Turbo Film Club

[ooinsight]

Bump

Are we gonna do another round?

[Borodog]

Having just watched one and itching to rewatch the other, let me recommend The Machinist and Memento.

[ooinsight]

I have both of those and haven't seen either for a while, particularly memento. Could be interesting

[Borodog]

What better comparison and contrast could you want?

Two films about two men, travelling towards dark and mysterious secrets, one forward in time, one back.

[tdarko]

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Having just watched one and itching to rewatch the other, let me recommend The Machinist and Memento.


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I have been busy and haven't really been around TQZ much, but this is a pretty good idea you have. If you want me to I can make the thread tomorrow, I am thinking "Borodog's Turbo Film Club." Does it have a nice ring to it?

[diebitter]

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I have been busy and haven't really been around TQZ much, but this is a pretty good idea you have. If you want me to I can make the thread tomorrow, I am thinking "Borodog's Turbo Film Club." Does it have a nice ring to it?

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Yes, it's good. I think a Club having the starter's handle in is a good idea - makes searching easier. Or specific club/handle threads for one subject (like a memento/machinist comparison) is cool too.

I think a club discussing 1 film at a time would be more inclusive for people though - but no problem with running both Borodog's comparison and a film club about another movie at the same time, AFAIC.

It might also get some other Clubs going, which I'm all for: matrix's cooking club would be cool, for example (if it could work?).

[Rev Sauerbalz]

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These are interesting choices for comparison for several reasons. First, they focus on different theatres of the war. Second, both are on some level more about the characters than the events. Third, in the case of The Thin Red Line, the film steps well outside the boundaries of stereotypical war movies.

I think the first point is worth noting because there have been relatively few WWII movies about the Pacific theatre (the war with Japan in general). Sure there have been movies about Pearl Harbor but that is pretty much the boundary. In this sense I actually liked TTRL more than SPR. Granted, SPR is a great film with what are considered some of the most realistic combat scenes ever filmed, but it is does not stray too far from the beaten path on WWII movies about the European theatre. I will explain my thinking here more later.

My second point I think is pretty clear cut. Both films spend a lot of time on character development. We are meant to relate to the characters. In SPR this manifests as a series of characters that we (for those in America) could easily imagine running into a daily life, but in a setting so alien they become hardened (or weak and worthless) by the shocking events they are exposed to. In TTRL we are meant to understand why the characters behave the way they do. The heroes are flawed and complicated, rather than simply being shallow and heroic stereotypes of 'the good guys.'

I think the final point applies much more to TTRL than SPR. For SPR, the step outside the traditional stereotypes found in movies about war are still very present. The good guys are the good guys and the bad guys are the bad guys. When the captured German is set free what does he do? He does exactly what we would expect, allowing us to accept that the line seperating the good from the bad is constant and real.

This is exactly where The Thin Red Line stands out as exceptional. When I first saw this movie in theatres I was bored to tears. It wasn't until several years later, after watching it again, that I came to appreciate it. TTRL does not make a clear distinction between good and bad so much as between war and peace. From the early scenes on the serene African coastal village we can see the pain and confusion caused by war. The Japanese soldiers are not demonized, but rather portrayed as human beings with the same fears and hopes as the American soldiers. Traditionally, war films focussing on the Pacific theatre have portrayed the Japanese as savage and sub-human, a clear departure from the portrayal of the German enemy in WWII films. The Germans are portrayed more as humans led astray by an evil government than as corrupt at the core. So in TTRL it is refreshing to find the focus more on understanding the pain and futility of war than on glorifying the winner or demonizing the loser. Note, I am not trying to say the Axis powers were good in any way, just that war movies have traditionally not spent much effort developing the human aspect of the bad guys. In this regard TTRL does a remarkable job keeping the politics and grand strategy elements out of the picture and really narrowing in on individuals. As a result, we actually probably get a better commentary on war as a general phenommenon than we otherwise would.

In summary: SPR is great as a war movie about the chaos and general unfairness in war. It has superb effects and enough action to satisfy those easily bored. In contrast, TTRL is a great movie about the human aspect of war. It also has great cinematography but acts more as a commentary on the contrast between war and peace than as an action movie. Both films are awesome and well worth the time.

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good post--agree completely.