EMPEROR OF THE NORTH rides (haha) a thin line between two distinct tracks (lmao): “Mythological self-seriousness with a sort of ironic bent” and “formulaic and cheesy early thriller fare”. Lee Marvin’s A No. 1 and Keith Carradine’s Cigaret face off against a cartoonishly evil Ernest Borgnine as Shack, the psychotically disgruntled company man with a hatchet (or hammer) for hobos. It’s all a bit MAD MAX (1979), but not quite as fantastical or sincerely angry. It’s more of a spectacle than a statement, but there’s a good bit of value in that, and we try to get that engine going in this episode!

Watch EMPEROR OF THE NORTH on the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/1973emperorofthenorth

Get tickets to BROUGHT TO LIFE BY ERNEST BORGNINE (April 2023): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/brought-to-life-by-ernest-borgnine/

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Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: "A Man and A Train" written by Frank DeVol and Hal David and performed by Marty Robbins from the EMPEROR OF THE NORTH soundtrack.

Timestamps

0:00 - Episode 223: EMPEROR OF THE NORTH (1973)

5:09 - The episode actually starts (it's all kind of #GamesPod up until this point)

9:06 - What worked and didn’t

16:21 - Physicality in EMPEROR OF THE NORTH

23:40 - Finding meaning beyond “survival”

36:05 - The joyful absurdity of EMPEROR OF THE NORTH

38:58 - Ironic mythologizing or cloying preachiness?

45:28 - The Junk Drawer

55:37 - Good Grief, Give Me a GIF!

59:12 - Jason's Hobo Vernacular Game