violent and visually disturbing film. So yeah, we're gonna when it gets to my film, because we're gonna keep that to last because yeah, man, that is. That was a difficult watch. And yeah, a lot of horrible, horrible stuff. So if you are squeamish about war related subjects, maybe give this one a skip. But they're both very important films, I think. Right. My film then is Paths of Glory. Why did I pick this one? Well, I kind of went down the route of I wanted to pick one that hadn't seen before. There was a lot of films that I really liked. That were certainly in contention like Dunkirk recently Saving Private Ryan. Gallipoli is a personal favourite of mine from Peter, we're a big fan of Peter Weir films. There's a lot of really good ones out there All Quiet on the Western Front. But yeah, I went with Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory. I keep getting being reminded when it comes to war films that this one is arguably one of the best World War One films there is. And some people say this is actually Kubrick's best film as well. So yeah, that's why I picked x I fit. I feel like I need to watch this film. What did you make of this one? Yeah, no, I really liked it. And I wasn't expecting where it was going. This is a very kind of emotional film. And this is a very, it's more like the, the background of war, like what's going on with the generals and the commanders as well as you know, the men, but it's just the insanity of military bureaucracy, especially in the French army and in World War. Yeah, it's just like, they have no idea what they were doing is pretty crazy. Interesting fact with this one. This film was banned in France 13 years. Yeah, they didn't want the friend travelling to watch this film at all this you know, this is obviously a very old film 1957 So it was a long time ago. Right? What happens in Paths of Glory? Well, I've got me DVD out I don't want this. So this is obviously World War One. This is with the French army. safe in their picture s Chateau behind the frontlines, the French General Staff passes down a direct order to Colonel DAX, played by Kirk Douglas. Take the Antill at any cost a blatant suicide mission, the attack is doomed to failure. covering up their fatal blunder the generals order the arrests of three innocent soldiers charging them with cowardice and mutiny. Dax, a lawyer in civilian life rises to the man's defence but soon realised that unless he can prove that the generals were to blame, nothing less than a miracle or save his clients from the firing squad. Yeah, I found this film. Really, really remarkable one I think, probably going to get some crazy scores for this film. It really packs a punch certainly with the screenplay. Yeah, no, I agree. I think it's directed really well. But yeah, I think the screenplay and just a lot of the lines, they're just so elegantly written and just show the absurdity really does it you're going on right directing then I really liked how well directed the scene where the three men go out for a night Scout mission. The way the camera goes from a big wide shot to a tighter shot on the three on the three of them as they stop in a like shell hole is really like seamless that shot there's a nice like wide shot what the men can see in front of them. One soldier goes for to scout an area where there's like a crashed plane and on the horizon is quite dark in the foreground in the shot. Then when a flare goes up, you can see about four dead bodies in the foreground where it was dark before. It just shows amazing subtle shock value and realism in in there that you know that there could be bodies right next to these guys. And they wouldn't know a really skilled directing. You know when then when you see the dead French soldier because of the grenade thrown by his own man is quite freaky the way it's he still like smoking from it. Yeah, that was horrible. It's like yeah, his chest is caved in. And he's just smouldering like, on fire. I love The now iconic like POV shot, then tracking shot on Kirk Douglas. He plays a colonel DAX where he's walking down the trenches with constant artillery fire, with rubble coming down and hitting the actors. It's really immersive and immerses you into this war. And the first POV shot before it cuts just gives you a sense of doom as the men start to notice DAX and realise it's nearly time to go over the top. I love Kirk Douglas is acting there as well where he's hardly reacting to the artillery really just trying to keep calm, weathermen are just trying desperately to get cover in those moments. I love the use of long lenses when they go over the top. There's a few on Colonel DAX where there's so much going on men everywhere men going straight across the shop. In the foreground is explosions going off right in the foreground, is like Kubrick is putting you right in the middle of the action as best he can. There's tremendous depth to the shots, but all the focus is just still on DAX and what he's doing in no man's land. Yeah, I quite like the use of shadows as well. I mean, that seems like a, you know, a subtle thing. But when they're in their dugouts, like you know, in the trenches in their, you know, camp, and just any scene in that it's just how everything is like caked in shadow with very little light. It just seems so meticulously done to have this sort of natural, gloomy look to it. I quite like shots in the, in their dugouts and stuff. And it just it paints a massive difference between that and when you go to the generals course. This Yeah, the Chateau is fucking gleaming. You can't There's no There's hardly a shadow in sight. It looks pristine, it looks incredible. It's bright, it's you know, and just the difference. It's like the generals are living in heaven. whereas all the other men are literally living in like, you know, just the deepest rungs of hell, you know, it's just horrible and bleak. Even with like, the small dialogue scenes, they're all like in big, wide open spaces. There's even like a big party scene with people dancing, you know, during a time of war, which just seems really odd. Wrong. Yeah. I agree with you. Because actually, yeah, the one of the first scenes or the first scene between the two generals, yeah, it's kind of very wide shots and a lot of shots in the chateau. They, they're wide. And you're like, even if it's two characters, you see the magnanimous nature of you know, the rooms they're in and all that and it just, you know, splendour you don't need to do that. But it's good that they do that, because it's like, yeah, this is where they live. It's spacious, it's amazing. But any scene in like the trenches with the men, it's all so fucking close. Like, it's really, really close to you know, there's hardly any room and you think that is obviously a directing choice to just really get the you know, the viewer to sort of understand like the claustrophobic uncomfortable nature of the trenches versus, you know, how the generals get. Yeah, I think for me, it just shows how the tax these generals are to the war in a visual sense. And I actually found that the tracking shots and the POV shots in the trenches with DAX, very similar in design to the shots leading up to the execution. You know, the soldiers are on either side of the prisoners, like in the trenches, but in the trenches, it stacks walking through. Again, you get their sense of impending doom with with the forward tracking POV shots. Have the prisoners walking towards the three posts waiting for the French bullets, you know, and not German ones. It's just quite striking that similarity of how both scenes are designed before they face bullets, where they're the same characters, you know, some of the same characters earlier in the film that German bullets and then later the French ones like this just the absurdity of war in those terms. Have you got a favourite scene or a favourite show? Yeah, I would say favourite shot is probably the, you know, smouldering French soldier as he was killed by the Okay. Well, that whole scene I think was really good. Dammit. I hated that officer. He should have been shot for cowardice. General Murrow? No, no, it was, it was a petty officer. And he was the one who kind of pussied out and well, he threw a grenade and ran killed his own man. And then when they picked three random soldiers, he's the he bloodied picked the guy that knew he was a coward. That knew he ran. Yeah, he was an awful person. Even how the film ends is pretty masterful. And it's something so simple. Yeah. Yeah, that's my favourite scene. Yeah, I think that's my favourite scene. And it's just, it's kind of an interesting way to end it. Because after everything they've been through, you know, so it's a full pub, filled with French soldiers. And they bring out this German girl. And at first they're kind of making fun in jeering at her, you know, it's like, you know, because they're at war with the Germans bloody German. Screw them, and honest Yeah. And then she starts singing and like, they're still cheering and then they like, quiet and up, and then they just listen to her sing. And then they have a camera pans to the French soldiers, and it gets close on them, and they start singing with her. For some reason. It was just quite emotional. It's like all that hatred kind of was disappearing. Like, they're just trying to appreciate just something beautiful, like, you know, just this beautiful girl singing this beautiful song. You could just kind of feel it. You could feel like Yeah, yeah, definitely. I found myself. Yeah, actually, these men are enjoying this German music so much, it brings them to tears, you know, then literally