Day 48: 14/04/2021
Good Morning Vietnam, Barry Levinson
A movie that says a lot without saying them => which is the heart of filmmaking.
A movie that touches the core of humanity with its notions of love, friendship and war.
The bit where What a Wonderful World plays by Louis Armstrong over war footage in Vietnam is a great example of golden rule of filmmaking, which is “Show Don’t Tell”.
When the only part of the movie “tells” , what it wants to “tell”, it happens in a very profound way through Tuan crying and shouting at us saying that the American soldiers are not helping anyone there away from their country, they are only causing more civilians to die.
He is centered in a close up, and the focus is on him and his background is completely blurred because there is nothing else important here than his look and his words. Here, he is also breaking the fourth wall speaking directly to the viewer. It is not Cronauer he is talking to anymore, it is us. We are to blame as humans not saying anything to the wrong we see with our society.
Everybody is alone in a movie theatre, yet it is still a collective experience – just like the society. We all think we are alone, and too small and what we do – good or bad – don’t really make a difference, but it does. We are all responsible whether we are the most responsible or not.
The movie greatly represents how more than what is shown is happening in Vietnam which is like a micro laboratory of all the world events. It shows how the brutality of reality is hidden and how an entertainer who portrays it, is advantageous for the people who are the source of this reality. That “entertainer”, although he criticizes what is going on, is also a gear of the wheel which is turning the whole system around.
In terms of its creative look, the grainy footage with real colours give it a great analog feel which is what we associate war photographs with. Tones of green can be seen all around – representing both the jungles of Vietnam and uniforms of soldiers but overall there is also a colourfullness throughout Vietnam shots, just like the local life there.
Loved the close up shot of their feet while Cronauer and Tuan are running, the first wears military boots while the latter only wears a version of outdoor slippers. Although we know the strategic role those slippers played in the role on the Vietkong side, this shot also shows the inequality of the fighting gear those two sides have.
Here is a shot from Alternative Posters Exhibition by Michal Krasnopolski
You can see more on: https://www.behance.net/gallery/57066505/Good-Morning-Vietnam
and yeah I just have to say that I really miss Robin Williams. ❤
100 Days 100 Films 