Badlands (1973) w/ Tom Augustine
“He was the most trigger-happy man I had ever met.” – Badlands (1973)
This week, we hit the open road with guest Tom Augustine to explore Terrence Malick’s stunning debut, Badlands. Based loosely on the real-life killing spree of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, the film casts Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek as drifting outsiders caught between detachment and violence, beauty and brutality.
With its lyrical narration, haunting imagery, and philosophical detachment, Badlands marked the arrival of a singular voice in American cinema. Tom joins us to discuss Malick’s influence, the film’s unsettling calm, and how it carved a new path for the American New Wave.
Episode Notes
Badlands (1973) was written and directed by Terrence Malick, starring Martin Sheen and Sissy SpacekSelected to the National Film Registry in 1993Loosely inspired by the 1958 Starkweather-Fugate murdersDiscussion topics include:
How Badlands redefined the true-crime genreThe film’s romanticized nihilism and its critique of American mythmakingThe influence of Badlands on later filmmakers and Malick’s own careerSissy Spacek’s voiceover and the use of classical music as emotional counterpointFollow the Show:
Music by Mike Natale
You're Missing Out: A National Film Registry Podcast
Since 1989, the National Film Registry has selected 25 films each year that are deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". In each episode, Mike Natale (Yahoo!) and Tom Lorenzo (Men's Journal) bring on a special guest to take a look at one of the films from the registry, to get to the heart of why these films matter.
Where can you listen?
