ALL'S FAIR: A Reflective Study on the Style, Structure, Purpose, and Impact of War Films (YEAR 2 SCHOLARS)
As we know as film students and enthusiasts, film is one of the most all-encompassing, expressive art forms there is. It utilizes sound, visuals, music, and motion to engage all of the senses and communicate deep themes, experiences, and meaning like no other medium. Perhaps that is why whether you are documenting the events and moments or telling a story, film is the most effective way to communicate the horror, heartbreak, heroism, and sacrifice of war.
The war genre in film is defined by its use of actual combat fighting or conflict as the primary plot or background for the action of the film. Typical elements in war film plots include POW camp experiences and escapes, submarine/air/land/naval warfare, espionage, personal stories of heroism, tough trench and infantry experiences, or male-bonding adventures. Themes are centered around main ideas of combat, survival in brutal conditions, escape, gallant sacrifice and struggle, studies of futility and inhumanity in battle, the effects of war on society, and intelligent and profound explorations of the moral and human issues that accompany war.
Some war films seek to balance the soul-searching, tragic consequences, and inner turmoil of combatants or characters with action-packed dramatic spectacles, enthusiastically illustrating both the excitement and turmoil of warfare. Some war films concentrate more on the homefront and those left behind to wait rather than on the conflict at the military war-front. Then again, some war films provide decisive criticism of the violence and waste of human life and sanity of senseless warfare.
War films have been officially used as "flag-waving" propaganda to inspire national pride and morale, to display the nobility of one's own forces while harshly displaying and criticizing the villainy of the enemy, and to unite a country behind the effort to strengthen resolve. War films are also excellent keepers and communicators of important and significant history, providing a document of our past that can inspire as well as teach better than any dry textbook or theoretical discussion. War films can also be used to make political statements. Unpopular, and, frankly, gravely misunderstood wars such as Vietnam, Korea, or Iraq, have been represented in films so as to provide a more human face to the cold and critical public, ultimately serving to bring much-needed healing and even outreach to those Veterans who were never offered a "Welcome Home" upon returning from a hell we can only begin to imagine.
War films were in decline after WWI, due to increasing US isolationism. However; after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and in the several years before, they began drawing an audience once again. Many Hollywood films were action-adventure features with caricatures of fearsome Germans and Japanese and clean-living, all American soldiers. Films like Sergeant York (1941), The Fighting 69th (1940), and A Yank in the R.A.F. (1941) hit the theaters to encourage support for the American entry into WWII to aid Britain and France.
Today, war films are primarily nostalgic; a way to look back to a united America making its mark on a captive Europe. World War II is the most popular war backdrop as it offers an endless supply of remarkable stories of extraordinary humans, acts of extreme bravery, and revelations of some of the most brutal human rights violations that the world has ever known. This month, you will be viewing two WWII war films. One, The Bridge on the River Kwai, was made just over 10 years after the end of WWII and has been called by many (including Mrs. Caraway's father!) the greatest WWII film ever made (trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlC7XBayj0s). The other was made recently by a very detail oriented director, Christopher Nolan: Dunkirk (Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-eMt3SrfFU)
After watching both, respond to this blog by addressing the following reflection queries:
1. What was the overall message of each with respect to war? Is the film celebrating heroism, or is it more focused on revealing the brutalities of war (or both)?
2. Which war film was your favorite and why?
3. What other war films have you seen? Which of those have made an impact on you?
War is ugly. It is a monster that steals away the best and brightest and leaves the rest haunted by misery and images too horrible to speak--too ghastly to forget. It represents the very worst human beings can be; that ugly, selfish, hatred that seeks to avenge, kill, take and destroy. But wars so often provide the dark backdrop necessary to see the brightest and the best that humanity has to offer--those extraordinary and unbreakable spirits that long for life, beauty, freedom, love, and opportunities for happily ever afters for future generations. To quote Lt. Col. Dave Grossman from his book On Combat: "If we were to go but a single generation without such men and women, we should surely be both damned and doomed."
War films help us remember. They help us realize the pain and heartache so many of our fellow human beings have had to endure. They make us grateful for the gift of freedom and remind us exactly what that gift cost lest we be tempted to fall into apathy. War films show us the very best and worst of humanity. In short, they do what many filmmakers feel ethically bound to do: show us where we have been, who we are, and where we can go. As long as war exists, there will be filmmakers who will seek to capture all of its horror and glory. Whether these films celebrate uncommon valor or allow us to mourn the tragedies of our past, war films and filmmakers have a lesson to teach, and they do it in a way that engages all of our senses.
Semper Fidelis.
