District 9

Fisher - District 9

District 9, produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Johannesburg native Neill Blomkamp, is a science fiction film used to portray a scene of a partide. The science fiction genre was chosen to press social and racial issues as well as problems with the government. Its takes on an informative standpoint being shot in a documentary style. The movie follows the path of Wikus Van Der Merwe. Wikus is charged with the task of overseeing the eviction of an extraterrestrial species labeled as "prawns."

Only ten minutes into the film, the viewer comes across two issues that correlate with previous topics. We see during the interviews at the beginning of the film a man refer to these aliens as "prawns." A woman explains later that this is a derogatory term used for the alien that references them to crustacean bottom-feeders or scavengers. Immediately after her comment, an officer (authority figure) says, "well that's what they look like right? They look like prawns." This can be linked to the movie Hotel Rwanda when then Hutus are constantly referring the Tutsis as "cockroaches" and treating them as such. Yet this is not the only time that and place that a derogatory term is used to label the "other" or outsider. Most every race and culture has a similar term for anyone other than themselves. It is no coincidence then that the human citizens in District 9 refer to the aliens as "prawns."

The other issue is the ensuing eviction of the aliens from District 9 in order to relocate them to another camp. This can refer back to Pow Wow Highway and the attempt to remove the Indians from their reserve, given to them by the government. The aliens own District 9 can be viewed as a reservation that was given to them by the earth's government and now they are to be evicted. Wikus even makes a statement that is similar to the colonial mindset toward the Native American saying, "they don't understand the concept or private property. So we have to come there and say, 'Hey, this is our land. Please, will you go.'" However, District 9 is less like Indian reservations and more like the Jewish ghettos or possibly Sarajevo in the sense of there slum state of living. Trash fills the streets and the housing is composed of shacks assorted from sheet metal and scraps of junk. Blomkamp made it to look like the apartheid in South Africa. In this version of apartheid we see the aliens treated as the Africans were in the 20th century; they were separated from the humans, just as the blacks were from the whites. The aliens were classified and labeled by MNU and the humans, this being a similar theme in everything that was covered in the class. The Nazis classified the Jews and homosexuals. The Hutus and Tutsis had classified one another. Africans during the apartheid were forced to carry identification at all times. Classification seems to be centered genocide and racist acts.

The Scars of Genocide Run Deep

Fisher - The Scars of Genocide Run Deep

This weeks blog is on the genocide that occurred in Rwanda over a 100 day period in 1994. Over this period of time 800,000 were reported dead, not including any disappearances. The total death toll was 1,000,000+ ; if you do the simple math, that is an average of 10,000 people a day being killed. Much like Sarajevo of last week's blog, these events went on unnoticed. They were muffled by the media as they pushed the 1994 World Cup, held in America for the first time, to the front headlines. The world was captivated by the build up to the largest attended World Cup to date. Needless to say, Rwanda did not qualify, had they, maybe the headlines would have been different. This is the second event that we have discussed in two weeks whose story was hidden from the public. I am sensing a correlation here between genocide and media cover-up. One would think it would be the opposite. Does not bad news and death catch the public's attention easier than good news? Would not the reporting of mass genocide put your company to the top? And they could still cover the World Cup. I see no reason to stifle these stories. They contain graphic images, survival stories, mass killings, all things that would fascinate an average human being. Food for thought.

In order to get a better picture of the happenings in Rwanda, the class was assigned to read Murambi, the Book of Bones and watch Hotel Rwanda. These follow the lives of a few who were involved in these horrific events. The book, written by Boubacar Boris Diop a journalist and nine other African writers, was an attempt of remembrance of what happened during the genocide. To do this, the writers went to Rwanda in order to see and hear for themselves in order to do justice to the story. The story is split into four parts, but follows Cornelius Uvimana, a young history teacher who returns to Rwanda from exile to find his family, except for his uncle, dead. His uncle, Siméon Habineza, was present when all this happened yet he remains vigil each day as he bears the weight of his experiences. The book speaks to the reader with voices of the victims and the perpetrators. It also rejects the idea of retaliation as a way of repentance. This is very forward thinking and would be difficult for any man/woman/child who was wronged in this manner to do. However, it is a good idea to preach as retaliation would only lead to more suffering and death which would most likely continue the circle of violence and vengeance.

The movie follows Paul Rusesabagina a Hutu hotel manager. He works at a European hotel in Rwanda and is left to run the place after all the white managent leaves, fearing for their lives. He turns the hotel into a shelter, saving the lives of 1,268 Tutsis including his own wife and children. The movie contains many graphic images and scenes that attempt to shock the viewer into the realization of what was actually occurring. It was full on hate crimes being committed again the Tutsis by the Hutus. This came from the Tutsis having precedence over the Hutus due the their more angular features, heighth, and lighter skin. Therefore, they received better education, living quarters, and working conditions. The Hutus took up arms (supplied by China) against the Tutsis in attempt to "exterminate the cockroach infestation", referring to the Tutsis as insects. And they were treated as such, without any regard for human life. This can be compared to the Nazi's subjugation and eradication of European Jews. The Nazis viewed Jews as less than human or "life not deserving of life" and saw their own race as superior. In Rwanda there was the difference that the Tutsis originally were held in higher regard and the lower class tribe took the initiative. How odd would it have been for the Jews to have subjugated the German people? Scary right?

