Dunkirk

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Cinema Discusso > Dunkirk

Steve Yun: Aug 7, 2003; I'm a parasitic landlord that needs to get a job instead of stealing worker's money. Make sure to remind me when I post.; Soiled Meat

well why not posted:

Hacksaw Ridge was entertaining but the gore is just so over-the-top unnecessary, it feels like simple oneupmanship towards Saving Private Ryan.

# ¿ Jul 20, 2017 09:03

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 12:54

Steve Yun: Aug 7, 2003; I'm a parasitic landlord that needs to get a job instead of stealing worker's money. Make sure to remind me when I post.; Soiled Meat

In keeping with Nolan tradition, there was a character with a destructive obsession fueled by the memory of dead people, although in this case it wasn't the main character. But then again, there wasn't a main character in this film

Cillian Murphy's character wanting to get the gently caress away from Dunkirk

Also in keeping with Nolan tradition, he's exploring how you can never really know anything about what the gently caress is going on in the world around you.

The newspapers making up bullshit propaganda about the war, Tom Hardy misinterpreting his wingman friend's wave for a signal that he was okay, Cillian Murphy being told that George was okay by the blond son, Harry Styles thinking the old man was just avoiding eye contact, etc

Of all his movies though, this theme of "you don't know poo poo" is the most muted in this film.

edit: It seems like in all his previous films, not knowing the truth is integral to the plot. A person is lying to themselves, or they lie to/misunderstand another character, or they're lying to/misunderstood by the public. Misinformation is typically at the center of a Nolan movie or moves the plot in a critical way. For Dunkirk it doesn't seem to be the case, unless I'm missing something?

Steve Yun fucked around with this message at 10:17 on Jul 30, 2017

# ¿ Jul 30, 2017 08:36

Steve Yun: Aug 7, 2003; I'm a parasitic landlord that needs to get a job instead of stealing worker's money. Make sure to remind me when I post.; Soiled Meat

oxford_town posted:

That's not just the "American" perception, the mainstream British perception is that he was one of the greatest leaders of the country. The widely-held view is that he was a brilliant wartime leader but not so in peacetime, which excuses his defeat to Attlee. (This also allowed Churchill, at the time, to deflect the blame for the loss of India & the breakup of the Empire onto Attlee).

Churchill's handling of Dunkirk was a brilliant propaganda coup. The film shows that; the soldiers are baffled by being received by a cheering civilian population, who view their return as a victory rather than an ignominious defeat. There is indeed a dichotomy, but I'm not sure it's so straightforwardly anti-war.

coyo7e posted:

You've got to keep in mind that Dunkirk was literally, a massive loss for the British and allied forces, but the British claim it was a major victory for themselves because a few folks with pleasure or fishing boats came out and picked up a few troops (nowhere near the majority of those who were rescued, though). The role of that small fleet of private boats has become basically mythologized as a paean to the strength of British nationalism.

There's a documentary on Dunkirk from the 60s or 70s, which is pretty educational on just how much of a clusterfuck it actually was, and how the allies picked up that turd and polished it to a blinding sheen over the last 70 years. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00snp3v

Ok I guess these answer my question from above:

Steve Yun posted:

edit: It seems like in all his previous films, not knowing the truth is integral to the plot. A person is lying to themselves, or they lie to/misunderstand another character, or they're lying to/misunderstood by the public. Misinformation is typically at the center of a Nolan movie or moves the plot in a critical way. For Dunkirk it doesn't seem to be the case, unless I'm missing something?

# ¿ Aug 1, 2017 20:12

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Cinema Discusso > Dunkirk