Men my age dictate this war. Why should we be allowed to send our children to fight it?" Claustrophobic, thunderous and profound are the three words that crop up after watching Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk. Suffice to say, watching this film in iMax is your best option to receive the full compliment of cinema experience. The film sets out to absorb you into its hostile environment and join its characters, and it very nearly succeeds. The care taken to every practical shot is breathtaking and the story is conceived in a way that allows you to follow a multitude of characters and witness their harrowing time in hell as they just strive to survive.
Already, by the beginning of the movie, Christopher Nolan has shown that this will be an unconventional film, by splitting it into three factions (The Mole, The Sea and the Air). This gives us the full perspective of war we can possibly get for this frightening event. The Mole introduces us to Tommy and a group of soldiers he teams up with as they attempt to use any means necessary to cross the channel. The Sea follows a fisherman and two of his sons as they answer the call for help over in France to help bring soldiers home. The Air covers three spitfire pilots who are the last hope for the military on the beach as they attempt to pick off any German planes attempting to sink escaping vessels. This disjointed storytelling was a clever way to compile the overall plot and ensured that we understood the full extension of the evacuation whilst not being too sidetracked by separate events. In some cases, certain occurrences happened three times just to reassure us of the linearity. The production is perhaps the most important asset of this film - pertaining to the sound, imagery, music and scale. All these components have been so painstakingly put together that it is impossible to criticise the final product. For the sound, you will experience ear-splitting bouts of gunfire that was incredibly uncomfortable to hear in the cinema - plus the extra sounds of planes, boats and rushing water to add to the compendium of unnerving noises. Nolan demonstrates his skill with a camera as he seriously considers each shot to be necessary for portraying the horrific events. The first scenes are some of the finest examples of this as you see Tommy find himself on the beach of Dunkirk overlooking his comrades lined up to escape France. This landscape shot will go down as an iconic representation of one of the darkest days of man as 400,000 men attempt to just survive. Hans Zimmer's music as with many of his recent soundtracks for Nolan, including Interstellar and Inception, is a relentless, haunting toll in the background. The fact that it plays constantly throughout the movie makes sure we're always watching the unfolding action, but it's the masterstroke at the end as the music suddenly kicks out to silence that really hits home the power of this disastrous event. The music was symbolic of the soldiers' presence at death's door until the very end when they are finally safe. Last, but not least, the scale of the movie is unprecedented, with Nolan relying on practical effects to portray the evacuation instead of the usual CGI that filmmakers rely on these days. In consequence, the film seems very pure in its depiction - nothing seems out of place and everything is big, big, big. From the size of the warships to the real-life spitfires, everything is genuinely awe-inspiring. If it wasn't for the acting and the final emotional injection into the script, the film would not be complete. Fortunately, neither is a problem. They are both wholly present and are examples that transform this picture into a masterpiece, and will hopefully be a stronghold for Dunkirk in the Oscars. Fionn Whitehead may be a newcomer, but his contribution in the film is absolute - he carries the emotion as a lone survivor who is as desperate and instinctive as his comrades - any means necessary to escape death. He is joined by Aneurin Barnard and Harry Styles who are just as passionate in their portrayal. The conditions of their filmmaking helps to mould their characterisation even more. Kenneth Branagh and James D'Arcy are both inspirational leaders who are the driving force of the evacuation and the constantly keep up morale simply be being in the presence of their men. The morality of the Commander's decision to stay behind and help the French soldiers is heartfelt and very moving. Tom Hardy's role may be minimal, but he has an heroic turn as the spitfire pilot, Farrier. The soldier's contribution to the evacuation is pivotal in the army's survival. The final shot of his plane on fire is a monument for the movie and his capture by the Germans shows that some soldiers sacrificed a lot in the effort. Finally, you have Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy, Tom Glynn-Carney and Barry Keoghan on the small fishing boat heading south. The drama around Murphy's character and his question of either cowardice or trauma is perhaps the most emotional in the film. The death of Mr. Dawson's son George, is an example of how war can be dangerous for more than just the bullets and explosions, but for the psychological transformations that occur in a soldier's mind. When Peter lies about George's condition to the soldier afterwards, it is the defining moment that decides whether the soldier will carry on fighting or be so caught in grief for the death that he caused that he would be completely incapacitated or even worse, suicidal. As the film juxtaposes from the French coast and back to Britain, the location may have changed, but the overall dejection in the soldiers' hearts is ever present as they believe wholeheartedly that they have failed the nation. But, the final message is as clear as it should be. In Chruchill's speech, Britain's leader saw the Dunkirk evacuation as a resounding success and the determination and accomplishment achieved in the event was carried forward as inspiration for the next step in the war. Nolan ends on a bittersweet moment in which the surviving soldiers are relieved in their survival, but sorrowful for their losses. It doesn't matter what comes next in the war according to this film, as this is portrayal of how men can overcome the gaping jaws of hell - not just Britain - but any resilient person on the planet. The only questions remain - why was it necessary in the first place? Why is war a part of Human nature? Was it all worth it? 10/10
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8/10/2022 10:22:08 pm
Sağolasın bizi bilgilendirdiğin için. Kemer transfer: https://www.alanyagroup.com/kemer-airport-transfer/
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AuthorA very passionate Welsh nerd... Archives
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