Monday 30 September 2013

Fallen

(2004)

RATING:80%
FORMAT:DVD



An even-handed, subtle and low key movie that manages to convey the boredom, the conflicts of duty and the sheer life affirming terror of combat – from the points of view of American, German and Italian troops in Italy in 1944.

The mundanities of soldiering are well presented, as are the necessary sacrifices; particularly poignant in the case of the Axis forces since, for them, they were so much in vain. The movie does not spare us the pain of seeing our favorite characters killed as we are never watching a typical Hollywood film where we are pretty certain – because of the star pecking order - which will survive by the end. This fits in well with the basic theme of the fallen being more important than those that survive.

A film that suggests the true horror of war lies in the sheer banality of the whole enterprise.


Copyright © 2013 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com/) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.
Posted by Frank TALKER™ at 17:29
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