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5 Sunday, May4, 1958 T HE MICHIGAN DAILY MAGAZINE Page Seven
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THE YOUNG LIONS-Nazi Christian Diestl (Marion Brando, right) finds opposition THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI-Nicholson (Alec Guinness, left) must wrestle
to German thought in the French girl Francoise, whose humanity gives her courage. with his understanding of war and decide whether or not to protect the bridge.
New Philosoph for ar Films
This Popular Entertainment Form Now Realizes
The Impossibility of War for a Human Society
By VERNON NAIJRGANG film itself has changed from the way; each of them turns on the vides the supreme example of sub- his cries of "madness!" are dra-
HE LANDING on the beach met grateful, appreciative acceptance same basic approach to the rela- jection to the codes of war. Per- matic while broadening the effect
little strong opposition from the of war to the questioning of its tionship between man and war. sonal torture cannot shake his de- of the central lesson that it is, in-
enemy and soon the marines were very existence. War is seen as one great, perfect termination to follow the law. As deed, madncso for man to think
moving into the jules toward R a result, the devotion he gives to that he can play the game of war.
ns Replacing the war gloiy films game svhere the rulc are iron- his work for the Japanese leads
the heart of the island. The Japa- like Sands of Iwo Jima were From clad and where orders must be fol- him to a double master, placin ORE EFFECTIVE in its way
nese r sercnt to be seen, but they Here To Eternity and Battle Cry, lowed to the letter. Man is a sen- him finally in a situation where is Paths of Glory, a film shose
sioke often, dropping an officer movies that kept ai- types, char- tiiental being an animal unable the correct action appears to him particular criticism concerns am-
in the paths and (salting the ad- acters and conventions, but studied to overcome his emotions and feel- uncertain-and delay means loss bitious career soldiers. General Mi-
vance briefly shite cnsious eyes more closely the individual's re- ings for his fellow man. of the game. reau is one of these, and his fate
F searched out the sniper. action to his participating in war. Can man. then, play the game In contrast the American Shears is made clear at film's end, after
An hour and a tialt later, the Already the war film ws musing of war?-This is the question that cuts corners where his personal the hoiest Colonel Dax has con-
months-long drive on Guadalcanal away from total drama to a part- the war films pose today. Man's comfort seems to him of prine sidered the question of war and
wass ended and the weary but sic- psilosophy inability to set aside personal consideration. When Shears and found the wrong solution.
torious troops were marching out, There were still flims of the for- emotions and follow specific or- Nicholson meet in the final at- Mireau selfishly calls a court-
waving and calling and exchang- mer type, however, which had be- ders and rules makes him a loser tempt to blow up the bridge martial of three random soldiers
ing greetings with the soldiers who come in the early fifties recruit- in war. tet to low the to cover for his own ambitious
had just moved in for the "mop- ment films. Audtie Muiphy's To usinso h thclntr Shears 1s killed in the line of duty,tocvrfrhs wncbiiu
hing up" moeio h menlQuestions of the ethical nature having given all he could, while bungling. Here again are the re-
ping up" operation. J0 and Back was the most fla- of scar or of its destructive quali- Nicholson cannot see what he must current types - Catholic, free-
This was Guadalcanal Diary, a grant example of army propa- ties for mankind as a whole often do, and, fortunately, falls con- thinker and Jew-thrown together
post-war movie that took the ganda, created to drive weak minds appear in these films, but they veniently on the detonator, blow- under the rules of the game.
book of the same name and trans- from the theatre and into the serve only as masks for the central ing up the bridge. Dax defends the three, but de-
lated it to the screen, producing a glorious uniforms available at the question of man in the game of The "young kid" type is also fends them on humanitarian
film that glorified war and the corner draft board. war. here in commando Joyce, the boy grounds rather than by the codes
dangerous but htonor'ble duty of who must learn to kill. He does of war. His concern for sentimental
the soldier. IT DAY the movie-going pubhic F THE THREE FILMS, The learn, finally, but the thought of decency and justice, something
is confronted with a more Bridge on the River Kwai turning on one of his own men that war must overlook, brings
G "^UDALCANAL DIARY was ty- thoughtful approach to the place makes the crudest, most direct at- when necessary is too clouded with the loss of the case.