a few minutes later, they'll all be going to the front to kill a load of Germans. And it's that sense of humanity in that small moment is so powerful. That scene literally blew me away. I was like, this is this is something else. It was a great scene then the film on because this little moment of just a a woman singing to them is just the the only bright spot they've had and god knows how long and they're gonna probably die tomorrow. Yeah. What's extraordinary about is as well, with all the French soldiers humming to this German song, you could hardly hear her sing in that moment in the in the mix. The humming from the front soldiers is the loudest point, you know, in that scene. It's quite extraordinary. What I found really interesting as well as the close ups of the men are amazing going from men looking fairly sad to literally tearing up. I think Stanley Kubrick certainly took really great care on choosing which closeup shots to use, and being very careful of what progression he wanted to use for these actors expressions to get the right emotions across, you know, and the right rhythm and pace throughout the film. I think it's just pitched absolutely perfectly by Stanley Kubrick. Just really, really powerful stuff. So buyers, what score Are you going to get directing? For this? Probably give it like a nine. Maybe a 9.1? Yeah, I think Stanley Kubrick did an exceptional job. I think, for me, the script is the standout directing. So I'm not I'm not I'm not one to criticise Stanley Kubrick, arguably for me, like the greatest director in film history in my opinion. So yeah, that's some great like framing as well. I think there's one shot where you know when they when they execute the the soldiers or the rifles are all pointing like geometrically really well in terms of the shot it's you know, of all eight men it looks really good. It's really masterfully done and you can see the scale there you really can and certainly with the the tracking shots are really iconic now. So I'll I'll go like a 9.2 right screenplay, then. The opening scene is really interesting in terms of how general Murrow goes from saying that taking the end, it was impossible to take by saying it's out of the question, George Absolutely. Out of the question. My division was cut to pieces. What's left of it is in no position to even hold the anthill, let alone take it. Then General boulard is disappointed naturally by saying there was a promotion in it for you a position in the 12 corpse with another star, basically a promotion going up the ranks. Then general Murrow says at the end of his speech, the life of one of those men means more to me then all the stars and decorations honours in France, then general Bellard says so you think this attack is absolutely beyond the the ability of your man at this time. Then general Murrow says, I didn't say that George, in the opening scene just showed you that this general can be easily corrupted with a little motivation, even though he knows taking the anthill is pretty much impossible. It's just amazing to watch the fact that literally right at the start of the film, Murrow was like, Yeah, taking the man who was important. And then throughout the film, he's just trying to cover his tracks, and just trying to do everything possible to get the anthill to take the anthill and hold it even though the back of his mind. Yeah, he should know, it's not really at the back of his heart, because he ain't got one. No, he's an awful human being. Because I would say, if anything, he is the villain, like just straight up. He's the villain. I found it kind of unique. How, when you introduce him, you know, you introduce him in this great place. He's, you know, immaculately dressed. He's got all these badges and decorations. And it seems like he's a good guy, because he said, he makes this impassioned speech about how his men mean so much to him. They can't fight now. No, you can't ask this verse. And then as soon as it's like, well, you can get a promotion from this, you can get an extra star. He's like, Oh, shit, okay. Yeah, they can definitely do it. And I mean, he's so like, just immediately turns on a dime. And he's very cruel to, to his men, because he wants this done. He wants this done, not because of them, but because he can get a promotion. And he is pissed off when they can't get it done. When he knows it should be impossible, but it's his promotion that he's talking about, you know, I keep remembering when he visits the the men, and he's having an inspection. And he's, and he's kind of basically like, lying to himself that, so he's like, oh, yeah, they're in tip top shape. They're all great, you know, surely this is enough man and everything. And then he meets a man with shellshock? You know, because he's trying to encourage them. He's, he's so out of touch. And he meets a man with Shell Shock. And then, because he's not talking sense, he just punches him in the face. It's like, yeah, slaps is Christ. Yeah, I mean, he was, you get this idea. He is career driven man and that thing for promotion? Well, okay. Now this means the world. I mean, I quite like the difference in acting from George McCready. He plays general Murrow, as he's like walking through the trenches to meet his men. You know, all these shells are going off around him, and he's ducking a little to get cover, while the soldiers around him don't really react. When then the guy with the shell shock, he gets really angry with him, hits him, even denies shell shock exists, and calls him a coward. But then it's just like, well, who's the real coward head? You're not in the trenches? Well, you know, you're not going to go over the top either. But the performance from the shell shocked soldier as brilliant, as you see him think of his wife is all written on his face. There's a few examples between DAX and general Maroney at the beginning, where the film establishes that the generals have no idea what it's like down here. The one I picked out is when General Murrow noticed they lost 29 reinforcements and describes them like a bunch of flies waiting for someone else to swat them, because they're bunched together. Then the major says herd instinct, I suppose kind of a lower animal sort of thing. Then DAX responds by saying, kind of a human sort of thing, it seems to me, or don't you make a distinction between the two? Major like, birds? Man, it's such a shame that you were the one to say that line. I literally, that's the only line I wrote down. Because I'm like, it stuck with me because it's like, just how detached the commissioned officers are. And they've got no idea. Yeah, I think the the way the major just like brushes, these human beings off and their natural reaction, instincts to self preservation as kind of an animal thing. It's just like, What the hell, it's like, Dude, get get your ass in here and see what you would do if you were being shot by hail of gunfire. The disregard for human life in this film is extraordinary. So early in this film is extraordinary. You can also see in Kirk Douglas, his performance as well, he's trying to hold back because he can't quite believe what he's hearing. You know, it's a really great performance from Kirk Douglas. Because throughout the film, he's basically unravelling. It's just like, I can't take I can't like, keep my raw emotions in anymore. Like Screw you. I like that first meeting as well, because it's almost a switch from how Morrow was at the beginning. Oh, we can't take the anthill to promotion. Oh, shit. Yeah, we can take that. And he's trying to convince DAX so he's like, your men can do it, you know? And he's like, like, how many casualties Do you suppose we'll take? He kind of does it like statistics where he's like, Oh, you're probably gonna lose 20% During this 10% And he's Like, you'll be left maybe with 50% or less than 50% actually holding it after all that stuff. And DAX is absolutely horrified. He's like you, you're saying, I'm gonna lose more than half my men, like, you know, this is mad, and he's just talking out against it, and even like, patriotism as well, cuz he's like, Well, why won't you do it for the flag of France? And he says, you know, he talks about was it Samuel Adams or something? Samuel Johnson Samuel gigantism is the last vestige of the scoundrel or something last defence. And I just find it crazy. It's how he can get DAX on board is to say, okay, then we're gonna replace you know, I'm sorry, that you care too much about your men will put you back into rotation, you need to rest you know, but you know, Dax knows that he's going to send these men to die. So it's better that they they die Him as their commander than just somebody stranger who's you know, or Murrow himself, who just doesn't give a shit about them. But yeah, he kind of forces him to say that, and I like that from Kirk Douglas, where he's like, you haven't once told me that you thought we can take the anthill. And then he's like, we can take the anthill. And Murrow doesn't believe him that he believes that. And then he says it, you know, with more gusto, we can take it, we can take the ANA, there's a really interesting discussion about death the night before they go over the top. Oh, what were those soldiers? Yeah, I really liked that. Yeah, that was really interesting that very that stuck in my head. Yeah, you know, one soldier opens the discussion by saying, I'm not afraid of dying tomorrow, only of getting killed, they discuss what's the best way to die, you know, from a bayonet machine gun or being blown up, you know, they agree that being killed by a machine gun is best because it's cleaner and quicker and would