Sarajevo

Fisher - Sarajevo

Sarajevo is the capital city of Bosnia. It was known to be a beautiful city with much culture and happy inhabitants. However, during the years of 1992-1996 the city was under siege during the Bosnian War. The siege of Sarajevo was muffled by the media during these years and little news about the on-goings in the area was heard. I was familiar with this terrible event at a young age as a grew up with an evacuee of Bosnia. My friend Amar and I grew up and went to school together since the tender age of 5. I knew he was from Europe, particularly a place called Bosnia, which I figured to be Eastern European. Sadly, this was the extent of my knowledge of his situation at the time. It was not until I entered high school that my mother explained his situation to me. She made me aware of the war and atrocity that he and his parents had fled from. Had I known this when we had gone to school together I don't know if I would have acted any differently toward him, or if I could have even grasped the concept of what his family (in US and Bosnia) was going through. Whatever the case would have been, we are still friends today and he returns to Bosnia quite often to visit his family there. Lucky for him, Sarajevo is the fastest growing city in Bosnia, and a bustling capital with a vibrant culture. I would love to visit with him next time he returns.

With that in mind, the discussion this week is on the book The Cellist of Sarajevo and the movie Welcome to Sarajevo. They show different perspectives of what went on in the city during the siege. The book follows three separate people who are linked by the appearance of a cellist whom played everyday for 22 days in the streets of Sarajevo. He was playing for the 22 innocent lives lost during a bombing. The cellist inspired thousands who heard of his cause and how he continued to play everyday despite threats to his life and proximity to constant danger. This was his way of standing up to oppression, and showing his resolve in the face of a "never-ending" siege upon his city and his people. The people in turn mimicked his resolve, and protected him when he played. The Cellist of Sarajevo gives the reader an image of the victim's standpoint during the siege of Sarajevo.

 The movie, Welcome to Sarajevo, follows different groups of reporters who were in the city during the siege. There are those who seek fame, focus on a small section, or try to capture the entire tale. Either way, their efforts were to expose to the world what was happening in the streets of Sarajevo. Regardless of whether this was done for fame, the story, or to save lives, it needed to be done. People need to see what is happening to their fellow man, across the world or in their backyard. Every nation should be aware of what was happening in there, and these were the people to make sure that everyone knew. Yet, despite their efforts, the media turned a blind eye to what was happening in Bosnia. No one interceded on the innocent's behalf or stopped the mass killings. I suppose the world assumed things would work themselves out in 1992... 93.. 94... and so on. The truth must be told, the world cannot ignore the lives of countless innocents lost. We must pave the way the a new future, one where we are aware of the atrocities that mankind is capable of. We must have the knowledge and intelligence to choose other options, or crush ignorance before it rears its ugly head.

Pow Wow Highway

Fisher - Pow Wow

For this weeks topic there are three strong characters of the Native American people to compare and contrast with each other, with the Jewish Holocaust, and oppressed people throughout the world. There is Buddy Red Bow and Philbert Bono in the movie Powwow Highway and Marie from the short story "Saint Marie". Each of these characters is struggling to find their identity and dealing with it differently. Their stories address the oppression that whites demonstrated over the Native American people. It is seen in each that the characters cope their people's oppression and handle it differently. This idea can be construed with the same conception of the Jewish people's oppression by the Nazi party during the Holocaust. However, the genocide of the Native American peoples is much more drawn out. Where the mass-genocide of the Jewish people occurred over a few years during World War II; the genocide of the Native American Indians extended from the the middle of the fifteenth century into the twenty-first century. Powwow Highway tells the story of two men, Buddy Red Bow and Philbert Bono, who are Native Americans living on a reservation. A mine was discovered beneath their land and they were offered a deal to vacate their reservation. Buddy, thinking of the past when his ancestors were cheated and robbed of their land, denies the deal. He is distracted then by the news of his sister being arrested on charges of possession in New Mexico. This was a ploy to get Buddy to leave the reservation. Which was successful as Buddy leaves on a cross-country trek with Philbert in his "War Pony", a car in complete disrepair that surprisingly still runs. During the course of the trip, the viewer sees Red Bow struggle and fight against his oppression with a chip on his shoulder, as we see in the car radio scene. He lashes out against those who he thinks have wronged him. Reacting much like an animal backed into the corner of his territory. He does not handle his position well, and often times seems to not know why he is fighting or is angry. Over the trip he reconnects with his past/identity and finds a path. Meanwhile, Philbert is on a personal/spiritual quest to become a warrior. Bono is a gentle soul who finds his Native American identity elsewhere and by different means. Instead of fighting his fate like Buddy, he wishes to walk the same path as his ancestors and thereby establishing his identity as an Indian. What is interesting to note here is that the entire time that Buddy is acting violently and fighting, like a "warrior", Philbert walks the true path of a warrior. They both represent different reactions of people under oppression. They either fight against it or cling to their origins in vain hope. Marie, from "Saint Marie" somewhat represents a third option, conformity. Despite her treatment by the nun Sister Leopolda, she considers herself "as white" as any of the nuns in the convent. Marie survives her physical abuse to eventually be looked upon as a saint after the satist Sister Leopolda stabbed her hands with a fork, creating a false stigmata. This situation with the Indian children in the convent can reflect the oppression of the Medieval Catholic Church over the Native American people. Interesting that the same people who come over to preach and convert, many of whom died as martyrs, were also responsible for much of the early oppression against the "savages".

