An evil, suicidal maniac, or, a caring family man? (The Long, The Short And The Tall (DVD))

Member Name: mqueen

Product:	The Long, The Short And The Tall (DVD)
Date:	17/10/01 (193 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gets you thinking

Disadvantages: Slow to start with

When I saw this film recently, I was surprised at how it differed greatly from the usual war film. As a rule, it was a set bound tale of a small group of British soldiers in the hot and humid jungles of Burma on the lookout for Japanese patrols.

Laurence Harvey stole most of the scenes of the film as the bickering and slightly unhinged chindit, with a good heart deep down. Richard Todd, the captain of the group was in good form as he strove to keep his men from completely buckling under the strain of tense jungle warfare.

The main thrust of the rather talky film, was how they viewed the Japs. They capture one alive and not knowing what to do with him, they each summise differing views. Is he an animal, or a caring family man? Does he deserve to be bayoneted or spared? And what of the ghastly practice of taking souvenirs of battle?

The questions the film raise are very thought provoking, showing up the hypocrisy that war invokes, as men seek to justify their reasons for killing other soldiers. As the film progresses, the plot heats up, with Richard Harris having a go in the acting stakes. Filmed in black and white, maybe to hide the obvious indoor sets, no one should hope for out and out action. The whole purpose of the film, seems to be to involve the brains of it's audiences. Don't take propaganda on face value. Work it out for yourself.

The ending is a little un-expected, (I won't divulge it, in case you haven't seen it) and succeeds in re-inforcing the truth that war is a hopeless and futile exercise. For all the talking and reasoning and arguing, you can never convince that one side is right and the other, wrong.

Overall, an important thinking man and womans film, that although slow to start with, eventually hits the spot.

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