pical of a long series of war of war in human society. The cur- tack on man's part in war. The man's sentimental, emotional na- The final scenes, shortly after
films that began with World War rent trio of films, Paths of Glory, very setting on the River Kwai, tore and he, too, dies. the execution, show the troops
II and continued for some years The Bridge on the River Kwai, and between the giant, wooded hills, The Bridge on the River Kwai relaxing and celebrating with a
past the end of the war. The main The Young Iions, keep battle subdues the war effort to nature is too "neat" for what it has to captured German woman who
theme of these films was always scene to a minimum and concern and to other animals who, like say. All ends well for the "good" sings for them. The scene brings
the patriotism and heroism, ttse scee' toamniuandcnerx the final realization of the
themselves with the moe pilo- the birds soaring over the area, side, even if there is total destruc- to Dax
power and the glory of war and m I are above the petty concerns of tion. The presence of the neutral, utterly irreconcilable nature of
the men who fought it. sophic aspects of combat. man, in the guise of a medical officer, is man's humanity to man and the
Each film created its own heroes Each of these films finds its Nicholson, an Indian Army too obvious a conclusion-his wan- cold, complex concept of war.
and sacrificed them to the rigors of own degree of success in its own colonel held by the Japanese, pro- derings over the battleground and
combat. But the types were always HE THIRD of the current run
the same: the preacher, the blond of war films, The Young Lions,
young kid, the Catholic, the smart I is like those of the early years of
alec from New York, the Italian, this decade in its soupy portrayal
the Irishman, the Jew. of Ameriens going to war. The
Sentiment ran high with each stories of Whiteacre and Acker-
of these, and as they fell from man have little real importance
the bullets and mortar faced in other than that they bring a little
the bine of duty, the tears were more meaning to the death of the
suppoed to run higher. s centi al character, the Nazi Chris-
xup~dt u ihr tian Dicti-
Yet the outcome was always the titn represents, in The Young
sine-victory aiod glory, The warDislrpentnThYog
fils--of y he forti y. hdltte tor Lions, the individual who discov-
films of the forties had hatle to shecnttk ptinwr
sybut were unanimous in saying , e ms he cannot take part in wsar.
ymAlhthuh political sentiments are
the same thins's for war and say- important to him, the realization
ing them sweetly. t , that his sentimental, emotional
For it was wartime, and thu im- nature cannot be subjected to the
portance of a "united efort" dur- concept of war lads him away.
ing the w ay was prime. The excite- Had Diestl been able to hide this
ment of battle scenes lured audi- change of mind he might have
ences to the theatres and the films successfully come out of the war.
did their part in maintaining high That he cannot do. He allows his
degrees of patriotism. Wartime was , thoughts to overcome his military
no time to que'tion a patriotic ef- traiuing, his guard is relaxed, and
fort. he is edlessly killed in a moment
of total dep ir and disregard by
SINCE THE WAR, the war film ( the two Americans who could
has taken a different outlook on k"" play the game just a little better.
war and its relation to mankind. Diesetl, Dax, Mireau, Shears,
Its popularity at the box office has Joyce, Nicholson- all realize, too
continued as escape-seeking audi- late, that the concept of War is
enees have sought the excitement too fie for the human mind. They
and tension of noisy battle scenes, see. finally, the fallacy of war for
but the philosophy of the war mankind.
They refuse, however, to accept
Vernon Nahrgang is city the importance of following the
editor of The Daily and con- " codes and rules of war so long as
rib e as a mem war remains an activity of man-
trut reguay OF GLORY-The familiar "types" of soldiers from the old ar glory films are here, but now kind. And with this refusal, the
ber of the reviewing staff. they question the ability of man to play the game of War instead of celebrating a false courage. war films of today are concerned.