It can be said that the film and television works about the Second World War are the favorites of the United States. The anti-fascist war, the fearless war heroes, and the warships and chariots that symbolize the military strength of the United States... Pull any of these things. It is difficult to appear perfectly in another theme.
Even though sci-fi movies like "Transformers" and "The Avengers" show more or less American military power, the unique historical weight of World War II is something that other movies cannot. presented.
The Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Iraq War and the Afghan War were filled with resentment by international public opinion and domestic people, and the scolding was too late to scold, not to mention the beautification and adaptation of film and television works. Only World War II is the real highlight of the United States, justice, fearlessness, tenacity...
All of these definitions apply. Therefore, we can see that film and television works on the theme of World War II emerge in an endless stream, from the early "Midway", "Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! "To the popular "Pearl Harbor", "The Thin Red Line", "The Flag of Our Fathers" in previous years, and then to Stephen Spielberg's "Band of Brothers", "Pacific War"... World War II, became the United States The glorious years will never end.
Of course, apart from the above-mentioned works, are there any movies that reflect and make fun of World War II? Certainly, Quentin's "Inglourious Basterds" I believe veteran fans must be familiar with, there is another one that has to be mentioned, the American drama "Catch-22" adapted from the novel that we are going to talk about today.
In the late 1960s, when the overwhelming anti-war movement in the United States was in stark contrast to the government's oppression of the people's peaceful ideology and its insistence on war, many media workers and even Hollywood were not allowed to publicize and reflect it due to the pressure of the authorities. On anti-war ideology.
At this time, the American writer Joseph Heller, who participated in World War II, combined his own experience with the absurd reality of the Vietnam War, and used World War II as a tool to satirize the Vietnam War in a clever way, and wrote a world-shattering masterpiece. Catch-22.
The content of the so-called Catch-22 is:
"Only a lunatic can be exempted from flying combat, but you must apply to the higher authorities in person, but once you apply, it just proves that you are a normal person, and you still have to go to the battlefield."
In the book "Catch 22", the author created the image of a group of little people who were involuntarily helpless in the war, led by Captain Yossarian, and expressed the gradually numb and annihilated humanity and the endless war at the same time. The absurd and realistic sides of the story.
The story takes place in a US Air Force base in the Mediterranean Sea south of Italy, where the protagonist Captain Yossellin's squadron is stationed in this base. If you look down from the sky, it seems that everyone on the island is fully engaged in the war with Germany. The pilots, cooks, doctors, nurses, Lieutenant General, Lieutenant Major, Lieutenant Lieutenant are all busy, and everyone seems to be Do your best to serve this just war.
However, when the author takes the readers to observe them one by one with a magnifying glass, under the camouflage of methodically planning the battle and defeating the enemy army, there are actually absurd and crazy words and deeds. Some of them are in a state of war. The evil nature is revealed, and they do everything they can to harm others and benefit themselves; some people become victims, break down physically and mentally, and frantically search for a way to survive. The protagonist Joseph is one of the latter.
After the novel was published, it caused a huge sensation and became a classic about anti-war themes, and the author of the novel, Joseph Heller's literary creation, was out of control. "Father of American Black Humor".
How could such an excellent and blockbuster piece of literature not attract the attention of Hollywood? As early as 1970, a few years after the work came out, Catch 22 was put on the big screen by the famous Hollywood director Mike Nichols.
Because the film is made in a hurry, many lines in the script are copied from the original work, and in the shaping of the characters, the film can also be regarded as an extreme restoration of the original work.
Ultimately, the times shape how people view the world, and the film's unexpected success. Years later, even though the original memory of the film's production has been wiped out by the creative team at that time, its significance and influence can still be deeply remembered by people in that era.
Compared with the original film, this new version of the "Catch-22" TV series launched by Hulu TV, directed by George Clooney and guest starred, pays more attention to the characters under the creative strategy of changing times and connecting with reality. The performance of inner activities and words and deeds, and through the deletion and addition of certain plots, reshapes the spiritual connotation of the original work.
In other words, if the original book and the movie of the year were made for the poor, the politicians with low skills and the American people who were caught in the quagmire of the Vietnam War. So today's "Catch 22" is obviously a satire on the "neoconservative" America in the Trump era. The plot is invisibly satirical about the Trump era's "closed country, blind arrogance" political strategy.