hurt less, you know, and then he concludes by saying that we all die someday. So it doesn't really matter how we die. It's just death that you're really afraid of, and not how you die. And it's an interesting discussion, you know, and ends perfectly with, like, dark humour where the other guy says, You're too smart for me, professor. All I know, is nobody wants to die. You kind of can't help but have a little giggle there, but it's quite dark. It's a really dark conversation, but they're quite serious about this, you know what I mean? But like, kind of playing with this idea? Was they kind of playing on the fact that of the inevitability of death? It's just like, when are we gonna die as well, death is always on their mind because they could literally die any day. You know, I did like that line of his of like, I'm not afraid of dying, but about being, you know, being killed. It seems almost like what, but then I like where he's just elaborating is like, you know, you see, I wouldn't like to be killed by a billionaire, like machine gun would be much better. And then he was talking about how he talks to some other guys and like, they're afraid of gas. Yeah, cuz I mean, again, it just gets it's a really morbid conversation. I really liked how the script makes you feel angrier and angrier as we reach the end. One of the first scenes I started to feel angry was during the court martial scene, were three soldiers selected by their superior officers or to be tried for cowardice. After the first few lines of questioning to the first soldier you realise very quickly that the core is completely read and the officers know it, you know, before it even starts that the soldiers will be executed for cowardice and all the court wants to hear is when the soldier stopped and turned back to the trenches. That's it. Dax is not allowed to call character witnesses or read out stories of their past heroism. What I love about taxes character is throughout the film, he lets loose more and more about his his true feelings about you know, the situation he starts to he starts his final plea by saying gentlemen of the court, there are times when I am ashamed to be a member of the human race. And this is one such occasion with like a great tracking shot there to showing the whole courtroom as the accused soldiers go right past the camera. What's amazing is you don't even have like a scene to see if they are guilty or not, you know, the film cut straight to the firing squad. Because you know, before the the scene even begins, the verdict will be guilty. It's so completely rigged. And that was certainly the the scene where I start to, I started to feel pretty angry at that at these at these officers. I was like, you just can't do this. This is just so wrong. Like they build it up. And it's it is just it's a kangaroo court. It's a complete embarrassment. I mean that the lines in the in this film are really quite daring and just really just shocking what actually comes out of the mouths of these generals and the lines that DAX has of just the disbelief of what's going on and the horrifying nature of what's going on. You know, the gentlemen of the core, there are times when I'm ashamed to be a member of the human race. And this is one such occasion, you know, it's just awful to hear and there's one From Murrow where he says, if it was impossible, the only proof of that would be their dead bodies lying in the bottom of the trenches. They're scum colonel, the whole rotten regimen, a pack of sneaking, whining tale dragging curves. And just like my God, it's pretty awful for Murrow describing their cowardice, even though they're not. They're just human. Yeah, I mean, he wouldn't have the fucking balls to do any of that shit. It's a major plot point, the fact that he gets so angry that They're retreating, that he orders for them to Shell their own trenches. So they'll leave the trenches. It's absolute madness. And, you know, the artillery commander will not allow him to do that written order, because there's no way in hell he's gonna accept that order. Because he's just following the rules of the army, I suppose in those moments. Well, it's like Who in their right mind would shoot their own men? Yeah. Well, what was that he decides at the end of the battle to punish them. He's like, if those sweethearts won't face German bullets, they'll face French ones. You know, it's like, what the hell, you know. And in fact, the only nice thing he says about the men is when they're executed. It's a horrible scene, they get executed. And then the first thing is, general Murrow eating food. He's having a luxurious meal. Yeah. And then he's just saying they died wonderfully. It's like, what the fuck? Like, and he says this to DAX, how the hell is I can't believe DAX just didn't grab him and strangle the shit out of him. You know, you say that about your men? Oh, yeah, they died wonderfully. They died very bravely. Are you aren't you god damn ruined. Murrow says this sort of thing is always rather grim. But this one had a kind of splendour to it. Don't you think? Yeah, he was a very wicked character. And then when DAX is confronting Murrow about this rumour that he tried to fire artillery on his own men. And he says, To DAX, the man you stabbed in the back is a soldier, you know, talking about himself and it's just like, you can be less of a soldier dude. But I think my favourite line is from DAX and the film certainly explores things like cowardice, patriotism, and pride when General Murrow is incensed that one of the companies is still in their trenches, he orders and artillery attack on his own men to motivate them because he thinks they're all cowards. Dax brings this to the attention of General boulard. Because it's clearly a terrible thing to do, and could damage France politically, if it gets out. But what's so shocking and unexpectedly abhorrent is that General brillat assumes that DAX wanted Maryrose. Job all along. Bellard says, you bring charges against General Murrow. So I insist that he answered them, wherein have I done wrong? Then I just love DAX, his response is just perfect in it in extreme close up, Dax says, because you don't know the answer to that question. I pity you. And I was like, yeah, it's just such an amazing line. And Kirk Douglas is performance in that it's just just so beautifully patched. And obviously before that, but at the start of that scene is certainly unravels and very much just kind of loses it a bit. With brew lard and I feel like brew lard is could be the true villain of this film, and the most abhorrent of the fact that he just assumed he was doing this because he wanted morose job. And it's just like, No, because it's just awful thing that Murrow tried to do. What are you all about? I actually care about my men, and I'm trying to save their lives. Because he's actually shocked when he's like, Oh, you actually did care about your men. You were trying to save them. He's not very passionate and caring, like all of this is, he's like a politician. Do you know what I mean? Or the stereotypical politician is just kind of looks at this as like facts and figures. And just very dispassionate because he's, he even says, like, you know, well, somebody had to sort of be executed for this folly and, and we can't let him erode. So it's like, even if he's doing the wrong thing, or the right thing. He's kind of doing it for some sort of political agenda. Yeah, he's, he's a very strange man. Because for me, that moment is arguably the most shocking moment in the film, because the screenplays certainly pointing you and making you assume that the worst character in this film is Murrow. But in this moment, it's just like, Whoa, I can't believe what Bhullar just said. I'm just like, I just What do you really say that? It seems like the most reasonable in most conversations, but yeah, he is is quite uncaring. He just doesn't give a damn Have you got a favourite line? Oh, so I've got so many favourite lines. I think I've even said one of them. But there's another line that I just remembered. That was absolutely incredible and it's more of an exchange between Murrow and DAX, Colonel DAX, I'm going to have 20 of men from each company in your regiment, try and under penalty of death for cowardice, that is like penalty of death for cowardice. And then he replies with this. This is one of my favourite things. He says to DAX, they've got skimmed milk in their veins instead of blood. And that says is the reddest milk I've ever seen my trenches are soaked in it. It's like, whoa, Jesus, you know, it's, I just think it's a great exchange. It's a great way of just yeah, they have skimmed milk, like one, the visual image of that they have skimmed milk instead of blood. It's like what? Like, you know, they're kind of like kittens and girls. And then I just love that. Well, it's the reddest milk I've ever seen. All the trenches are pretty powerful line score bars we're going for for screenplay. Do you know there's so much more I could talk about this film? Yeah. It's one of these ones, where I think we've kind of only just scratched the surface, like, I think with a lot of films. Yeah, we talked for 2030 minutes. And we've got the whole plot. We've been talking about this for a while. And I think I haven't really talked everything I want to talk about this thing. But I'm going to stop now. And this is a short film as well. It's like 90 minutes. This is a short film, but it is it is so packed with character and wit and plot and great lines from the entire cast. And just story building as well just you know, not only of, you know, the macro thing of the war and the