I have always loved war movies. Don't get me wrong, I'm no war mongerer, or wisher of ill upon the masses. I just like them war movies. Especially because of the repeated emphatic and often cliched visualisations upholding values such as Strength, Honour and Truth.
War movies are of 2 kinds - I've seen many of both - ones depicting modern warfare, and others that tell of battles fought between armies with swords and spears.
War movies are of 2 kinds - I've seen many of both - ones depicting modern warfare, and others that tell of battles fought between armies with swords and spears.
I believe it takes a lot to kill a man(implying human - I guess I'm still a traditionalist in some senses), and the advent of modern warfare using missiles and bullets have only made it easier to commit the worst crime that man could ever commit.
Today I saw Kingdom of Heaven, a film that took me to The Crusades where men stood face to face holding extremely sharp objects that evidently could only be used at close range, and had to do with their bare hands what now can be accomplished by firing objects from a distance.
I believe if there could be right way to kill a man it would be through fair combat without any firearms. If weapons are required then shield, swords and spears must suffice.
I believe if there could be right way to kill a man it would be through fair combat without any firearms. If weapons are required then shield, swords and spears must suffice.
Amongst the 2 kinds of war movies I mentioned earlier, it is the latter kind which I prefer, no matter how weak or overdone its story actually is. I would buy a Rs.100 theatre ticket just to watch one overtly passionated and tragically brilliant battle scene. I'm like that. I like these films that show heroes being born and raised not to become successful but to grow to be honourable, even if it might be at the cost of aforementioned success or one's own life.
In KoH, Lord Godfrey (Liam Neeson) tells his son Balian (Orlando Bloom) to "speak the truth even if must mean imminent death".
Much later Balian would go on to refuse becoming the heir to the throne of Jerusalem by decietful means, even though it meant avoiding war between the Christian forces and Saladin's. From where I stand, it is irrelevant whether Balian was right or wrong. What is important is the choice he made.
Much later Balian would go on to refuse becoming the heir to the throne of Jerusalem by decietful means, even though it meant avoiding war between the Christian forces and Saladin's. From where I stand, it is irrelevant whether Balian was right or wrong. What is important is the choice he made.
I'm not one who makes much of morality, nor do I act along the lines of such austere ideals in my daily life. But I still like to believe they exist, or rather existed.
ps: However, KoH seemed to me to be nothing out of the ordinary as a film. In fact, it has given me reason to believe that the makers of the film, know little about an entire community portrayed in the film. Namely the Muslims. For example, in the film every conversation between a Muslim and a Chirstian ended with the Islamic greeting "Assalah-walehkum, Walehkum-assalah". Even the ones between King Baldwin IV (Edward Norton) and Saladin, and also later between Balian and Saladin.
I had thought the same greeting was used at the beginning of a conversation and not at the end. The only defence - if any - that maybe extended to this folly is the fact that it is an American movie, made by Americans, and for Americans.
I had thought the same greeting was used at the beginning of a conversation and not at the end. The only defence - if any - that maybe extended to this folly is the fact that it is an American movie, made by Americans, and for Americans.
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