A Private War: The Life of Marie Colvin, a Female War Correspondent

Brenda 2022-03-30 09:01:08

I am very happy to see this film about the life of "The Sunday Times" female war correspondent Marie Colvin. The extraordinary work experience of this female reporter is definitely worth a film to record. She was unfortunately killed on the battlefield while reporting on the Syrian civil war in 2012. Before her death, she also reported live on TV. Although the film is not perfect, it has a near-perfect performance and deeds that are very worthy of people's attention, so I still strongly recommend it.

Marie Colvin is known as the one-eyed woman because she was bombed blind in a war report. Rosamund Pike demonstrated the bravery and steadfastness of a woman who was almost never intimidated by the fires of war. But one might think that she didn't actually need to go to those places herself, whether it was worth it as a journalist. But she was accustomed to the fire of war, like those soldiers who had gone to the battlefield. Although she left a psychological shadow, she unconsciously wanted to go back and experience those situations that most people could not imagine. Even if the bomb comes, she still thinks about what to do to convey everything she sees as quickly as possible, and her professionalism is very admirable.

The film shows her going to different battlefields to report many times. Although the editors seem to disagree with her approach, she can always find a way to sneak in by herself. From this point of view, there may not be many people who can do it. For example, in the battle in which she eventually died, the Syrian government was strictly reporting abroad and the country was blocked, but she could go alone. To a certain extent, this one-eyed woman is really like a superhero, but she does have a physical body and can't stand the impact of artillery fire. Marie isn't really trying to save everyone she goes to the battlefield, but at least she's looking for the truth, bringing the real reasons behind the war to people elsewhere, even if it doesn't make any difference. Even she herself said that even if the devastation and the suffering of civilians she saw were published, those who made the war might not care to read such reports. But as a journalist, she did her best.

The problem with this film is that, like many movies that describe war, in addition to continuously and intuitively showing the tragedies on the battlefield, there are also many flashbacks to show Marie's indelible nightmare after the shock, which is the reaction of PTSD. . This content appears many times, slightly repeated. In addition, although the war scenes in each place are very tragic, each has a different background, but there is not much time to explain it, which is easy to confuse people. Fortunately, Pei Chunhua's performance is really admirable, not only wearing old makeup most of the time, but also imitating his body and voice very much. It was hard to believe it was her. It just feels that she has introduced too much about her personal life, such as marriage, sex life, smoking, alcoholism, etc. It can be seen that she is not living a very healthy life, which has a lot to do with PTSD.

Although Fifty Shades of Grey actor Jamie Dornan doesn't have many lines, he is also a brave photojournalist. It's a good transformation for him, at least no one will laugh at him in this film. Lines, looking at his figure, it is easier to forget him and pay more attention to the character itself.

Biographies of such characters are expected to be difficult to sell, but they are still worth recommending. I hope that Pike Chunhua will be nominated again, so that more people will pay attention to the life and deeds of this female reporter.

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Extended Reading
  • Tara 2022-03-24 09:03:16

    From the protagonist's personal point of view, it is said that war reporters are somewhat crazy to go to and from dangerous areas again and again to witness people and events. It does not specifically emphasize her private life, work content and its meaning, but more on her mental state.

  • Rosemarie 2022-03-28 09:01:09

    [When you report on a war, you have to go where you might die or someone is dying] [I've been on a diet because I don't want to be fat, but I've seen a lot of people in the world starving The bitterness, so I became fond of eating] [I am afraid of getting old and dying at an early age] Her life is staying at the most brilliant moment, a person who is constantly self-destructing is like a moth to a fire, she must know that sooner or later there will be Then one day, Martha Gellhorn and Mary Colvin were women who could be idolized. I like Pei Chunhua but hope to remake it. If the reporter was a male, I would not use this angle and narrative to portray the characters.

A Private War quotes

  • Title Card: In 1986, Marie Colvin began a career as a war correspondent writing on the frontlines of every major conflict from Iraw to Afghanistan to Syria.

  • [first lines]

    Interviewer: Last question. Fifty years from now, some youngster's gonna pull this disc out of a box and maybe make a judgment about becoming a journalist. What would you want that youngster to know about Marie Colvin and about being a war correspondent?

    Marie Colvin: Very difficult question. It's like writing, uh, your own obituary. I suppose to look back at it and say, you know, I cared enough to go to these places and write, in some way, something that would make, uh, someone else care as much about it as I did at the time. Part of it is you're never gonna get to where you're going if you acknowledge fear. I think fear comes later,

    [realization chuckle]

    Marie Colvin: when it's all over.