Years ago, I remember watching a film called The Tuskegee Airmen, and thinking what an amazing film it was, to depict the brutal treatment of black pilots in World War II. Some scenes were very hard to watch. I was glad I saw it, though.
When I saw a trailer recently for the new movie Red Tails I was not too enthusiastic about seeing it.I couldn't imagine it being as good as The Tuskegee Airmen. Then I realized that I was missing an important opportunity to teach Michael some history.
I saw it yesterday with Michael. Excellent film.
I grew up being taken to war movies with my dad. Dad loved movies, and if he was buying the tickets and paying for popcorn, I was there, no matter how much a "guy" movie it was. When we got our first VCR, I was in college, and Dad proceeded to collect movies like Macarthur and Patton. I often wouldn't really understand what was going on, and Dad would stop the tape and explain things to me. I learned a lot of history that way.
I took Military History as an elective my freshman year in college and I made the highest grade in the class. There were no other girls in there.
I grew up hearing stories of my grandfather Thompson, who was a professional soldier for years. Grandaddy fought Pancho Villa in 1916, and fought in the battle of Verdun in World War I. He was a small man, but he was wiry and tough. He became a professional soldier because he needed to help support his mother and younger siblings after his father died when he was 12. I never met him. He died before I was born. He also had a fierce temper, and a very old-fashioned "spare the rod" kind of father.
I think Dad's fascination with all things military was, in part, a subconscious desire to try and figure out his father and what made him tick.
That fascination with all things military continues to this day, to my brother, who is a retired Army major and served a year in Iraq.
Whether you have any interest in military history or not, here's a question to ponder. What is worth risking your life for? What is worth dying for?
The characters in Red Tails have two objectives: to be excellent pilots and kill the enemy, and to prove to the prejudiced army brass that they can do what any non-black soldier can do. Their courage and resilience were amazing.
As much as I liked the film, I have two small criticisms. The film has a lot of exciting action sequences. There are many aerial dogfights. I don't know how they were done - likely with computers - but they were very realistic. I would've liked a bit more of the backstory and less fighting. I was also a bit perturbed by the fact that there are some interactions between one of the airmen and an Italian woman, and the Italian was not translated. Now, I speak Italian, so I was whispering into Michael's ear a translation of what was being said, but I'm sure everyone else in the theater was clueless. Why the director didn't put subtitles is beyond me. I think Terence Howard is an excellent actor, but his character in the movie was pretty one-dimensional. He was like a cardboard cutout military guy. Of course, one could fault the writing, there. I was puzzled at how wooden Terence appeared in the film, though. I want to stress, though, that these are minor details. It's a terrific movie.
I loved the scenes of Italy. It felt like you were right there, in the town. So beautiful. That's on my bucket list, to get to Italy one day.
It's important to talk to kids about war, and why wars are fought. I have friends who are very liberal, and some who are quite conservative, and opinions on war vary greatly, of course. I do feel strongly, however, that there are things worth fighting for, and we must honor soldiers, seamen, and airmen, whether we agree with the political motivations for the conflict, or not.
One of the main characters in the movie didn't make it at the end, which really disturbed Michael. He kept saying as we walked to the car "Why did he have to die?" I couldn't offer any explanation other than this - in war, people die. Dying with bravery and honor is important, however, and those men did.