battle, but also just all the individuals, you know, they have something going on. And I think it's just masterfully written that there's so much put into such a short film, that you can analyse it again and again, they just seemed like it was packed, but it didn't feel rushed or whatever. And so I thought it was really really well written probably, I think one of my Yeah, this might be one of my favourite screenplays. So yeah, maybe like a 9.6. Maybe I can't find any folds with this film, in terms of the screenplay, so I'm gonna go with 10 To be honest. First 10. Yeah, I think it's well deserved, actually. Yeah. I mean, there's so many incredible lines of just pure shock value. You know that this is a film about the horrors of bureaucracy of war, and your film is very much the visual horror of war. This is this is horror of war with language. As you said, this is packed with so many different themes of war, and of the First World War is just beautifully done. I just can't falter. Yeah, I think it's pure poetry that comes out of everybody's mouth. And yeah, I don't think there is like a single, glaring problem with the screenplay. I think it's, I think he's great. Acting then I quite like the acting from Richard Anderson, who plays major St. Albans who questioned the witness during the court martial scene. When he questions the second prisoner, private Pierre, or nod, he's looking very confident the line of questioning is going exactly where he where he wants it to go. But then ask now private or not, before you ordered back, did you urge your fellow soldiers forward, then the private just says, most of them were dead or wounded before they got three steps beyond the trenches. Then all of a sudden, the major looks really nervous and angry, and Charles replied to the question, he's like, just keep to this regular, dammit. Then after he answers the major, you know, he looks a tad embarrassed like he exposed this phoney core. Then when he reads out the final verdict just before they're about to die, before the execution in front of the firing squad, you can see his face on his face that he can't believe this is happening, you know, the realisation of just like shit. We are literally shooting Iron Man here for an example. I thought it was it was crazy with the prisoners and you know, all the actors who did the press, just like how distressed and like you know, emotional they get one of them is literally just crying his bloody eyes out, like all the way to the execution. Yeah, point. And even the Father is kind of annoyed with him. The priest is like, you know, courage. But he's like, you know, this man is going to die. Yeah, like the performance from Ralph Meeker, who plays a corporal Paris, and just before they're brought out to be executed, Paris says it just occurred to me a funny thing. I haven't had one sexual thought since the court martial. You know, he's trying to be funny like the whole thing is just so absurd. He can't believe it, then the reality just kicks in immediately. He's gonna die and just falls to his knees sobbing you know, it's just an amazing performance, a little performance there where he's just kind of just trying to make a joke and then just like I can't hold this joke I got a just collapses. Yeah, just a great visual moment in terms of acting. I've just how absurd this whole film is. You know, I really like the range of acting Kirk Douglas shows in this film when Lieutenant rhogap comes to see him in his quarters and he orders him to carry out the execution because DAX knows about the fact that roga covered up the incident during the night patrol. So DAX is describing how to execute the men by putting a bullet in their brain. Like it's taking out the trash. You know, it's easy. Douglas is really relaxed and calm. Then when rogue rogue tries to decline the order then Kirk's face changes brilliantly to anger saying Request Denied, you know, set with this brilliant, like steely eyes. He's got, you know, just a really, really great set of performance there from coke dog. You know, I also like, was it Ruger or something? Yeah, Lieutenant, because he was a he's a horrible human being. And as I was saying, Before, he should have been shot during the raid, he ran away and threw a grenade at his own man, and, you know, was kind of expecting the other guy to die. So he wouldn't testify to his cowardice, and then picks that same guy to be in firing squad. And I love that how he's just so uncomfortable. Like, basically Kirk Douglas is like, you know, he knows this guy's a piece of shit. Okay, you're going to be the one that have to kill these brave men. When he even orders that and he has to give them blindfolds, and he looks so ashamed. Yeah. You know, and he's got to give blindfolds to the guy he picked that he knows he's not a coward. He knows he's brave. He knows he was the coward. He knows this guy knows he's the coward. And he tries to give him the blindfold and he just declines and you can just see like, he's just, you know, he's ashamed. He's ashamed. Yeah, brilliant performance. Have you got a favourite performance? I'll go with the actor who does Murrow just because man I just wanted to slam him like hard on a table. George McCready, I thought he was pretty good because he can go from this sort of trying to be everybody's friend and trying to be in passionate, but I love when he loses his shit when he gets nuts. You think? Okay, yeah. All right. Like this is this is serious when he starts with his shouting and enunciate you like yeah, okay. If he's still trying to be like, yeah, as well, you know, try not to just completely lose. And that's why my favourite performances is Kirk Douglas. He doesn't it's certainly a very different way where he's, he's trying to be professional. He doesn't want to show his emotions for you know, the the first act and the second act so much to not be shy himself or court martialed himself. But then by the end, he's just like, it just that brilliant performance of just this unravelling of just like I can't hear this shit anymore. I've got to say something with that brilliant line, because you can't answer that question. I pity you. It's just such a brilliant line to finish his his performance on acting score bar as we go forward. I'm going to go high, but maybe not like absurd heights like the other two? Yeah. Yeah, I think this is not necessarily particularly naturalistic acting is certainly very heightened, certainly reflected in the era of the 50s 60s. You know, I think my heart is saying like an 8.8 point one, I think, okay, yeah, so great performances. But you know, I'm just saying if you compare them to some, you know, some of the other stuff we've seen, which are like high eight, yeah, I'm not sure if it's kind of you know, it's still amazingly done. And as we were saying, like the script is just is perfect, and the direction is perfect. And I think that's all that really matters. But I guess for modern audiences watching this film, you know, this is this is made in 1957. Certainly, there is an element of melodrama, melodramatic acting, and certainly a heightened acting style compared to what we see today, which certainly wouldn't be to everyone's taste watching it today. But I don't mind it so much. I think sometimes there's nothing wrong with having a little bit of a heightened performance in in a very realistic and important film, like Bobs of glory. Yeah, you know, I'll go like 8.4, I think, right, let's add up the scores then for Paths of Glory. Paths of Glory gets 54.4 Which goes, I'm naturally a little disappointed. It's not in the top five. But I think, imagine if this film was made, like today with with more real Yeah, acting and yeah, definitely subtle stuff. I mean, it would be just absolutely remarkable. But as it is, it's still an exceptional exceptional piece of work and arguably Stanley Kubrick's best film. Yeah, I think it's amazingly, amazingly done. And, you know, as I was saying, Before you the acting is good. I'm just sort of comparing it to, you know, I've got to be fair, and I've got to compare it to like some of the other stuff I've I've watched, you know, we've watched collectively much of it with Hugh Jackman. Right, what is your film then Mr. Uncyclopedia man for warfare. Martin here, he picked a world war one film he directed, you know, in the, in the West, you know, some an American film about the Western Front. Mine is a world war two film in as the sequel. And this is on the eastern front. And it's actually a Soviet made film. So before the fall of the Soviet Union, this is 1985. Yeah, it's a it's a film about in World War Two, the Nazi occupation of Belarus and the parties. And is that the sole reason why you picked it? Because it was different? Because it was during the eastern side? Yeah. So I have a kind of renewed fascination with the Eastern Front. You know, there's so much information that's coming out about it within the last few decades. And it's, it's very interesting, you know, but I had heard about this film, because, you know, I watched so much World War Two stuff and, and movie reviews that I got suggested on YouTube. Somebody talked about come and see, and he was like, You have got to watch come and see. And I think the heading was something like it's a it's a horror, it's basically a horror World War Two film. Yeah. And like, Oh, I'm intrigued. So I just really wanted to watch it. And I've seen that it's on these, you know, lists of like, most influential, most important war films. I've got to watch this film. Yeah. So it's one of those like, I'm very interested in World War Two. Now more interested in the Eastern Front. And this is apparently a very high rated film of that perspective. Was there any other films in contention? Oh, yeah, there was there was tonnes, absolutely. tonnes. Like the obvious, you know, like Saving Private Ryan and stuff like that. I was even thinking of going with a German film that I've never watched. No, actually, is that true? I think I've watched part of it. I haven't watched it all. But the film Stalingrad, which is a German film, okay. Yeah. So it's it's very famous German film in the 90s or something. Is that the Jude Law one? No, it's not. That one's not amazing. I do like that one as well. That's Enemy at the Gates. I mean, I was even thinking of getting out of the world wars and even like, We Were Soldiers, which, yeah, that I mean, that film is just epic. You know, it's just it's absolutely crazy. But that's a Vietnam film, or even. What's the other one he directed as well, because he can really direct so rich, Hacksaw Ridge, holy crap. There's all kinds of movies that I could have picked. But currently, I'm very interested in the Eastern Front. I heard this was a very good film on the Eastern Front. And yeah, Whoa, it's, it's pretty crazy. So what happens in come and see, it's, it's about a boy who lives so he's probably in his early teens, you know, he's not very, very old. Looks about 13 or something less younger than that. So yeah, probably. Yeah. I can't I don't know what is 11 or something? 