Sunday, February 22, 2009

Miracle at Saint Anna

It is a Spike Lee movie about 1944 Black "Buffalo Soldiers" in Italy during World War II. It is a real tear jerker so don't watch it without a hanky. I think it depicts how people of all kinds act under extreme stress. They sort of get psychologically fuzzy around the edges and don't do well. War makes everyone who is actually there crazy or dead, no exceptions. This is also true for the ones who eventually, psychologically and emotionally and physically recover. In a way the men who recover only compartmentalize and then hopefully show you the none insane sides when you meet them in civilized society. However, always know anyone who has had to kill or be killed and is still here to talk about it usually won't. Because opening those wounds by talking about them might be the end of them as civilized men or women.

A really excellent movie that deals not only with war, but also race relations in 1944 internationally and differences even between black people under very stressful conditions at that time in our nations history.

Whatever nation you are from or in at present (even if you see this with subtitles) I think it is important to see it especially now with Obama as President of the United States. To see just how far we have come and knowing how many of these men now in their 80s and 90s might still be around from those days.

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