Unbroken (An Angelina Jolie film) 2014 PG-13

"War, what is it good for? 

Absolutely nothin'!"- Edwin 

Starr


The Mamasapano Massacre in Mindanao made the people wish that an ALL OUT WAR should happen there.  Those that are wishing or hoping for that to happen do not know what they are hoping or wishing for.


"The War Song"

By THE CULTURE CLUB
War war is stupid
and people are stupid
And love means nothin
in some strange quarters
War war is stupid
and people are stupid
And I heard them banging
on hearts and fingers
People fill the world
with narrow confidence
Like a child at birth
a man with no defence
What's mine's my own
I won't give it to you
No matter what you say
No matter what you do
Now we're fighting
in our hearts
Fighting in the streets
Won't somebody help me
Man is far behind
in the search for something new
Like a Philistine
we're burning witches too
This world of fate
must be designed for you
It matters what you say
it matters what you do
Now we're fighting
in our hearts
Fighting in the streets
Won't somebody help me
After the bird has flown
He walked ten thousand
miles back home
You can't do that to me, no
you can't do that to me
You can't do that to me, no, you can't do that to me

Zamperini in 1941


UNBROKEN is a movie about 1936 Olympian, Louis Zamperini,  a prisoner of war who chose to forgive his captors.  The actors are very convincing and I felt the agony of the government issues who were captured and tortured by the "Japs".  




Ms. Jolie and her screenwriters portrayed Watanabe "The Bird" Mutsuhiro not only as a sadist, but they also implied that he was homosexual as well...that the reason why he was singling Zamperini out was because he was fighting his personal feelings...

My dad, a retired Flag Officer, said that there are things that are not plausible there.  Scientists and doctors would explain that certain scenes, and I'm not talking about those scenes that were similar to Ang Lee's masterpiece, The Life of Pi, if they happened in real life, would have killed Zamperini right there and then.  Yes, there were many miracles in his life, and that was why he decided to live a life serving our Lord and Savior, but my dad strongly believes that a lot of scenes were done only for cinematic effect.  In any case, they pulled some heartstrings.  War, indeed, is very, very stupid!




Louis Zamperini's heart was full of love and after all his suffering, he chose to forgive his captors.  He planted seeds of love and not hatred.  This movie, even if its intention is otherwise(I hope), teaches the people to hate, even if Zamperini does not want that. 




There were a couple of scenes that made Zamperini decide to forgive his captors and to live his life in service for God: On their way to the other camp, Zamperini saw innocent lives wasted and when the war was over, he saw Watanabe's picture with his dad.  These two scenes made Zamperini realize that the Japanese, including Watanabe, are human beings too,  They have feelings, families and the right to live as well.



SM City BF P'que Director's Club, Cinema 2



Director: Angelina Jolie
Running time: 137 minutes
Adapted from: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
 Cast:


A review that I kind of agree with:

Jolie's "Unbroken" is in serious need of repair


Links:

Louis Zamperini's Wikipedia Page

4 Lessons in Manliness from Louis Zamperini

Louis Zamperini Quotes from Good Reads

Japanese Prison Guard Who Tortured Unbroken Hero Zamperini Was Once Interviewed by 60 Minutes

Laura Hillenbrand: 'Seabiscuit' Author's New Hero 'Unbroken' By War


"Unbroken" From Japanese Perspective

Japanese conservatives call for ban on Angelina Jolie’s WWII movie


How Accurate Is Unbroken?




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