Anyone having seen Schindler's List will know that its sole purpose was to instill a sense of catharsis. Spielberg tugs away at your heartstrings so hard that eventually you bow down before the film simply due to emotional pressure.
Spielberg embellished the ending of the well researched factual book by Thomas Keneally to appeal to the sense in all of us that we need to believe that some noble people made great sacrifices and took enormous risks during the holocaust.
We know that. There's no need to exaggerate.
This film does exactly the same thing, but in a way which is so cack-handed that logic starts to intrude into the audience's mind. And although logic doesn't make great drama, it stands in the way of hyperbole with a big stick and beats it to a pulp when it matters.
And the issues and emotions raised in this film DO matter.
Unfortunately there are so many emotional violins playing in the background that the sweeping orchestral piece that this film could have been is simply drowned out. Someone, somewhere needs to ask why the title of this film was so named. The bonds between the two brothers need to be established in more than a 2 minute car journey. The history of the characters needs to compel us to empathise with them. The post traumatic stress disorder condition and the modern treatment for it (Good or bad) needs to be shown.
Otherwise this becomes another one of those worthy but pointless tear-jerking melodramas that some people love to love. See the other user comments.
Personally, I didn't feel any empathy for any of the cardboard cutout characters or the dialogue during the wince inducing "Family round the dinner tale" scenes.
In short: Soldier kills fellow soldier in order to survive but feels guilty and gets a bit messed up with his relationship with his wife and brother.
What an amazing insight into the human soul.....
Unless you are a director/screenwriter who wants to get those heartstrings and just pull..pull..pull..........
Spielberg embellished the ending of the well researched factual book by Thomas Keneally to appeal to the sense in all of us that we need to believe that some noble people made great sacrifices and took enormous risks during the holocaust.
We know that. There's no need to exaggerate.
This film does exactly the same thing, but in a way which is so cack-handed that logic starts to intrude into the audience's mind. And although logic doesn't make great drama, it stands in the way of hyperbole with a big stick and beats it to a pulp when it matters.
And the issues and emotions raised in this film DO matter.
Unfortunately there are so many emotional violins playing in the background that the sweeping orchestral piece that this film could have been is simply drowned out. Someone, somewhere needs to ask why the title of this film was so named. The bonds between the two brothers need to be established in more than a 2 minute car journey. The history of the characters needs to compel us to empathise with them. The post traumatic stress disorder condition and the modern treatment for it (Good or bad) needs to be shown.
Otherwise this becomes another one of those worthy but pointless tear-jerking melodramas that some people love to love. See the other user comments.
Personally, I didn't feel any empathy for any of the cardboard cutout characters or the dialogue during the wince inducing "Family round the dinner tale" scenes.
In short: Soldier kills fellow soldier in order to survive but feels guilty and gets a bit messed up with his relationship with his wife and brother.
What an amazing insight into the human soul.....
Unless you are a director/screenwriter who wants to get those heartstrings and just pull..pull..pull..........