11? Yeah, I think, yeah, I think you're kind of correct there. And he lives in Belarus in 1943, during the German occupation, and he wants to join the partisans, the resistance against the Germans. The film begins with him trying to find a rifle. So because if he can find a rifle buried in the marshes, then he'll be able to join the parties. And so the beginning is him doing that him and his friend looking for assault rifles, and they find one, and they're spotted by a German plane. And then the next day, he leaves home and joins the partisans. And it is not the life of glory that he thought it would be. A lot of disturbing Shit happens. Paths of Glory was about the horrors of language in terms of film, but certainly this one is the is the visual horrors of war. In this one, there are some real visually striking horrible scenes. You know, I I'm glad I watched this film. I think it's a really important film to watch in terms of what the Russians had to experience during the Second World War. Do I want to see it again? New? Yes, I was getting the same feeling towards the end. I mean, we will discuss this but that last scene, I think, you know, that what I'm talking about with the bar and everything that lasted so long, and that was that was horrific. And it lasted a while and it was just, it was mean spirited. It was gross. It was It was horrifying. And yeah, Jesus Christ. Yeah, it's very difficult. Right directing then. One show that literally sticks out in the film is just before we go into the big wide like photographer scene, which is actually quite funny actually, with the cow trying to get in shot properly. But Flora I think that's how you that's how I pronounce it anyway. Floy our main character, here's a patient being treated in the medical tent. Then we cut to a big objective close up on a young nurse looking very innocently at Flora then He falls over backwards feeling a bit scared, and we don't get another shot of her. In that scene, we don't get any other context around this character, this nurse, and it feels very like, like a very haunting like private moment for flora, that this could happen to him at some point that he could be on this medical table with this character, it's really quite an extraordinary cut there with with with the use of close ups in this film really, really interesting. And then she turns up again, well, I assume it was the same character. I mean, the film doesn't make it particularly clear on whether it's the same character, you know, then she turns up again, when the commander is giving a speech to everyone. And again, the close up is really haunting as, as some of the characters are distracted by her. And I think there's something about using like the for free aspect ratio in this film that makes the close ups in this film have a portraiture type quality that literally like punches you in the face. I would say, you get this very objective viewpoint. It's very pointed and deliver, where you can't look at anything else but their eyes and face. The most powerful close up in this shot is near the end, where glacier slowly walks up to flora, clearly being raped. I won't describe it, then cut straight to close up as he spits out the whistle with blood around her mouth like definitely still. It's a very, very striking image and not one I really want to see again, really. Yeah, it's just really interesting the use of close ups in this film, as I said, literally, it's like, the film is gone into an arthouse film, and like literally just trying to punch you in the face with this FH. Yeah, watch this, watch this disturbing image. You can't look away from this character's eyes. It is kind of interesting, because as we were saying, it's like, and it does this quite a lot. It's filmed like a film. So the characters interact with each other. There are there are long shots, there are mid shots. They're looking at each other, not the camera. And then I think what really hits you where you say, you know, they do these close ups is most close ups, they look beyond the camera, they look away from the camera, they look at the character or whatever. They're looking straight at you. It's really abrupt as well, whenever they do it. It's just like bang, and they're looking straight at you. And not just that like delivering their lines. It's like they are talking to the character beyond but it just feels like they are addressing you. Yeah, it does that several times. And it's kind of weird. I think, the most haunting speech I saw in the film, where they did that where they just bang just look straight at the guy is where they're looking at the German soldier who's trying to tell them like why he thinks they should all be killed. Yeah, that was fucked up. And the cameras just right on him and he is just like a vile human being and he's like, yep, some races need to be exterminated you will need to be to death and like Jesus Christ. I've never seen a film like this where it kind of strays from fairly normal narrative structure a you normally see a film and then it's kind of elements of documentary in there as well. Just being very observant of you know, observing what's going on. Yeah. To these very art housy close ups. Yeah, exactly. Certainly the close ups, they very much utilise the four three box frame with the ratio. It's really quite striking. But yeah, no, you're right. Because I was noticing that, especially when he went to actually join the partners and in the, in the forest. And then it did feel like a documentary. Were you like, Do you know what I mean? It didn't feel like it was coordinated or, or shot with multiple cameras. It felt like there was a camera man there and it it is a bizarre thing to have a movie where it does feel like he's plodding along trying to get everything he's wandering around, trying to get as much in the in the camera as possible. And it does feel like you've got a camera man right there. And that it's a documentary, and rather than like really taking you out of it and being unrealistic, it makes it feel real it makes it feel more real it's kind of bizarre but yeah, it does this from like a very professional narrative camera work documentary like camera work where it's just like the camera just gets up and and tries to analyse this as if it's a it's a real space and it's a real war going on. And this is the camera man just walking around trying to get what he can to again what you were saying this this art house of just these characters are just looking straight at you and they're talking to you and not like you it does a lot of weird stuff. A lot of characters just losing their shit just in front of you. And I think with the main character, it really gets his acting well like you know that kid when he he's like, losing his mind more and more because of this the crazy shit that he sees. He's like a facial contortionist To be honest, he is he is incredible. Like Like this little kid, I mean, yeah, I think he's a revelation. And it's like, cuz he can look like, you know, so innocent and so, like, he doesn't really understand too happy and joyful. And you know, he's amongst friends, too. He's actually having a breakdown. And then he's having like, an even worse break down on top of that breakdown, you know? Yeah, man. Yeah, man. It's just yeah, he's an incredible actor. I think this boy, I really like the scene where all these bombs go off in the woods with lawyer loses his hearing, and a lot of sound cuts out with the high pitch drone sound, then the soldiers come and start firing at them. And the gunfire is really faint in the mix. Then when Floyd has hearing kind of comes back a little bit, which takes quite a few minutes. The high pitch drone is still there, even through like the little dance number glacier does on on this box. You know, the drone seems louder than the music. And it's like, this haunting reminder that they're they're never safe. You know, really interesting sound design in those scenes. I fall. Yeah, yeah, definitely. There's a few elements I really liked in this. So one every time the reconnaissance plane comes over. Yeah. Yeah, I think those are just very interesting shots where it's just very, you know, he just has very ominous, like, you