1) Despite the gap in production year, Dunkirk and The Bridge on the River Kwai held distinct messages on heroism in war. Both films viewed this from the perspective of British soldiers in World War II, with how persistence was needed to make it through challenging times. In the films, the characters were trapped and trying to return home. Dunkirk told the story of British soldiers who were cornered by the German forces onto the beaches of Dunkirk, and how civilians took the risks to take their vessels to rescue their troops. The Bridge on the River Kwai is a historical fiction on the life and escape of British POWs who built a connection bridge between a river in Indochina, under Japanese orders, to transfer supplies. Eventually, some escaped prisoners scheme to blow up the bridge, leading a British officer to realize that he had been scheming with the enemy. It is true that both films decided to focus on the sacrifices made by characters to allow an overall success for their nation. Specifically, George is a young boy in Dunkirk who decides to join his friend's father’s yacht to rescue soldiers from the beaches. Unfortunately, an accident between a soldier and George’s friend leads George to have a head injury, and die before the boat reaches Dunkirk. He was eventually recognized in the British papers for his valency. His friend, Peter, and Peter’s father, Dawson both put their lives on the line by making it to rescue the soldiers through the peril of the German air forces. Peter even rescued a British soldier whose plane crashed, before an oil spill was inflamed. In Bridge on the River Kwai, the character, Joyce, was an impersonating officer who had never been on such a mission. At first, Joyce is reluctant in his decisions, even hesitating before Saito and Nicholson find the explosive line hiding in the sand, connected to the bridge. Moments before he is discovered, Joyce jumps out behind a rock and stabs Saito to death, then dragging himself to the detonator, as Nicholson holds him back. Joyce is shot by Japanese forces, but helps Nicolson realize the faults in his efforts to help the Japanese. However, The Bridge on the River Kwai had less violence than Dunkirk, which showed burning bodies and dead bodies being washed up. The reason behind this is likely the year each film was made. With Dunkirk being made in 2017 and The Bridge on the River Kwai made sixty years beforehand, the special effects available now were not possible back then. There are even scenes throughout the film where the audience knows Japanese soldiers are being shot, but instead it cuts away to a flock of bats. This likely is also since audiences were not used to the violence that is shown on screens today.
ReplyDeleteOut of the two war films, I would say Dunkirk was my favorite. I really enjoyed the way Christopher Nolan directed the film, and how it told a true story of sacrifice and taking chances. My favorite character in Dunkirk had to be Mr. Dawson, since he was the one who led the rescue mission to Dunkirk, and he took every effort to rescue any soldiers he saw. After I watched Dunkirk I looked up more of Mr. Dawson, finding out he was based on the real-life hero, Charles Lightroller. Charles survived the sinking of the Titanic, where he then served in World War I and then helped in the evacuation of Dunkirk in World War II. This all led him to be a very inspirational character to me. In addition, Dunkirk followed a three way perspective, going between the perspective of the soldiers on the beaches, to a British air force officer aiming towards German forces, and Mr. Dawson and the boys. I really appreciate whenever a director attempts this type of filmmaking without making the story confusing, and is able to successfully tell each character’s story. There were moments in The Bridge on the River Kwai where I found myself confused on where the story was going, and although it too was riveting, I feel Dunkirk did better with this storytelling aspect. I also think I just enjoy more recent films due to their ability to have incredible visual and sound effects. The efforts The Bridge on the River Kwai had were apparent, yet Dunkirk had breathtaking effects that truly deserved the academy awards it received.
ReplyDeleteI think the war genre in film was more foreign to me until I began the DP film class. In my first and now second year of this class, I have seen more war films than ever before. A few war films I have now watched are Saving Private Ryan, 1917, Schiendler’s List, Pan’s Labyrinth, Forrest Gump, and even The Sound of Music. I think my first dabble in the war genre was with The Sound of Music. It was a classic that my parents always put on for my sisters and I to watch. It was musical, with a mix with the real-life story of the Von-Trapp family escaping the Nazis from Salzburg in World War II. To this day, I love this movie, it's so perfectly executed and creates a family movie that teaches inspiring lessons of war. The other movies listed were all ones I came across and watched in film class. One that stands out from the rest is Forrest Gump, which was not a required movie, but one I selected for my summer assignment. After watching that movie, I had a new top favorite. Tom Hanks executes the character of Forrest so well and the narrative he tells is not only motivational but the film causes you to feel so many emotions, connecting with this character that we slowly learn more about, and feeling like you lived a lifetime with him. I think this was the perfect movie for me to do my summer assignment on. In addition, two war films that I was assigned that left an impact on me were 1917 and Saving Private Ryan. Both of these films used a single-take that really immerses you in the world of them. 1917 used this single-take through its one hour and fifty-nine minutes, with brief cuts that were edited to look as if the film had a continuous shot. Then, Saving Private Ryan started the film with a single-take massacre on the Omaha beach. Both of these films using single-takes demonstrated that the violence of war is inescapable and traps its audience in the world of World War I and II, where the emotional response is unlike anything felt before.
