tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30897652.post9106968060977182604..comments2024-03-14T09:01:47.587-08:00Comments on What Do I Know?: Whitewashing HistoryStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10498066938213558757noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30897652.post-8241842944406803692017-08-10T00:46:03.801-08:002017-08-10T00:46:03.801-08:00Agreed. I won’t defend Clifton’s use of battle-wor...Agreed. I won’t defend Clifton’s use of battle-words as he only hurts his argument by using them. <br /><br />Some have suggested a way Nolan could have kept his survival-narrative focus was to have employed the report that Asian (Indian) colonial soldiers were ordered abandoned to their fate. The English commanding officer on the beach ignored those orders and the Indian soldiers were evacuated. <br /><br />It could have worked nicely: Indian troops in the film and a ‘good-on-him’ for the English. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. (India) reports the film has had the biggest opening of an English-only language film.<br /><br />A bit of controversy helps. Let's go from there.Jacob Dugan-Brausehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06287631724339961459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30897652.post-6902439063259136442017-08-09T11:09:24.674-08:002017-08-09T11:09:24.674-08:00Thanks, Jacob for digging deeper. I don't dis...Thanks, Jacob for digging deeper. I don't disagree with Clifton's sentiment that it's somewhat unfair to criticize one film maker about one film because it doesn't tell 'the whole story.' But calling such criticism 'petty and stupid' misses the point. <br /><br />I think Singh's point is that when every film about an event focuses on the same cast of characters, it imprints on people's minds that they were the only ones there. That said, the unrepresented can complain - and getting attention to and awareness of the topic is useful - or they can make their own movies. Though I imagine war movies are more expensive than most. But the descendants of colonial soldiers can write books that might attract film makers with adequate funding. <br /><br /> But then Amitav Ghosh's book (which is more Hollywoodish than I would have liked) hasn't been made into a film, though it focuses on Indian troops in SE Asia more. <br /><br />If Singh's critique causes people to think about the missing troops when they see the film, that's a good start.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10498066938213558757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30897652.post-69592223733347460782017-08-08T21:57:57.154-08:002017-08-08T21:57:57.154-08:00Steve, coming into a country to settle, one has mu...Steve, coming into a country to settle, one has much to learn. One of these efforts requires trying to get 'under the skin' of what makes someone patriotic in their understanding of pivotal moments in a country's history. <br /><br />The evacuation of Dunkirk is most certainly one of these 'soul of place' moments and it cannot be discussed without strong emotion here.<br /><br />That said, I looked in to the facts of service records for what British Empire called 'colonial' units, some which were 'coloured'. Those military units were there at Dunkirk, but not in large numbers due to this being first response in what became a much-longer, much-larger war. Logistics worked against large-scale movement of foreign regiments as there was the looming threat of global war necessitating use of 'colonial' troops in action against aggression in those colonies.<br /><br />That certainly became the case.<br /><br />But to deal with the director's choices in this film, of not taking into account the many French regiments that were conscripted from North Africa, this is where the film's focus on the English soldier, could appear to be racist.<br /><br />But it may not be, if we look at this as a film of the British take on its fight -- that nationalistic venture into the myth of place and pride in history.<br /><br />I will end by inserting this helpful submission on the film itself, from a film chat stream. Clifton (below) gives things some thought, to the effects of the film and its 'home fires' imaginings.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />Clifton Sutherland<br /><br />I agree with Publius. There is no denying that colonial troops played a pivotal and noteworthy role in the war, and that they were at Dunkirk to boot. But, given the narrative constraints of the story Nolan was trying to tell, tied with the relative accuracy of character portrayal in respects to the average British soldier, the story was meant to focus on that specific aspect, not the diversity of soldiers there, nor the tactics or politics or the german side- all sorts of narratives were not utilized, in order for the story of survival to be more emphasized. <br /><br />I would love to see more movies about colonial troops- they could tell a really good, true story about their contributions to the war effort, overcoming distrust or racism to perform valiantly, etc. etc. How awesome would a movie about Guhkras be? <br /><br />There is no need for forced diversity in a movie- the experience of WW2 was so immense, filmmakers could make movies SOLELY out of the stories of white men for hundreds of years, and still not tell everything. There are so many stories to tell, each can, and should get their own. <br /><br />Does that mean multiple stories cannot be told at once? Of course not. But complaining about a movie solely because it has too many white people, and isnt delivering a proper PC, social justice message is not only petty and stupid- it does a great disservice to all those who fought and died. Jacob Dugan-Brausehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06287631724339961459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30897652.post-72484191953720045102017-08-07T22:45:50.687-08:002017-08-07T22:45:50.687-08:00Ah, Steve. So many ways of response on this one! I...Ah, Steve. So many ways of response on this one! I came round today to delete my notes on the remodel of the Loussac Library and saw your 'Dunkirk' mention (a film we plan to see this week in London).<br /><br />I was drawn to it like an American to 4th of July fireworks: patriotism and spectacle. What could possibly go wrong with that?<br /><br />I'll pause on my reply today. No 'oohs' or 'ahhs'; just some time given over to thinking on what it all could and, perhaps, should mean.<br /><br />Thanks for the homework.<br /><br />Jacob Dugan-Brausehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06287631724339961459noreply@blogger.com