Reel Corner - November 2023

October 2023 Issue
Reel Corner by Donne Paine

Honoring Veterans Day

First known as Armistice Day, President Woodrow Wilson set aside the date of November 11 in 1919 on the first anniversary of the signing of the armistice ending World War I. It was created to recognize and thank our American soldiers for their service. The day was declared a National holiday in 1938, and in 1954, the name changed to Veterans Day to honor all American Veterans. Therefore, we take this day to commemorate and celebrate our brave, loyal, and selfless American soldiers and their families for giving us the opportunity to live freely in this great country.

With our military personnel gathered on aircraft carriers in the Middle East, the Reel Corner is honoring our military for Veterans Day…with a big “Thank You” for their service.


THE COVENANT (2023)
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Sean Sagar | Directed by Guy Ritchie

During the war in Afghanistan, a local interpreter risks his own life to carry an injured sergeant across miles of grueling land. Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant follows US Army Master Sergeant John Kinley (Gyllenhaal) and Afghan interpreter Ahmed (Salim). After an ambush, Ahmed goes to Herculean lengths to save Kinley’s life. Once recovered and back in the States, Kinley learns Ahmed and his family were not given safe passage to America as promised. He must repay his debt by returning to the war zone to retrieve Ahmed and his family before the Taliban hunts him down. Based on a true story, this film is a reminder of the many players in war, those who have helped our soldiers and those our soldiers have helped.


THE FOG OF WAR (2003 Documentary)

Fog of War is a term frequently used when there is war-like conflict, and it is defined as uncertainty in situational awareness experiences by participants in military operations. The term seeks to capture the uncertainty regarding one's own capabilities, the adversary’s capabilities, and the adversary’s intent during an engagement, operation, or campaign.

In 2003, a documentary of the same name was released. Former corporate guru Robert McNamara was the controversial Secretary of Defense in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations during the height of the Vietnam War. This Academy Award-winning documentary, augmented by archival footage, gives the conflicted McNamara a platform on which he attempts to confront his and the U.S. government’s actions in Southeast Asia in light of the horrors of modern warfare, the end of ideology, and the punitive judgment of history.


EXODUS (1960)
Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint | Director Otto Preminger

The theme of this movie depicts the founding of the State of Israel. The action begins on a ship bound for Israel filled with Jewish immigrants who are being off-loaded on Cyprus. An Intelligence officer succeeds in getting them back aboard, only to have the harbor blocked by the British with whom they must negotiate. The second part of the film is about the situation in Israel as independence is declared and most of their neighbors attack them. Although this is a fictitious account, it is worth streaming.

Remembering Our Veterans

“How important it is for us to recognize and
celebrate our Heroes and She-roes!" —Maya Angelou

"In war, there are no unwounded soldiers." —José Narosky

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something
bigger than oneself." —Joseph Campbell

“America without her soldiers would be like God
without his angels.” —Claudia Pemberton

“A hero is someone who understands the responsibility
that comes with his freedom.” —Bob Dylan

“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him,
but because he loves what is behind him.” —Gilbert K. Chesterton

“It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.” 
—Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.

References: www.imbd.com, www.southernliving.com

 

Donne Paine, film enthusiast, once lived around the corner from the Orson Wells Theater in Cambridge, Massachu-setts, where her strong interest in films, especially independent ones, began. Supporter of the arts, especially films, she has traveled to local and national film festivals including Sundance, Toronto and Tribeca. There is nothing like seeing a film on the big screen. She encourages film goers to support Hilton Head local theaters, Park Plaza Theater and Northridge. To support her habit of frequent movie going, Donne is a vaccine medicine nurse consultant and also the author of 4 Interview Pillars available on Amazon. See you at the movies!