** valiancy
ReplyDeleteThe overall message of both in regards to war contrast each other slightly, with Dunkirk celebrating heroism in the film as can be seen from the very beginning with the text “The enemy have driven the British and French…For a miracle,” to which they set the focus of the film on the soldiers themselves as they lie in wait. Dunkirk is different though in the sense that subverts typically tropes of the genre and depicts the evacuation of Dunkirk, rather than depicting brutal battles, though it does at least showcase some instances of war such as aircraft flying (with some ammunition being fired from them), sound effects of shots (especially at the beginning of the film, and the German aircraft and bombers attacking them from sea and air.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast, The Bridge of the River Kwai focuses more on revealing the brutalities of war, to which the film (based on a historical fiction) focuses on British prisoners-of-war building the bridge for the enemy, with violence and war themes shown throughout with a captivating opening into the film. It focuses a bit less on heroism, given the time and the upcoming events that the film leads up to with the explosion of the bridge by Lt Nicholson himself, who became obsessed with it when he was hesitant about aiding the enemy at first.
I think The Bridge of the River Kwai was my favorite war film of the two although I am not typically one for films that focus or contain more violence or showcases of them, though in this case that it is the brutality of war itself. While I enjoyed the interesting focus that Dunkirk explored, I felt really captivated by the characters and the plot of The Bridge of the River Kwai, especially that moment I mentioned earlier where Nicholson falls onto the plunger to destroy the bridge himself, realizing his flawful pride and destroying the source that started this descent as an antagonistic figure.
The only other war films I’ve seen are the ones that have been assigned in class which were 1917 and Saving Private Ryan, as well as Unbroken (based on the book about Louis Zamperini of the same name). I love the cinematography in 1917 and Saving Private Ryan, one case seen in Saving Private Ryan’s hard-to-watch introduction bringing us right into action and the fact that 1917 was made to look like a one-shot film, and I remember being compelled by Unbroken when I watched it during an L&L unit in 2017-2018, and the empowerment of the story of Louis Zamperini as he persevered despite his imprisonment in the Japanese POW camps, where he was treated poorly amongst the other POWs by the Japanese.
I feel like both films have an overwhelming theme of highlighting harsh brutalities of war. Dunkirk, of the two, has more hope since it follows a slightly more hopeful event; since people who have studied the event will know that over 3/4ths of those deployed on the field will evacuate successfully. It still exposes the viewer’s eye to the harsh realities of the battlefield, however, especially through use of one of the main characters who is revealed to be a French soldier masquerading as a British soldier under the hope that he would be able to escape. This character later drowns. Both films get down on a personal level, and highlight the staggering losses war causes. Dunkirk just happens to be a little more optimistic as a result of its context; it still highlights the significant losses needed to make progress in war.
ReplyDeleteI preferred Dunkirk, the setting of POW camps and in general the theme of The Bridge on the River Kwai just made my stomach turn for reasons I can’t explain (albeit both films did that). I also appreciated Dunkirk for its practical effects. The fact that they got that many genuine ships and planes just to film a few shots is really astounding. It gets a lot of my respect for not being completely centered on just action and violence, but also having a lot of personal moments between characters. That’s something that tends to get lost in many war films. Both films have moments like that, but POW camps always make my stomach turn; especially since I saw Unbroken.
Speaking of Unbroken, that’s one war film I’ve seen. That film haunts my nightmares, but I appreciate the triumphant theme it has. I’ve seen through so many war films just the sheer harshness of people and how easy it is to do something so utterly cruel and brutal just by believing in your cause. Films like Unbroken have opened my eyes to the cruelties of war and in general humanity. They have taught me to avoid some common pitfalls that, looking at history, are very common. I believe that it’s important to have films like Unbroken, Schindler’s List, The Bridge on the River Kwai and Dunkirk so that we know what to avoid, as people. Much like other forms of media and storytelling, they have a story and therefore a moral to tell. Every war film I’ve seen has had an emergent message of preventing future tragedies, and I hope that other people can see that message as well.
War movies are very interesting to me because they rely on historical narrative. Bridge on the River Kwai was different than Dunkirk in that it takes place in a more tropical setting as they are building the bridge. Bridge on the River Kwai shows the horrors of war, but also an aspect of heroism. It is clear to see how badly the prisoners of war were treated by the Japanese officers and how war could manipulate people psychologically.
