Skip to main content

Violence and Recoil

Reflecting on Defiance, I'm struck by the tension created in the movie, which wasn't great, but wasn't bad either, between those who relished violence and those who had to be pushed into it. Daniel Craig's character is the first to draw blood, avenging his parent's murder, but he "still sees their faces," meaning the men he shot at point-blank range. He found the taste of blood to be fetid, though this doesn't stop him from killing a challenger to his authority later. The youngest Bielski brothers are the ones who shy from violence even more. Only the second brother, played by Liev Schrieber, truly embraces that inner call to kill; even though he is killing those most acceptable of Hollywood "victims" Nazis the audience is meant to see that perhaps this isn't the way. In fact, there is a scene in the forest camp where the community of hiding Jews pummel a captured German soldier to death. They scream out the names of their murdered loved ones and they jam rifle butts into the head of the young father of two children.
This is one story where revenge is seen as distasteful, amazingly enough.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Another Publishing Triumph 3.23

 This is the third time I've been published in Jesus the Imagination . It is, however, the first time a poem of mine has been published with this journal. I haven't finished reading my copy, but so far there have been some excellent essays. Get yourself a copy today!

Worth Quoting

There are but three social arrangements which can replace Capitalism: Slavery, Socialism, and Property.                                                                                                 --Hilaire Belloc                                                                                                The Servile State

Another Publishing Triumph!

So, the first of four poems has dropped. Point your critical browser to this URL for lots of good stuff at Ekstasis :  https://www.ekstasismagazine.com/poetry/2023/bird-is-the-word Constructive criticism welcome!