Dwolvesbane

Films concerning the Second World War face a problem that is somewhat unique to their subject matter. In almost any other war that is popularly represented in films it can be difficult to draw the line between "good guy" and "bad guy". Certainly a film made in one of the belligerent countries has a tendency to simply portray their own countrymen as heroes and those of opposing nations as villains.

The Second World War does not have such wavy distinctions however. The war clearly pitted the allied nations, of which most were free democratic countries with one partner, the Soviet Union, a notable exception which could be described as the lesser of two evils at best, against the most brutal expansionist powers since the Roman Empire. This makes it quite easy for a filmmaker to vilify the Germans, Japanese, and Italians, but what of a film that features them as the main characters? What of a film that paints some of them in a heroic light nonetheless? Sam Peckinpah's Cross of Iron handles this issue quite well. In order to reconcile the heroism of the average soldier with the brutality of the government they serve the main cast of characters is a rag-tag group of soldiers that have found themselves in this war and just wish to do their job and come out alive, politics be damned. To heighten this, the main conflict in the story is not against the Soviet enemy, but against a politically motivated and glory obsessed party line Prussian aristocrat. This method of dealing with "The Nazi Problem" is really quite common in films from Germany as well as from other nations and does depend a bit on a popularized German stereotype, but it is effective in separating the actions of the common soldier from that of the regime, though one wonders how different this film would be if the enemy had been the Americans or British, rather than the admittedly inhumane Soviets.

These distinctions aside the film is a fantastic testament to the ability of the independent and human spirit to endure the ravages of most brutal war and is certainly worth a watching for anyone interested in war films or cinema in general.

When listing the world's great film industries it is inevitable that one will mention the United States, India, France, perhaps even Germany and Italy. One nation that is not often mentioned is Brazil, a shame considering films such as City of God. This story of aging and maturing, both of Rocket, the main character, and of the slum known as the City of God itself, is a true masterwork of film making.

City of God is without a doubt a thoroughly modern film in almost all aspects, but it also builds on a tradition much older than itself. The film was shot in an actual Rio de Janeiro slum using non-professional actors, some of whom actually grew up in the City of God itself. These characteristics are very reminiscent of the Italian Neo-Realist movement of the post war period who also used amateur actors and real locations to convey a strong sense of realism and truth through their films. In a way mirroring theirs City of God feels incredibly real, looks incredibly real, and thusly better conveys the story that it is trying to tell. This particular style is very well suited to the content of this film, as it is based on the true story of a drug war in the actual City of God slum, and so conveys an appropriate sense of realism.

The editing of City of God is of particular interest. It is jumpy, fast-paced, and travels rapidly between narrative threads. This technique achieves two ends. Firstly is adds a sense of urgency and movement to the film, perhaps playing up the aspect of a "life flashing before your eyes" flashback that the majority of the film seems to be composed of. The second affect of the techniques employed, along with the use of narration and titles, is to give the film the feeling of being told orally, complete with tangential references to things that will come later, and references to that which has come before.

Overall City of God is a great film that dives into a story of poverty, drugs, and desperation and never looks back.

It seems that no matter how many films are made on the subject, there is no shortage of stories that emerge from the Second World War. It stands to reason that a conflict on such a scale as global warfare would capture the imagination of filmmakers everywhere and provide them with ample material on which to base a story. Heading in a different direction than most mainstream movies about the war is Dark Blue World, a film that does not deal with the traditional major battles of the war, does not tell the story of many of its major figures, and does not even focus on soldiers of any of the major allied or axis powers. Dark Blue World instead ventures into the world of refugee soldiers fighting in exile for their occupied nations.

The film does a marvelous job of portraying the challenges faced by Czech pilots flying under the British Royal Air Force, expressing the frustration that they felt both at the language barrier between them and the other fliers, but also at being restrained from achieving vengeance against the Germans until being re-trained.

Dark Blue World also works quite well outside the arena of the war film as being a story about human relationships. A love triangle develops between the two main characters and an English woman that complicates the teacher-mentor relationship of the two exiled soldiers. This relationship is extremely well acted throughout, developing into almost a father and son relationship at many points.

The aerial combat in the film is among some of the best and is also very interesting in exploring the cultural challenges mentioned above as the men struggle to fly their machines, fight the enemy, and relay commands and replies in an unfamiliar language. The tension and struggle of these scenes continues the tension between the men on the ground, just as the tension on the ground continues that felt in the air.

This may not be a film for everyone. The hardcore war film buff may find its exploration of relationships a bit off-putting, but it is on the whole an excellent film regardless of the bellicose element or not.