A couple in an aquarium on the Fourth of July?
No, Vietnam.
According to this war hero, jellyfish move like death feels, only dead people are heroes, and you don't mess with the vietcong. Those are the essential points that I got out of this movie, Little Dieter Needs to Fly. Before I began watching the movie I was unaware that it was a documentary. It was so raw, the cinematography and soundtrack so strange....its lack of flare did not contribute to its drama in any way. At least the chapters made the plotline obvious...but really, the subject matter was much more exciting than the grey/blue slides with white text made it seem. The horror, the pain, the endless torture, the despair, it was certainly beyond anything I would like to imagine. Who wants to become a pilot because THEIR VILLAGE IS BOMBED?! It wasn't like, "oh, I want to be a pilot because I want to fight back," he just thought it was godly. And then he talked about peeling potatoes for years in the military, and I thought that was sad. Oh no. Once he finally learns to fly and gets sent over to Vietnam, they shoot his plane down, and somehow he survives, tortured and beaten but hopeful, for MONTHS, before he is rescued. The whole story is dramatic, but when they started playing freaky weird music right in the middle of his dialogue, it lost a little bit of impact for me. I mean, come on, the documentary is about this guy, let the man talk! And that music, oh, that music, how weird can you get? It was sort of like a combination betwen a baby crying and rhythmic shouting. My favorite parts, however, were the aforementioned nuggets of wisdom. Right before death you feel like you're walking through this thick media....jellyfish=DEATH. You don't mess with the Vietcong. Nuff said. And only dead people are heroes, and therefore he doesn't think of himself as a hero. Well I was glad for that one. He has some interesting stories, and what they did to him was obviously beyond the realm of sick and evil, but the movie itself was not so stirring. They should have either cut out all of their ridiculous cinematics or played it up Hollywood style. It amazed how it could be so depressing but terribly boring at the same time...maybe the fact that they could make torture and imprisonment boring was sad in and of itself. So, ultimately, definitely not a movie that I would call an upper, and as a final rating on a scale of friggen awful to the best thing ever, I would give it a "meh".
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3 comments:
It seems as though the effects were what really ruined the story for you. I wonder if you would have felt differently, had you watched the movie ten years ago when it first came out. With the current plethora of special effects in films, it is difficult for old documentaries to compete. I have never viewed the film myself, but have seen it called inspirational, fantastic, and remarkable (from outside sources--not the DVD box). There might be more to the movie than you're giving it credit for. Theoretically.
Actually, I felt as if you enjoyed and got a lot out of Dieter's story. He is such an extraordinary character and I loved his idea about heroes, as well. Partly, your criticisms seem to be in reaction to Werner Herzog's direction and also to the lack of technical finesse, as your first comment points out. After viewing Little Dieter, I felt compelled to share his extraordinary story with my students. For me, there is nothing so moving as the story of someone succeeding against all odds. I was riveted by the level of detail he was able to recall and I had the sense (in the last still image) that the documentary was a cathartic experience for its subject. On another note-- I like the format of your blog, your aesthetic choices. Did you touch on fireworks and engagement rings?
Reading your post for a second time, since there is not a whole lot new on this blog! But, I think you make a very good movie critic!
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