This film by Jean-Luc Godard, displays the stupidity and cruelty with war (not unique per se) but on the whole, the stupidity of mankind, the quest for ecocentric goals, no matter the consequences for others: Exitus acta probat.
We get to meet two poor men and their women, being almost beseiged by soldiers - 'carabiniers' - who exhort them to join the army and fight in the ongoing war, somewhere and nowhere.
In order to persuade them, the soldiers show them a letter written by the king, promising the men riches, like a pool, Maseratis (car), women and everything else they want (but not need).
The two 'light-headed' young men let themselves be inrolled in the army, leaving their women behind.
Devoting themselves to the killing, the plundering and all the other atrocities implied in a war, they send their two waiting women post cards, displaying all the beauty in the world in all the different places they visit.
Their women at home are not as fidel as the young men presume and when the men return, they want to see all the riches and money they have earned during their 'crusade' but all they have is a suitcase with even more post cards. They hereby display the riches of the world, on the same time being as poor as when they left. However, the officers have promised that the day they see fireworks in the sky, it's the signal that the war is over and that they are going to be paid.
One day the fireworks are visible and they all head towards the town, just to find that the king's men have lost and that the enemies now are going to execute those fighting on his side and the execution of the two men ends the film.
On the whole this is not such an impressive film but I think though that in all its simplicity it takes on the atrocities of war, as good as any other more elaborate war film. It displays the violence in a more stylistic way but on the same time very effective, making the film viewers feel as disgusted as if the cruelties had been shown in a more detailed fashion.
It's a chamber play but as such quite interesting, when asking important questions about why people decide to do what they do and if we have a free will, on the same time criticizinig the consumer society, in the end killing the humans (physically or mentally).
The four young main characters also bear the mythic names of: Ulysses, Michel-Ange, Venus and Cleopatre.
Actors: Marino Masé, Patrice Moullet, Geneviève Galéa, Catherine Ribeiro among others.
We get to meet two poor men and their women, being almost beseiged by soldiers - 'carabiniers' - who exhort them to join the army and fight in the ongoing war, somewhere and nowhere.
In order to persuade them, the soldiers show them a letter written by the king, promising the men riches, like a pool, Maseratis (car), women and everything else they want (but not need).
The two 'light-headed' young men let themselves be inrolled in the army, leaving their women behind.
Devoting themselves to the killing, the plundering and all the other atrocities implied in a war, they send their two waiting women post cards, displaying all the beauty in the world in all the different places they visit.
Their women at home are not as fidel as the young men presume and when the men return, they want to see all the riches and money they have earned during their 'crusade' but all they have is a suitcase with even more post cards. They hereby display the riches of the world, on the same time being as poor as when they left. However, the officers have promised that the day they see fireworks in the sky, it's the signal that the war is over and that they are going to be paid.
One day the fireworks are visible and they all head towards the town, just to find that the king's men have lost and that the enemies now are going to execute those fighting on his side and the execution of the two men ends the film.
On the whole this is not such an impressive film but I think though that in all its simplicity it takes on the atrocities of war, as good as any other more elaborate war film. It displays the violence in a more stylistic way but on the same time very effective, making the film viewers feel as disgusted as if the cruelties had been shown in a more detailed fashion.
It's a chamber play but as such quite interesting, when asking important questions about why people decide to do what they do and if we have a free will, on the same time criticizinig the consumer society, in the end killing the humans (physically or mentally).
The four young main characters also bear the mythic names of: Ulysses, Michel-Ange, Venus and Cleopatre.
Actors: Marino Masé, Patrice Moullet, Geneviève Galéa, Catherine Ribeiro among others.
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