I think the best war stories, films or otherwise are the ones that are told from the point of view of the soldiers(or the civilians) involved. I don't necessarily mind if a "side" is taken as long as all sides are portrayed as human. Or if they are not, it is somehow understood that viewing one side as dehumanized is a consequence of war itself, not that a particular group of people is less-than-human.
Heh, that was all a bit circular, but I think you can get what I mean.
Generation Kill is a great example because while Simon and Burns were both strong opponents of the war in Iraq, they didn't make a propaganda series. It shows different sides and points of view, and takes care to try to be pretty accurate. It also shows what the characters were thinking and feeling. I think because they took such care you come away with thinking more critically about this particular war than you do when see something that is explicitly either pro- or anti- war.
Oh one thing, I don't feel like warfare that involved swords (or bow and arrows or clubs or anything non-mechanized) was ever beautiful. There have been beautiful films made that feature sword fighting but war itself has always been brutal. Not that you were arguing that it wasn't brutal or awful but I don't like it when people romanticize any kind of war.
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Date: 2010-05-29 04:21 am (UTC)Heh, that was all a bit circular, but I think you can get what I mean.
Generation Kill is a great example because while Simon and Burns were both strong opponents of the war in Iraq, they didn't make a propaganda series. It shows different sides and points of view, and takes care to try to be pretty accurate. It also shows what the characters were thinking and feeling. I think because they took such care you come away with thinking more critically about this particular war than you do when see something that is explicitly either pro- or anti- war.
Oh one thing, I don't feel like warfare that involved swords (or bow and arrows or clubs or anything non-mechanized) was ever beautiful. There have been beautiful films made that feature sword fighting but war itself has always been brutal. Not that you were arguing that it wasn't brutal or awful but I don't like it when people romanticize any kind of war.