Don't mistake my rating for a dislike of the craftsmanship of this film: as a film, it's well made, and as a propaganda film, it's very effective. My poor rating of this film reflects a complete disagreement with the philosophy of this film as a whole.
Instead of narrating a propaganda about the war using the usual shots of battle and strong-stated voice-over, this movie uses music and imagery to say, "Look!"
"Look at Britain!" "Look how Brits work!" "Look how Brits dance!" "Look at our wonderful countryside!" "Look at our art culture!" "Look at our Classical and Gothic architecture!" "Look at our well-behaved children!" "Look at our cultured masses!" "Look at our dignified warriors!" "Look at our excellent communication systems!"
The problem with it is entirely in the presentation of these things: everything in this film is straight, ordered, classic, high art. Everything is dignified and structured. Even the kids play in perfect circles and are choreographed excellently. The people dance somberly and respectively. The audience listens attentively and quietly...
...everyone's such a good fascist.
Okay, so maybe that's extreme, but it shows, to me, what these types of propagandistic narratives can inadvertently create: confusion in later generations over who was the enemy, really. Now while the blaming-of-non-fascists-as-fascists has become a sort of individually recognized fallacy unto itself, I think what this movie shows is how much nationalism and pride can turn the impression of their masses into characterless, straight-laced people with no sense of individual identity. It's very scary.
After all, if you can make something as light as wheat flowing in the wind look like rows of well-organized troops with bayonets, you can certainly sell the idea of a perfect society as a strict, organized conglomerate of so-called "superior people" in all of their blank-faced homogeneity.
Films like these were created to provide comfort for the audience, to present an idea of what they're fighting for. I'm sure this film was pretty effective. And my judgment of this film stands for films of the like type made by any country involved in any conflict, American, German, Japanese, French, Italian, English, anyone. Films like these blur the line between enemies in conflict by showing just how much self-regard every side has (and conversely, films that show the other side as monstrous are just as damaging).
--PolarisDiB
Instead of narrating a propaganda about the war using the usual shots of battle and strong-stated voice-over, this movie uses music and imagery to say, "Look!"
"Look at Britain!" "Look how Brits work!" "Look how Brits dance!" "Look at our wonderful countryside!" "Look at our art culture!" "Look at our Classical and Gothic architecture!" "Look at our well-behaved children!" "Look at our cultured masses!" "Look at our dignified warriors!" "Look at our excellent communication systems!"
The problem with it is entirely in the presentation of these things: everything in this film is straight, ordered, classic, high art. Everything is dignified and structured. Even the kids play in perfect circles and are choreographed excellently. The people dance somberly and respectively. The audience listens attentively and quietly...
...everyone's such a good fascist.
Okay, so maybe that's extreme, but it shows, to me, what these types of propagandistic narratives can inadvertently create: confusion in later generations over who was the enemy, really. Now while the blaming-of-non-fascists-as-fascists has become a sort of individually recognized fallacy unto itself, I think what this movie shows is how much nationalism and pride can turn the impression of their masses into characterless, straight-laced people with no sense of individual identity. It's very scary.
After all, if you can make something as light as wheat flowing in the wind look like rows of well-organized troops with bayonets, you can certainly sell the idea of a perfect society as a strict, organized conglomerate of so-called "superior people" in all of their blank-faced homogeneity.
Films like these were created to provide comfort for the audience, to present an idea of what they're fighting for. I'm sure this film was pretty effective. And my judgment of this film stands for films of the like type made by any country involved in any conflict, American, German, Japanese, French, Italian, English, anyone. Films like these blur the line between enemies in conflict by showing just how much self-regard every side has (and conversely, films that show the other side as monstrous are just as damaging).
--PolarisDiB