ReplyDeleteBridge on the River Kwai showed how someone could completely change how they viewed their situation. Nicholson started helping his enemy and saw it as a way to prove British superiority, sacrificing his original movies at the beginning of the movie. The aspect of heroism can be seen at Nicholson's act of finally blowing up the Bridge and the train.
Dunkirk is different from The Bridge of the River Kwai because of the historical context. Also, Dunkirk showed more heroism than brutalities. Although there were some portrayal of the constant danger that the soldiers and civilians were in, since I have learned about the events of Dunkirk, I was fairly certain the event would work out, but after George is injured I was not completely certain. There was a recurring motif of heroism for others when civilians use their own boats to save soldiers and their actions are celebrated.
My personal favorite was Bridge on River Kwai because I enjoyed the story and events of something I do not learn about in my history class. However, I love Cristopher Nolan's work as a director and I think Dunkirk is an excellent film about World War II. Other war movies that I have seen are Unbroken, Schindler's List, Darkest Hour, 1917, Saving Private Ryan, and Midway.
Agree--I did not expect to enjoy Bridge on River Kwai as much as I did. The cinematography, acting, and story were incredible, especially for the time. It was my dad's favorite film. :)
DeleteDunkirk seemed to me to eb a celebration of heroism in world war two, both of the soldiers, such as Tommy and Farrier, and the British civilians who risked and even lost their lives to save the men and help the allied war effort. It both the tragedies of war but focues more on the sacrifices of heros in spite of those tragedies.
ReplyDeleteThe Bridge on the River Kwai appears to be more focused on the brutalities of war, more specifically, the madness that comes with being placed in war.
Dunkirk was my favorite war because of how intense it was, and how the director developed the characters of the french citizen who was so fearful, and of the british civilian ship for their courage.
I have seen 1917, Hacksaw Ridge, and Saving Private Ryan. each of these films were excellent because they balanced between telling the stories of heroes and detailing the brutalities of war. The opening scene of Saving Private Ryan was particularly notable because of how intense Spielberg managed to make that scene come out
Both Dunkirk and Bridge on the River Kwai focus on conveying the brutalities of being involved in the war and the heroism required to survive and prosper in the harsh climate of war. Bridge on the River Kwai follows British prisoners of war in Burma that are forced to build a bridge by their Japanese captors to aid the Japanese war effort while British and American officers plan to blow up the structure. Dunkirk provides a different narrative and represents the moment in 1940, amidst World War II, when Germany advanced into France and allied troops were trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk. Different perspectives are followed representing the soldiers, naval and civilian evacuators, and the air and ground forces from British and French troops that had to work methodically in order to evacuate soldiers from the beach. The brutalities of war can be seen in each with the portrayal of how different perspectives of individuals are impacted by war and their involvement. In Dunkirk, an example of this can be seen in the characters Peter and George, who accompany Mr.Dawson on a civilian mission to evacuate troops from Dunkirk to aid the war relief efforts. They witness the hardships of war as they save soldiers and put themselves in the position to travel to Dunkirk rather than the troops. Here, it can be seen how heroism was required in order to organize and execute the action for the aid of the soldiers, even at the cost of living. Bridge on the River Kwai focused more on the brutalities of war than the heroic aspects as it demonstrated the lives of prisoners of war, the psychological impact of being a prisoner to the enemy, and the internal battles between loyalty and treason.
ReplyDeleteOf the two films, Dunkirk was my personal favorite as it interconnected three individual narratives that overlapped, in the end, to connect with one another. In addition, I prefer the modernized effects of Dunkirk as the audience was given a direct view of what the pilots were seeing and the environments of the soldiers, allowing the audience to experience the pressure of the situation at hand and the anxiety of the characters. This was enhanced by the score, which I feel drove the film as it indicated the rising tensions of the event or the tone set for, not only the characters involved, but the audience viewing the action. While Bridge on the River Kwai offered a more realistic view of the war and a perspective that is often left unspoken, the representation of Dunkirk resonated with me. In addition to these two films, I have seen war films including Schindler’s List, 1917, Saving Private Ryan, Darkest Hour, Unbroken, Lone Survivor, and The Sound of Music. Each of these films represents different aspects of the war being referenced including the life of prisoners, soldiers on exhibitions, citizens and their families, and insight into the officials behind the war, balancing the aspects of heroism and the brutalities of war. Of the war films I have seen, Schindler’s List was most notable to me as it provides the military aspects and the battles of war while carrying the emotional aspects of the freeing of Jews during World War II and the effect of the war on the lives of so many including Oskar Schindler and those he freed. Films like this engage our senses and emotions i order to teach their audience to reflect on the past and the present to protect the future.