Winter Soldier is a documentary about veterans testifying about their experiences in the Vietnam War. It was made by Veterans for Peace as an attempt to reveal the devastating consequences of the war on the psyches of a generation of people who were coerced into violence either through their desire to support their country, or conscription. This is the famous piece that was alluded to and mentioned in many instances during Kerry's 2004 campaign for presidency, though few people have seen it and it is quite rare, being at some point officially banned in the US. It actually also has a young Kerry in it, though for viewers that's going to be one of the least interesting aspects about it.
Stark, stark black and white is the rule here: Winter Soldier focuses on the faces of the ex-soldiers as they tell their tales, and harsh contrast and grainy film stock creates an expressionistic tinge on the tales. What's really effective about this movie is that the soldiers' haunted faces tell tales that are incredibly colorful, visceral, and terrifying: Winter Soldier is an expert horror film that uses audience imagination better than Val Lewton ever could, as well as being a documentary, which of course makes it all the more horrible.
Disregarding taste, it's offensive that this movie isn't more readily available. Western culture (and really humanity as a whole) seems to have a major problem with understanding war as a negative and damaging and horrible thing that can damage lives with no true gain. Even the United States' most well-known anti-war messages come mediated through the exciting explosions and escapist entertainment forms of action movies, and ultimately the Heroes triumph over the conflict. I am not one who honestly believes that we can ever get over the desire for war, nor do I believe that we can always avoid it in regards to international conflict: that is one of the lingering tragedies of mass human miscommunication and inefficient politics. However, if we're going to have it, it's of dire and certain importance that the people who decide to go to war have a clear understanding of the havoc it causes, the damage it inflicts, and the legacy of horror it leaves behind. This havoc, damage, and legacy is not just some rote medical damage to limbs, but to cultures, emotions, memories, and psyches. Unfortunately, Bad Things are hard to handle, and this movie has basically been officially denounced for suggesting that we can massively mess things up. But still it subsists...
--PolarisDiB
Stark, stark black and white is the rule here: Winter Soldier focuses on the faces of the ex-soldiers as they tell their tales, and harsh contrast and grainy film stock creates an expressionistic tinge on the tales. What's really effective about this movie is that the soldiers' haunted faces tell tales that are incredibly colorful, visceral, and terrifying: Winter Soldier is an expert horror film that uses audience imagination better than Val Lewton ever could, as well as being a documentary, which of course makes it all the more horrible.
Disregarding taste, it's offensive that this movie isn't more readily available. Western culture (and really humanity as a whole) seems to have a major problem with understanding war as a negative and damaging and horrible thing that can damage lives with no true gain. Even the United States' most well-known anti-war messages come mediated through the exciting explosions and escapist entertainment forms of action movies, and ultimately the Heroes triumph over the conflict. I am not one who honestly believes that we can ever get over the desire for war, nor do I believe that we can always avoid it in regards to international conflict: that is one of the lingering tragedies of mass human miscommunication and inefficient politics. However, if we're going to have it, it's of dire and certain importance that the people who decide to go to war have a clear understanding of the havoc it causes, the damage it inflicts, and the legacy of horror it leaves behind. This havoc, damage, and legacy is not just some rote medical damage to limbs, but to cultures, emotions, memories, and psyches. Unfortunately, Bad Things are hard to handle, and this movie has basically been officially denounced for suggesting that we can massively mess things up. But still it subsists...
--PolarisDiB