Ep. 188 – Christopher & Eric’s True Crime Movie Time Presents “Badlands”

In their discussion of the 1973 film BADLANDS, Christopher and Eric wrestle with their own belief in artistic freedom while confronting a dramatized version of real life crimes that essentially rewrites history in its pursuit of artistic license. The directorial debut of American cinema icon Terence Malick changes the names to protect not just the innocent, but the guilty as well. While the movie claims to be inspired by the real life killing spree of Charles Starkweather and Carol Fugate (the reason we chose it for the pairing), their well-documented acts of sadism, torture and mutilation are excised, offering up a romanticized vision of two lonely outcasts whose crimes were mostly born out of misunderstandings and self-defense. Do filmmakers have more of a responsibility to the real life source material than was shown here? How reigned in should an artist feel by the facts of their source of inspiration? Christopher and Eric are only sure of one thing. Their final installment of Midwest Mayhem is one of their most provocative episodes yet.