Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Bambi B on December 08, 2003 at 19:11:40

In Reply to: Michael Caine, in "the Ipcress File," epitomized the posted by tinear on December 08, 2003 at 16:06:50:

tinear,

I'm glad you brought up Kirk Douglas' "Paths of Glory" which along with "Grand Illusion" are two of my favourite war movies,*** There were also ouststanding supporting roles among the accused soldiers (Joe Turkel with the goatee) as and the Adloph Menjou and Macready characters were finely wrought and not cartoon bully bureaucrats.

Douglas' bravery, integrity, and compassion while maintaining his job as a loyal professional soldier in time of war are inspiring to me for a long time. Not that I am a warrior literally, but as in "Seven Samurai" I am always pleased to see the depiction of honourable people that maintain their principles in the face of stupidity. The "noble warrior"- is a metaphor for the larger issue of personal integrity and honesty- we are all made fighters on some level to maintain and progress individually. Would that this existed in public life today.

The final scene in which the soldiers taunt and jeer the shy German barmaid, but melt into empathy when the faceless enemy becomes another human and they try and sing along with her plaintive German song is one of the finest war scenes I can remember- more powerful than body parts flying into the lens.

I would contrast Douglas in "Paths" to Guiness in "Brige on the River Kwai" in which good intentions are thwarted into absurdity. Guiness' integrity backfires through his corrupted warrior image.

The success of "Paths" is not as a strident antiwar movie- though I come away from it reinforced in my opinion that WWI in particular was the stupidest waste mankind has ever contrived- but that war pentrates up and down to every level - there are the gung-ho politicians safe in ttheir offices posturing as patriots and ordering massive death by remote control, the generals eager to serve military "code", soldiers who suffer denied their individuality, and in the end we see them all as individual fodder to history.

Cheers,

Bambi B

***Also:

Apocalypse Now (the original, not "Redux") the "pure warrior" in thought and action; Brando and Sheen as operating in only slightly differnt ways, but one is a hero, the other a criminal

All Quiet on the Western Front- techniques of "selling" wars to those who will die in them

MASH- "You're goin' to see some stitchin' like ya never saw before"

The Great Escape- just too entertaining! Cburn the only serious miscasting

"Stalag 17" -the dynamics of waiting

Empire of the Sun- how would I have done in the boys situation? (Just plunked down on the curb and wonder if the occupiers would accept VISA?)

The Train- Lancaster and the dilemna of choosing your cause worth killing and dying for- paintings anyone"