know, the sound cuts out and, you know, a different kind of musical track starts playing a little bit more measured. It's like, I think it's the same shot every time. But yeah, I think it is essential. But it is kind of like it is a foreboding, it is a warning of something horrific is going to proceed this event, the German reconnaissance plane comes over, you know, some really fucked up shit is gonna just appear it's gonna happen. I think it was interesting. Like when he's he's left in the woods with the girl. And they're playing and what have you. Yeah, go to, and they see the reconnaissance plane. And he's like, good guy, and she wants to shoot it. She takes her gun. And then it seems like there's a bit of a, just kind of like a silence. Yeah. And then just bombs start coming down, and paratroopers start falling, and you're like, holy shit. And they decimate that forest. Well, while they're trying to hide from it, yeah, stuff like that. There's a scene where flowering and Glacier come back to Florida is home and no one's home. And Florida thinks they're across the swamp. As they run away from the building, Glacier looks back, and there's loads of dead bodies piled up against the wall, and it's just in a flash, no suspense building at all. Just boom, there they all are, then back to the characters. It's just certainly a very shocking scene. Because there's no buildup at all. It's just one shot. It's shit. And it's very far away. There's definitely a very documentary style in certainly that scene, in particular, of just not making a particular point about it. I think they are making your point. But just like, you're not I mean, it's just very fleeting. And just like, yeah, they're all They're all. They're all dead. They're all dead, you know? Yeah, just over there. They've just missed it. Yeah. But if you compare it to the shots, where he's trying to find his family, you've got close up shots of like their dolls and flies and, you know, shots of his face and, and then him rushing around and him going here and him going there. I know where they are and cuts to her cuts to him. It's also you know, meticulous, yeah. And then it's like, he runs off. And then it's just, as you said, just kind of this fleeting glance. Oh, yeah, there's a bunch of corpses that yeah, the village are all dead over there, and just back again, and you're like, Whoa, whoa, I think where that really hits is the fact that there is build up to try and find his family. You know, it's like, the shots are caring about you trying to get him on this journey to find his family. And then you're like, Well, yeah, the whole village have murdered over there. And then, you know, just move the camera away. Are you like, holy shit, you know, you can't even process that because I guess it's like, they were kind of building it. As you said. They're kind of maybe some slow build up and suspense of just where are they all in the house? And then you kind of think it's gone. You're like, Oh, no. Flower says they're across the swamp. Okay, let's, let's follow them across the swamp, and then boom, they're there. Yeah, let's follow them across the swamp. We're gonna find them across the swamp. You're like, Nope, they're all dead over there. You're like, whoa, God. Yeah, the suspense sequences finished your expectation is is like you're moving on to the next scene, you know, and it's like, oh, shit there. There's a sequence where flora and his uncle tried to steal a cow because the village is so hungry. You know the gunfire that kills his uncle. Looks really vivid. The tracer fire glows orange and I think they actually use real bullets. Yeah, this is what I'm thinking. Did they shoot that cow? I'm almost certain they just they just kill the cow on camera. Yeah, because the cow we standing bullets go through the cow. Yeah. And then the cow collapses. And it's whining. And I'm like, I think they just shot a cow. Yeah, I think they, they definitely use real ammunition. Yeah, Jesus that Yeah, cuz that was that was intent. And then he's trying to get the rifle from his uncle's hands and his uncle is dead but still gripping onto the rifle. It's stuff like that you're like holy crap, and he can't even take the damn cow. Like he's lost everybody again. Yeah, and the cows dead. Again like a really powerful close up on the cows I like continually rolling, you know as it's dying, you know, a really interesting choice of shot there. Yeah with flies trying just all over it I wouldn't say this is my favourite scene, but the scene that were the shot that was the most shocking that sticks out in the film for me is not actually any violence at all, near the end, where the bonds are all burning down with people all trapped inside a group of Germans decide to take a picture with flour, with the burning building in the background, you know, one of the Germans holds a gun to flow his tempo as he takes the picture. And it's just such a horrible image, you know, terrifying as well, because you think they're gonna shoot him while they taken the picture. Even even Cox, the chamber, he cuts the gun. And you can see that Floyd is just by they don't like he's got no idea. You know, he thinks he's gonna die and he's shaking. They take the picture. And then I think what's amazing about that shot is like, they're almost like spirits or ghosts. Because the black smoke cloud from the burning building, which again, is just killed, like, you know, it's roasted alive, hundreds of children. This is horrible. And then the smoke just passes over them. And as it's passing over them, they've taken the picture and then they just walk. They basically just walk with the smoke. And Floyd Rose just on his own. He doesn't know what to do himself. He just collapses. Yeah, he falls to his knees and to the floor like he's been shot anyway, you know, collapses in that moment. Anyway, through sheer terror. You know, why have you got a face? Well, a scene that was the most shocking or shocked? I don't want to say favourite, because that's just sound. Yeah. It does. It does sound kind of weird. Yeah. Yeah, the one where you just getting the picture? Is picture taken. That was that was something. So directing score for me. Yeah, I think it's really, really bold. And I just love these choices of close ups. Just really, really striking. It will be really interesting to know, actually, whether that whether they filmed this in for free, whether it was a very conscious choice or not, or whether they were just forced into shooting it like that for budgetary reasons, I don't know. But they use the framing like really well, and those close up. So that was just really striking, you know, juxtaposed to this very naturalistic documentary style. I've always really, really impressive. So I think I might go like a solid nine, I think for directing, I think because it's just so strange, like how it's done, as we were saying, like, there seems to almost be three styles it switches from, as well as just like the technical achievement of when there are battle scenes. And I use that term loosely. It's more like, just Germans murdering a bunch of people or stuff. Yeah, and just like just the horrific nature of it, I think I'm gonna go really high. You know, Jesus, I think I'll go like a 9.6. Screenplay, then the screenplay is pretty brutal, because of course, you see a lot of horror, horrifying things that Flora goes through. But you feel like things can get better for him. There are elements of hope in this film, but then the next brutal thing happens to him. And it just his hope just gets dashed. And it happens a few times, you know, those moments of Hope get less and less throughout the film. And the dark moments become darker and more frequent. You know, when he first meets glacier, it's a nice moment for him then, then all of a sudden the bombs go off, he loses his hearing. But then he finds his way home to his family. He thinks he knows where they are moments later that he finds out they're dead rejoins their village, you know, helps his uncle with like the weird Hitler scarecrow thing, fairly hopeful time in his journey, but then moments later, his uncle gets shot. So I just constant moments of hope to being dashed. Because I like that that moment, because that was a kind of, it's strange. It's the most jovial like point after like, Do you know what I mean? It's a quite long bit, where it's him, his uncle and, and this other guy, and they're just trying to get revenge on the Germans. They're like, Let's attack a warehouse and stuff. And like trying to get supplies for the village. And they're doing a pretty good job, like, you know, they fire back and run like hell and they're surviving and they're having fun with it. And then yeah, the Germans retaliate. You know, and they steal a cow. That's funny. Were they the guy that's guarding the cow, they get him to roll around in shit. Like they insult him and tell him to fuck off and they've got the cow. And they're like, Yeah, fuck the Germans and then just the Germans kill everybody and kill his uncle. And it's like, you know, just the best thing that was going for him at that point. Every time something's going good, something horrible happens. Then it looks like it's picked picking up cuz after that moment, he gets saved by this farmer. Oh, yeah. Who? Yeah, who makes him hide all of his partners and uniform and his equipment? And he's like, you're my son. Your name is this dah dah dah dah, dah. So we won't get killed? Yeah, and then they go to his village. Do you think it's hopeful? But then the SS comes? Yeah. And it's like he knows that they're just gonna kill everybody they get