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RobinMM
Reviews
Journey's End (2017)
Terrible WWI depiction
This is a bad movie and a bad movie about World War I. Terribly overacted by all the main players, except Paul Bethany, whose choice is to go all the way in the opposite direction. I couldn't understand anything anyone said, because the sound was poor and everyone was roaring and spluttering or muttering. Total mischaracterization of British army interrelationships, ridiculous depiction of a dugout, and nothing else about the Great War is done right ... daytime raids? Daytime anything? Ah well. I should be grateful anyone is making a movie about WWI, but this one really missed the mark. It's called Journey's End, but there was no journey here to follow.
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
Flawed but enjoyable anti-war film
I watched the 1968 version of The Charge of the Light Brigade as part of my ongoing World War I film fest. Obviously the film takes place earlier than WWI, but I watched it because in real life, a lot of the things happening in the British and French military during the Victorian period led to those armies' composition and methods of warfare as they stood in 1914.
For example, the British army in particular was a small, "professional" army made up mostly of men who made their careers as soldiers, with officers commanding them who usually bought their appointments with money or gained them through their titles. That was the way things stood until Lord Kitchener came along in 1914 and made everyone realize that Britain was going to need a LOT more soldiers to fight WWI, leading to the idea of a much larger, temporary, volunteer army of men from all walks of life. This was a very radical change of mindset at the time.
Anyway, the movie is interesting. Unlike other reviewers here, I do find it dated, especially the love triangle -- Vanessa Redgrave's hair, makeup, dress and even acting reflect the Sixties (that is, 1960s!) to me more than Victorian times. It certainly has amazing battle scenes. All those horses being knocked around was tough to watch. John Gielgud's performance as the utterly selfish, narcissistic and clueless Lord Raglan is maddening, David Hemmings is all noble and hawt as the foolishly heroic Captain Nolan, and Redgrave overacts a bit as The Girl.
As satire, the movie is extremely uneven. There are some really great subtle scenes obviously meant to point out that War Is Hell. The climactic Charge itself is heartbreaking and painful to watch. Then there are scenes that shove the emotional concept in your face: LOOK AT ALL THOSE DEAD BODIES! SEE HOW THE OFFICERS ARE WAY UP ON THE HILL OUT OF DANGER! WAR IS A REALLY BAD THING AND UNFAIR, TOO!!! There are also a handful of very broad comedy scenes that verge on slapstick. And interspersed with the live-action scenes are several animated sequences that I'm still just not quite sure of. They are beautifully, powerfully animated, and they have a satirical edge that is very funny and effective. But I still can't decide whether I thought the animation was too heavy-handed. I think if the live-action parts of the film had been consistently broadly satirical as well I would have approved fully, but because the tone was uneven, the animation didn't always fit in.
Overall, in spite of a few flaws, this is an enjoyable movie. It is worth watching for the battle scenes and John Gielgud's performance even if nothing else.
Dances with Wolves (1990)
One of my favorites
I know that not everyone likes Kevin Costner, but I really think he did a fine job with this movie. It's beautiful. It has, I think, just the right combination of quiet, contemplative scenes with climactic action scenes such as the buffalo hunt. Again, not everyone appreciates Costner's acting ability, but I think in this movie, he really rises to the occasion.