The protagonist Joseph has been lying in the hospital and pretending to be sick since the beginning of the TV series. Because he did not want to leave the training base and go to overseas battlefields to fight. However, the doctor who had the same idea told him in sympathetic and realistic words that the war would continue, and he should be glad that he went to the European battlefield instead of the Pacific one.
A few months later, Joseph still flew to the battlefield.
He thought that after completing the scheduled 25 flights, he could go home and rest. As a result, the captain of the squadron increased the flight quota again and again in order to be promoted and won awards. Of course, in order to make his order reasonable and irresistible, he brought out high-sounding patriotic reasons. And the famous "Catch 22", which drove Yossarian and the rest of the team crazy and scared to death, but had to obey orders.
Yossarian had to keep pretending to be sick to avoid flying missions. It turned out that the hospital was more unbearable than the barracks. And the doctors didn't agree to give him a sick leave certificate. But although there is food and drink, brothers who are born and die, and can enjoy seaside holidays... But he does not have a day of peace of mind. Seeing his teammates die or go crazy one by one, surrounded by fear, Yossarian is not as good as life. die.
And the most ironic plot of the TV series is the retirement that Joseph dreamed of and longed for. Even if he worked hard, he could not achieve it by completing the number of tasks, but he was able to get it by accidentally bumping into the officer who tainted the girl.
The officer in the same team who had increased the number of missions countless times to prevent the soldiers from retiring would actually bribe him to withdraw the lawsuit by retiring for his own sake.
In addition to the protagonist Joseph, the film also depicts a number of absurd and tragicomedy characters in the army.
For example, the officer of the flying detachment, he is good at getting angry and accusing his soldiers, but at the same time he can't even figure out who his colleagues are. An ordinary sergeant was mistaken for a major because his name was Major·Major·Major. Because the officer refused to admit his mistake, he had to be promoted to major on the spot.
He has increased the number of missions again and again, but he can't even read the battle map, or even where the Vatican is. Today, I can't even imagine that a soldier who can't even recognize the map can become an officer who leads the entire squadron.
There are also people who have never made any military exploits, such as Milo, who can easily be promoted to the logistics officer who manages the rear kitchen just by flattering and providing high-quality lamb chops to the chief in charge of the logistics department, thus avoiding going to the battlefield.
In front of businessmen with a keen sense of smell, war has become an excellent business opportunity. Milo, who was promoted as a logistics officer, and a colonel who was fascinated by interests, were able to travel between countries to do business through speculative means in the war-torn era, and made a lot of war money.
In the later stage of the plot, for his own interests, he was even able to betray the country and planned an "Oolong bombing" between the US military and the German army.
However, in the end, the colonel, like the protagonist Joseph, could not escape the teasing of the god of fate. In order to get rid of the flight mission, Joseph sneaked into the command room at night and moved the bombing line on the strategic map a lot forward.
Full of joy, the friendly army attacked quickly, and the colonel, who went to take over the newly occupied town alone, couldn't wait to open the door of the town church, but strayed into the German army's lair and became the only victim of Joseph's prank. The irony of the story climaxes here.
The protagonist Joseph, who witnessed all this with his own eyes, felt more and more that this war was a complete farce, and the sacrifice of countless soldiers and the life and death of the country became meaningless.
After trying his best, Joseph, who was still unable to break free from the prison of war, finally chose to face it calmly, standing by on the bomber, smoking a cigarette, and welcoming the god of death that was approaching in the sky. At this time, he may only hope that he can get rid of this helpless world quickly...
As the original novel states, "Every victim is a perpetrator, and every perpetrator is a victim. Someone has to step up at some point to break the odious chain of traditional customs that endangers everyone." After watching this short six-episode anti-war TV series, I sincerely hope that there will be no more wars in the world in the future, because for those ordinary soldiers, there is never a real winner in a war.
In contrast to World War II, even if the actual US military never had such a ridiculous theory as "Catch-22" in World War II, if those US soldiers who shed blood for the victory of the war saw that their death In exchange, only intrigue and intrigue among politicians, I believe they will be very sad if they know about it.
The author of this article said that the article was first published on the WeChat public account "Cinema Life". It is recommended for DC, Marvel, sci-fi, fantasy, Europe and the United States, classic movies, and in-depth analysis of popular blockbusters. Just pay attention to "Cinema Life".
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