gather him and everybody into a bond to kill them all. And you're like Jesus Christ. Yes, kid get a break. I found that very long scene where we first see the Germans very difficult to watch where they're all rounding up this village and literally toying with these people, at times a group of men are just made to run in circles and a load of people are literally forced into a bond, literally, the Germans are squeezing them in there. And there's strange details as well, where one German has got like white swastikas all over his helmet in uniform. And I found it so hard to watch because it lasts for so long. You know, it goes on and on. And on. The noises of the screaming people, especially in the bomb is constant and your anxiety levels just go up and up and thinking about like, what's going to happen to these people then the bomb is burning down again. It goes on and on the close up shots of like the German soldiers just laughing and having fun with each other and playing pranks on each other. You like Jesus Christ, you know, while they're shooting civilians, you like fucking the constant human noise goes from screaming to German laughter You know, and they're enjoying themselves throughout. And it's the amount of screen time this scene has is quite incredible. They only save flora. Yeah, they let him go. They basically say anybody who doesn't have a child, you know, who can who can work or whatever. So they let him come out of the barn. And one other woman who tries to bring a baby, and then they just throw the child back into the goddamn barn. And then they pull her by her hair, you know, to take her to raver while they're just joking about it. It was absolutely fucking horrifying. Then after that the pacing of the film like slows right down as floor floor awakes up, you know, the Russians have stops the Germans, but the horrors don't stop there. You know, the horror continues with one of the Germans is saying when he is being questioned, says inferior races spread the contagion of communism. You have no right to be our mission will be accomplished if not today, tomorrow. And it's just like, that's the moment of horrifying language in this film from that German soldier. I find the last scene with Floyd fascinating though, where he finds a portrait of Hitler in a puddle and start shooting it with his rifle. Then we have propaganda footage of Hitler's rise to power in the Nazi pie. But it's all in reverse intercut with flourish shooting the portray. But the last image we see in the propaganda footage is Hitler as a baby with his mother. And Freud doesn't shoot. I'm not sure how I feel about that because I feel like the film is trying to humanise Hitler a little bit. Because we're all children like Flores in this film, like the real horror is war itself. You know, anyone can turn into a Hitler if we allow them to. I think that's what the film was trying to say to me anyway. Essentially, the German is is the boogey man. He's like this demonic monster through most of the film. I think the only parts where they're even remotely tried to be humanised towards the end. So after they've done this nasty, horrible shit, and then they get ambushed by the partners. And what was it Floyd was just walking and just seeing? So I think it's particularly where he sees that woman who might be an SSH nurse or something. And she's just bleeding out. Yeah. And he just kind of looks at her just like, Do you know what I mean? But it's like, yeah, I suppose this is a person and how they like begging for their lives when they're rounded up. Do you know what I mean? And trying to somehow get out of this, but even then, I wouldn't really I don't really feel sympathy for them. Because it's just, they've done such beastial things, I think is one of those things like, I'm not sure if it got the message that it was just war is hell or just the German is evil, because I got more than I thought that was kind of interesting. Like they were gonna burn them. Just like they burn Yeah, their own children. Yeah, that was kind of a bit an interesting morally grey bit, I guess, with the fact that they they're giving them mercy with bullets rather than not burning them. So it's, and it was like, oh, like the Russians are better than the Germans kind of thing. And it's just like, the fact that they gave the Germans mercy and the Germans didn't give them I'm not sure about my, you know, history war the Russians actually did to the Germans. But that scene didn't particularly sit well with me. Really? Yeah. I don't think it sat well with me either. Because I think for that to sit well, you have to see one of the Germans do something good. And I think at no point, you see any German character do something good. So it's one of those like, yeah, that didn't that didn't really work with me that that message that you know, you should so show mercy or war is bad for all sides. All I saw in that film was innocent, you know, being lost Soviet people getting murdered, and the Germans just being like inhuman savages. And I think they, they may have needed a scene where there were some kind German, so you could, like somehow rationalise mercy, but you know, but you know, maybe they were just sick of all the violence that at that point, I don't know. But weirdly, there are some funny lines, interesting lines when flower does meet up with the village again, with his uncle, where he says, mainly all from the uncle. Well, why do you give him a nose? He's got syphilis. A man puts a clean nose on the human skull with a Nazi uniform thing. There's a moment when some people run away, and he says, Go on you run us you're not slung leg in a woman's tits tonight. You know, it's it's quite crass. And I remember one bit because I kind of had to keep rewinding it, where they're putting the Hitler's scarecrow up in, like a crossroads. And I think the uncle says something like, Don't tickle him, or he'll far and flat and half of Europe. Yeah, that was my favourite line. Yeah, I was like, what? I read that right. Once guys, like, I'd like to see that I was like Jesus. But yeah, his uncle was hilarious. That's why it's kind of quite shocking when he does die. It's one of these characters where you, we get attached to that you genuinely really like and it's just like, Oh, he's dead aren't great things. We least have someone we can root for other than flora, that can help him through this. Now, this film unceremoniously kills off so many people. I suppose that it is getting a realistic view of what war? Yeah, you know, war isn't like the best people and the, you know, the most enjoyable. And it's not like everybody gets a death scene. His uncle didn't get that scene. He was just shot. You know, not everybody like says some meaningful words in your arms. When they die. Sometimes they just get their head blown off. Well, he didn't really get a real death scene because they use real bullets. So you know, can't really shoot the guy. Yeah. Is that your favourite line as well then don't take on Me or My fight is going to fly in Europe. Yeah, that one? Yeah. That was brilliant. So my score for screenplay. I'm not sure there's too much to the screenplay thing. I think it's just really interesting of how we follow flow through his journey. So structurally, is it's fairly simple. But I do just quite like the fact that they I find incredibly daring the fact that they give so much screen time to basically that massacre scene with the Germans. And it's just like, wow, this is going on forever. It felt like so I will go for an 8.3 How would you sir? Yeah, I think I kind of agree with you like story wise. Yeah, it's not like the most complex. And there are some good lines are saying that it's such a striking point, actually with with that Hitler scene where it's intercut with that propaganda footage and very clear decision that filmmakers are going with the fact that that fluid does not shoot the portray, when you see the image of him as a child. I thought that was quite a striking juxtaposition. So yeah, that was really quite striking of just how horrible war can be. And he can create a monster like Hitler. It can be anyone. I mean, you know, you could say maybe he wouldn't do that, because like his sisters were children and lots of children have died. Yes. Yeah. Maybe it's just he doesn't want to stoop to that sort of level, even though he kind of want to. But he's just seen. Yeah, he's just seen too much. Yeah, thinking about that, that kind of makes that other scene, you know, where they just give those captured Germans mercy with bullets rather than burning them. It sits with me a little bit better, I guess, thinking about it with the fact that that Floyd doesn't stoop to that level of shooting the portrait in that moment, when you see, you know, Hitler as a child. So it's interesting. There are things I really do like about the script. So there's so much dialogue that just seems really surreal. Where they talk to each other You're like, yeah, what on earth is going on? Especially I think the first time you he actually talks to the to the glacier, yet, but it's such a strange conversation he has with her. That I'm not sure. It seems like they're both in like they've lost the plot. Do you know what I mean? A different world? Maybe? Yeah, it really does you like, Why on earth are you talking about like, Do you know what I mean? And he's confused with what she's trying to do what she means, you know, but I kind of understand that hysteria. So behind that line, it's like, you're almost going out of your mind just because of how it is. She starts crying, and then she laughs like a Mac. And then yeah. And then