Uncommon Sense - The Official Podcast of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton

Reclaiming Joy in a Mechanical World w/ Filmmaker Nick Bash

April 7, 2026·34 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Joe Grabowski sits down with Nick Bash, a Biola University alum who studied filmmaking alongside the Rhetoric Honors Great Books Program, to discuss his senior thesis short film The Last Bonaparte—a loose adaptation of Chesterton's The Napoleon of Notting Hill. In This Episode: How film, as a relatively young art form, is still learning to match the depth and immersion of literature What Chesterton's Orthodoxy revealed to Nick about joy, and how that discovery drove the making of The Last Bonaparte The communal nature of filmmaking and how the process of telling a story begins to mirror its themes How setting the film in 2084 draws on Orwellian themes to sharpen Chesterton's critique of standardization and bureaucracy Why Tolkien's philosophical writings on creativity convinced Nick that faithful Christian storytelling means crafting a story, not a sermon Chapters: 00:00: Introduction 00:36: Nick's Background: Biola, Great Books, and Chesterton 03:06: Film as a Young Art Form 05:50: Drama, Embodiment, and the Communal Art of Filmmaking 09:39: Film as Synthesis of the Arts 14:02: Reclaiming Joy in a Machine-Oriented World 18:52: Chesterton, Orwell, and the Year 1984 25:34: Tolkien on Adventure and Sub-Creation 28:42: Story vs. Allegory Resources Mentioned: The Last Bonaparte FOLLOW US Instagram | Facebook | X SUPPORT Consider making a donation: chesterton.org/give Visit our Shop: chesterton.org/shop Produced by <a class= "underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current/40 hover:decoration-

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