Un long dimanche de fiançailles - a challenge to DU

[BelgianMadCow]

Tonight, my wife and I watched this film.
In our cozy house, with a full fridge, our kid asleep upstairs.
Cats on our lap.

It tells a story of love, grief and longing,
to the background of the 14-18 trench war fought 50 kms from our home
told from both sides, as suffering knows no ID cards

Afterwards, we went outside to catch some air, and looked at the stars.
We were happy to be alive, and held each other really tight.

Those stars also shine down on a cratered landscape,
on the "trenches du jour"
somewhere in Lebanon perhaps
Young israeli fathers, going into battle
thinking about their children
unsure of their return.
And thousands of Lebanese children
cry while on the run
maybe don't know where daddy is
as the houses burn

I challenge you all, go rent this film
view it, let it sink
and think.

It is so easy to go numb.
Let's not, ever.

PS : the film is also called "A very long engagement", or at least that's what the DVD said.
edited for a ç in the title

[Redstone]

1. Great post. Especially for being balanced.

(Though I've done war, so I don't need to watch it. Anyone who hasn't done it, please take the OP's advice.)

Redstone

[BelgianMadCow]

4. Thank you. And I'm very glad you found it balanced

as I had two reasons to post :
one, of course, because I'm moved
and second, because we all easily forget all the suffering
while we score points on a discussion forum on who started what.

If you've done war, was there ever any film that represented it "correctly" to you?

[Redstone]

5. Several that I can't watch again.

"Hamburger hill."

"Full metal jacket."

These did not match my personal experience (no movie has or will), but they do present a reality that's a bit too close to the bone for me.

Redstone

[BelgianMadCow]

7. I can only begin to guess how you feel about Iraq

getting in another such war
for profit, over lies

It's so often the poor people fighting rich people's wars.

I think I would defend my country if there was an agression, even if I just said to me wife "If I ever get drafted, I'll shoot myself in the hand", so maybe some wars are worth to be fought.

It is just so sad that we as people spend so much of our resources, abilities and money on wars.

I'm reading Battle Ready by Tom Clancy & Tony Zinni at the moment. I think his first battle experience and your war were the same.

[Redstone]

8. Read this, which I posted before, and you'll understand:

(I wrote this as an op-ed in March of 2003, but of course there were no newspapers that cared to run it. Perhaps it will have some meaning for you, as you ponder, for the last time until next year, the meaning of Memorial Day.)

Redstone
-----------------------------
As George W. Bush prepares to let slip the dog of war, I wonder if he, or indeed any significant percentage of the American people who profess support for an invasion of Iraq, truly understand what war is.

Of course, among any country’s population, there can only be a few who genuinely understand the nature of war. However, even those without direct experience can gain some understanding with only a small amount of reading and study (though only if they care to, and few Americans do).

This understanding is almost universally lacking among Americans today, primarily because of the way the 1991 Gulf War was presented. We were shown a war that resembled nothing more than it resembled a video game. No blood, no mud, no bodies, just an unending stream of video images of impersonal "smart" weapons homing in on seemingly empty structures, along with the admittedly impressive shots of rocket batteries sending their payloads arcing magnificently toward the horizon.

Mr. President, my fellow Americans: That is not what war really is, as much as the U.S. Government would like for you to believe so. War is not glory, nor is it an adventure, nor is it something to be entered into lightly.

This is what war is:

War is watching an eighteen-year-old boy calling for his mamma as he tries to stuff his guts back into his belly, just before he bleeds out and dies.

War is hearing a young mother wailing over the body of her dead baby girl as she shrieks at you, asking you why your people did this.

War is stumbling over a leg lying alone on the field, the laces of the boot on its foot still neatly tied.

War is a smell that you cannot ever adequately describe, nor ever forget.

War is the copper taste of old pennies in your mouth as the bullet fragments rip through your muscles and smack into the bones underneath like the whack of a ball-peen hammer, and you realize instantly that this is a bad one; the one you're not going to be able to walk away from.

War is body bags, lined up in neat rows by the cargo planes, every one of them connected to a grieving family at the end of the flight.

War is a nightmare shared by the families of those who die, and those who live out their lives so badly damaged that they sometimes wish they had been lucky enough to die.

War is death.

War is pain.

War is final, and, once started, the damage it causes cannot be undone.

War is not a game.

Mr. President, my fellow Americans: do you understand now?
---------------------------------------
©2003, R. T. Redstone

[BelgianMadCow]

11. I see

war is not a video game.

Now consider the immensely popular Battlefield 2 game.
It has the factions
US marines, who speak english
China, chinese (I guess)
Middle eastern coalition, who also speak totally ununderstandable.

I know it's dangerous to talk about this, as the discussion could easily derail,
but I have played and liked (mainly because of the online team play) this game. But wondered about the effect just this choice of factions has.
Now, I do not know if I'll still feel OK if my son want's to play it, and I hope I didn't offend you.

This game still costs 50 Euro over here and the demo has been a top download for ages already.

And then, consider the FREE release of America's Army I think it's called, a pretty state of the art Battlefield clone. Courtesy of the Army, with US taxpayers dollars.
If this is not propaganda in it's purest form, I don't know what is.

Your point is well taken.

War is NOT a video game.
And understanding and the resulting empathy is what we should all strive for.

[Redstone]

13. Why would you think you would have offended me?

You didn't. Not at all.

Redstone

[BelgianMadCow]

14. Didn't really think so - but

I could imagine really being in a war may alter your view on it and all it's representations in a profound way.

But I did not restrain myself as I thought you would be able to make the difference between reality and a game.

Glad I was right.

[panader0]

2. I saw it a while back and agree, it's a great movie.

[BelgianMadCow]

6. Excellent - that means you had access to the film, at least

so my challenge isn't null and void :-)

Did you rent it? I'd like to include your info in my OP.

[xchrom]

3. kick

[BelgianMadCow]

17. high noon in europe kick

shameless, I admit

[BelgianMadCow]

20. final "because it's still needed" kick

[jannyk]

9. Is that the one with Audrey Tautou?

I bought it about a year ago - it's a fabulous movie if that's the one - highly recommend it.

[BelgianMadCow]

12. Yes it is with Audrey - thx for the recommendation

of course, she starred in several movies already, but they had quite different stories (though somehow the feeling stays the same).

I had not expected several to know it.

Never underestimate the power of the DUside!

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. Saw it in the theater

Audrey Tatou shined as usual.

[BelgianMadCow]

15. Yes - she brings something extra, doesn't she

I thought this movie connected beautifully with "Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain" that also has her.

The scene where the waitress & customer finally get it on after looking at each other for ages...

[alcibiades_mystery]

16. Same director

N/T

[Hissyspit]

18. I wish I had seen it in a theatre, but I'll get it now.

[BelgianMadCow]

19. Thank you Hissypit for that first rec

I really believe people should be more exposed to this kind of message instead of the propaganda in the average film or on the corporate media channels.

I was somewhat amazed theatres in the US ran it apparantly. Of course, it came after the unexpected hit Amélie, but still, a french film.
Did this run in big theatres?

You will not regret the rent. Let me know what you thought about it if you will.