she goes with this, like, very strange speech where she's like, teasing him being very accusing to him, then really wanting him like wanting to love Him and be with him here. And he is very confused. And then she goes, like, you know, I just want to live to love to have children and stuff. And I think she's, she's kind of losing her fucking marbles here. And I thought that was a very interesting interaction, like dialogue scene where you're like, yeah, yeah, I quite like the whole kind of subplot of he is essentially responsible. And I think this is a guilt that he bear. This is a guilty bears throughout the rest of the film. He is responsible, because he wanted to be a part of than so much, it did kill his family. If he didn't find that gun. The Germans wouldn't have seen him with that gun. And they wouldn't have gone to the village and killed everybody there. You know, they only attacked his village, because they knew someone had a gun. Yeah. And he's one of his uncles or whatever, relatives, who at the beginning is telling him not to dig. Don't do this. Yeah. And then he is burnt alive. And he's got like, flaky skin, his nose is flaked off, and he is absolutely fucked. And he's basically saying the floor. Why? Why did you dig? You know, he's like, they came for us, they killed everyone. They poured petrol all over me, they sent me a light, I begged for them to kill me. And they didn't, you know, they laughed, and you're like, Jesus fucking cry. And he cuts all his hair off. And it's really haunting. The fact that him wanting to be a war hero, as led to the death of his people. And I think that's a really interesting subplot in the movie, I'd say my screenplays score wouldn't be as high as directing, but I think we still be pretty high. Okay, so I'm gonna give it like, like a nine, I see maybe 8.98 point. So acting, then, I enjoyed the acting from the little brother of Alexi, Kraven chenko, where he's pretending to be a soldier looking for his brother and his little brother is just laughing at him, he finds like a phone in the sand and pretends to phone like Berlin. And you immediately get this very, like playful innocence about the character that he really has no idea about, you know, how how horrifying war is? And I think certainly, in those opening scenes, I think that's what you're talking about earlier is the fact that in floor his mind, like, war is very glorified for the Russians. You know, he has this very glorified perception of war and fighting in the war. And it's just that's his downfall fruit through his horrifying journey. And it's yeah, the fact that it's a he thinks it's a really good thing to do. And you get that from right from the, from his performance of being very playful with the phone and the rifle. Yeah, I think it was kind of interesting when, when his mother is like, the actress who's playing his mother, yeah, it's just losing her shit when he's like, I want to join the parties. And she's in a state, she's crying. And then she gives him an axe, and he's like, just kill us all. Now, you know? But he doesn't take it seriously. And I like how he's, you know, whatever. Yeah. And he's just playing and being like, laughing. He can't, because to him, he's like, my mom doesn't know what the hell she's talking about. This is great. And he's got a beaming smile on his face when partners and pick him. They're taking him off. And then it's just all downhill from there, you know? Like, yeah, it's just the juxtaposition, how excited and happy is to join, because he thinks it's gonna be, it's gonna be glorious all from it. And that's not what it is at all. That's far from it. That's a really interesting scene where floor is walking for a river swamp. And here's a girl crying the same girl from the star in the green dress glacier. When he sees her he starts crying, but then the girl starts laughing at him. And then he starts laughing and I thought that was kind of a great like childlike way of creating a brilliant instant bond between the two characters first crying because they have a moment alone like you're kind of saying that kind of, you know, the hysteria of this situation are realising the horror of of this situation, but then immediately, the girl is finding something to grasp onto of humour the fact that the little boys is crying because He's got water in his booth, you know? Yeah. They're trying to just cling on to as much hope as happiness as they can. And it's just emphasised so much in the laughter. You know, that's why it kind of looks so his just very delusional. Then you have like a really weird performance from Glacier again, all in close up in these really striking close ups that we talked about, where she tries to seduce Floyd era where it's almost like she's trying to hypnotise him. But she's just like messing with him having fun, and it's and it's freaks him out a bit. Again, quite a haunting performance, where you're not really sure where it's going to go. Like, what was what are you doing? Yeah. Now, I thought she did a really good job, because I had that thought of like, what exactly is she trying to do here? Like, I thought she was, like, innocent and but now, she's speaking in riddles. She's looking quite serious. She's actually quite getting quite scary. And I thought that was really well done. Where? Yeah, he's freaked out, but I would be freaked out to him again, I think it's kind of this, this whole innocence thing. It's just interpretate interpretated. differently for her, like this, this playfulness that she has. It's just her way of just being very childlike. But at the same time, it's yeah, it's all emphasised because of the fact that we're in such a traumatic situation. You're saying the the scene where Flora sees his father all burned alive, just incredible makeup and the way he like, his breathing is so Wheezy. It's just like, wow, this is so difficult to watch. But even more difficult to watch, I would say is the reaction from Floyd is quite remarkable, just pure horror on his face as he backs away, you know, the way he can talk. His face is pretty horrible. My performances like sea, crab and Jenko, who plays for Yeah, 100% Yeah, I think they picked an incredible child actor, especially because he doesn't get that much dialogue, like through the whole film, most of it is his face. And most of it is close ups of his face, like extreme close ups. And the fact that he can deliver such an amazing performance, just through emotion and just through reaction, you know, just through like, using his face, just using his eyebrows, using his, you know, cheeks, his mouth and stuff, I think is phenomenal. Like he does a wide range of grief, I don't think it would have worked as well with like, a lesser actor, you know, as a child actor, because again, this is a lot to ask from any actor, and especially a child, it's like, give them very few lines. You give them a lot of screen time is in most, you know, just pretty much everything. In every scene. He has the most interactions with the other characters, but then you have a lot of his stuff his reaction shot a lot of his stuff is his face. And he's just got to, like, be sad. Be be crazy. Be Be happy. Be excited. You know, be this be that. Yeah, man. I think this kid is I think this kid did a really good job. And there was a lot asked from him. And yeah, but yeah, he was amazing in this film. I get the sense in this film as well. Like half of it isn't really acting. It's just experiencing this horrible thing that's happening all around him. It just feels kind of natural anyway, but what he had to go through filming this film. Yeah, no, I imagine even just seeing this it does look so visceral. I'm probably thinking they did a lot of unethical shit here. Oh yeah. Well real ammunition. Yeah, real ammunition. Well, killing a cow killing a cow. That was certainly kill the cow. But I want to know like, what they must have put the actors through a lot like they even look quite thin at the end. Like Alexi looks pretty looks amazing. So did they not feed him? I don't know. And what was it with the girl as well, which I sent where she's dragged by their hair that looks like they're just dragging her by their head if they do that, I don't know. Yeah, everything looks just very real and very sort of a lot of it just looks like they really did it. So acting I'll go with my 8.8 I think about I think I'll go a nine just to solid nine. Right let's add up the scores then four come and see. Come and see gets 53.6 so Paths of Glory wins with 54.4 but doesn't really matter with the scores really with this one and whoever wins. They're both really really important films that everyone really should see. only really see come and see once but but certainly Paths of Glory you can see multiple times and get a lot out of it every in every watch I would imagine next week as Ghostbusters, afterlife or hit the big screens. We'll be looking at long awaited sequels. So that'll be really interesting to hear what we pick. So people very excited to see a long way it's equal to the Ghostbusters franchise and certainly there is another one that came out recently the 2016 one of Ghostbusters, but that was kind of a reboot, not a sequel, so we'll be having a look at long awaited sequels. And as ever, you might already know we have a buy me a coffee account. So if you like what you hear, you can send your thanks through buying us a coffee that would be lovely. Just follow the link in the show notes below. Thanks bars as ever, you have been extraordinary. Bye bye. That's it for this week's pod. Thank you for listening. 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