Identifying The Platoon Genre With a Focus On WWII Films

Good Morning Do Now! What do you expect to see in a movie about WWII? What WWII movies have you seen? What is the most violent movie you have ever seen? Was there a purpose for the violence?

What To Watch For According to Jeanie Bassinger there are Three Basic Elements to the genre 1.Hero 2.Group 3.Objective

The Reluctant Hero The leader of the group Honorable and Courageous Objective is forced on him Series of difficult and unpopular decisions Keeps the group from falling apart

The Group Made up of a mixture of ethnic and geographic types The group faces a number of situations: weather, comedy, tragedy, loss, conflict within the group, questioning the objective, questioning leadership, a final climatic battle

The Group Often Includes: an ethnic (Italian, Mexican, Native American) a Jew a cynical complainer from Brooklyn a Midwesterner a weapons expert or sharpshooter who is also very religious newcomer without battle experience who will be initiated in some way

The Platoon

The Religious Weapons Expert eG8&t=71 A skilled marksman or weapons expert Uses his skill set to bail the group out of trouble Often seen praying or discussing religion with other members of the group

The Ethnic Character The Italian, Mexican, Native American Often loud, full of bravado, compassionate, emotional but also often the tough guy Spends time talking about home and his mother

The Jew His character is bound to have a 1 on 1 showdown with a Nazi Often adds comic relief Often played by an actor cast against type

The Cynic Often questions decisions Challenges the leader on a number of occasions Redeems himself by taking major risk and saving lives Gains admiration or understanding of leader by end of film Usually one of the few that live

The Newcomer No battle experience (usually a fish out of water) Eager and asks lots of questions, the audience learns with this character Develops into a gritty and brave soldier

Objective They have a task that could result in death for many of the group members yet they push on. - Movie spells it out This becomes a point of contention amongst group members, but the objective must be met at all costs. /watch?v=_Dv56tkC2Jo /watch?v=CbNwY_QFR1A &t=242

Reoccurring Themes A gruesome death that shocks the audience and rocks the group Making the best of a bad situation (coping with humor) The Last Stand om/watch?v=mKpQB3b EPbI om/watch?v=mKpQB3b EPbI om/watch?v=yPWnipuK YAs om/watch?v=yPWnipuK YAs om/watch?v=oJ3bzg- Tvt4 om/watch?v=oJ3bzg- Tvt4

Directorial Intent A director or screen writers purpose for making this film – What is the intended message to the audience? – Does this message reflect the sentiment of the period in which it was made?

Intent Through Decades War Movies often reflect the sentiment toward war of the era in which they are made. This is what you are likely to see in WWII movies : – 1940s – Encouraging war messages / almost recruiting videos – 1960s – Questioning authority, critical of the administration – 1990s – Tribute to bravery and honor

1940s Movies made during the war often portrayed a pro-war message. In some cases were even commissioned by the U.S. Government Stressed the importance of bravery and duty to ones country

1960s During the 60s during the Vietnam War many Americans questioned the purpose of war and the decisions of politicians. Movies made during the 60s often reflected this as the soldiers were portrayed as brave and intelligent but commanding officers and decisions were portrayed as pointless or unintelligent.

1990s The end of the decade brought a celebration of the Greatest Generation, those men and women who contributed to an allied victory. Movies made during this time period often celebrated the sacrifice of these people and sometimes questioned whether the current generation had done enough to “earn it”.

The Evolution of Violence