The Pianist

Fisher - The Pianist

This week we looked at The Pianist. Both the film and book version. The book is an autobiography by Polish-Jewish musician Wladyslaw Szpilman. It is a first person telling of his time during the war. The film, directed by Roman Polanski, is a third person retelling of the story with Adrian Brody starring as Wladyslaw Szpilman. The viewer is thrust into the turmoil immediately in the opening scene of the movie. Szpilman is at the Warsaw radio station giving his final performance while the city is being besieged by the German army. Polanski's portrayal of these first moments, during the siege of Warsaw is very moving and powerful for the viewer. However, Szpilman's vivid description in his autobiography is moving on a personal level, as many of his friends and family died that day. This is an example of how we are effected through different mediums.

 The film not being first-person, the viewer is unaware of Szpilman's thoughts and is left to meerly speculate. Polanski's rendering of the book is quite moving on the other hand. A Holocaust survivor himself, Polanski has the firsthand experience to put on display the grotesque artistry of the horrors of the war. He succeeds in evoking emotions in the audience with his depictions of the atrocities Szpilman has witnessed. From the soldiers forcing the people to dance, to the executions, and pulling the broken body of the boy from under the wall, Polanski does not fail to elicit a response from his viewers.

Yet the movie is not completely true to the book. The autobiography is based on Szpilman's experiences, witnessed by his own eyes. While reading, we know of his internal struggles, how he deals with what is happening around him. It is a much more personal telling of the tale. The film version is a representation of what Szpilman saw, shown to us by Roman Polanski. An example of a major change from book to film is the scene with Wladyslaw Szpilman playing for the German officer Wilm Hosenfeld. In the film, we see Adrian Brody play the Chopin Ballade m 1 in G minor on a decently tuned parlor piano without any practice. While in reality, and as we read in the book, Szpilman played c#-minor Nocturne on an aged, unkept, out-of-tune piano without having played or practiced for 2 1/2 years. Not only that, he was also malnourished, exhausted, terrified, in no state to play the rendition that Brody's Szpilman gives for the Nazi. This is a major change between book and film. That pivotal moment when it seemed Szpilman's life is hanging in the balance and he was told to play, he choose c#-minor Nocturne an "autumnal and introspective" piece. Polanski's choosing of Chopin played at that moment could be his own artistic view of his theme for the Pianist/Holocaust.

Schindler, Wallenberg

Fisher - Schindler, Wallenberg

I have been waiting for sometime now to see the movie Schindler's List, as it is considered an icon of Holocaust cinema. Good Evening, Mr. Wallenberg was the other film assigned. These films present characters that could be considered "Heros", but I look at them as regular people would made the decision to perform "heroic" deeds or actions. In the previous two films we saw characters that were simply determined to survive. John Halder and Max are in two different situations, as well as Schindler and Wallenberg. Halder a straight, German teacher and Max a gay socialite. However, with the onset of the war, they made the decision to survive regardless of the loss of family and loved ones. This was their choice, which can be looked upon as cowardly or pathetic. But due to the overwhelming circumstances, could we excuse their actions/decisions? I would say no simply because of the two men we learn of this week.

Oskar Schindler, a German business man, is the star of Schindler's List. This movie however seemed to be less about the actual plight and horror of the Jewish people and more about the glorification of this one man who saved a few lives. In reality, Oskar was a hard man with questionable motives. He saved the Jews by putting them to work in his factories. His actions were considered as heroic as he did save the lives of many Jews in Germany during the Holocaust. He even had the audacity to ask to be buried in Jerusalem "where his children are". Instead, he was buried on Mount Zion, the only member of the Nazi party to be treated in any such manner. Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat who saved the lives of thousands of Jews from Nazi-occupied Hungary. He did this by remaining true to his beliefs and not straying from what he considered as his path. His work allowed for the salvation of many Jews during the war. He would have continued his efforts had he not disappeared after a meeting with the Russian Malinovsky.

Good & Bent

Fisher - Good & Bent

Good, a play written by C.P. Taylor features an antihero named James Halder. He is a literary professor at Germany who has difficulties in life like any other man. These take a back seat after he joins the Nazi party. At first he can be considered the victim as he is forced into book burning and euthanasia of Jews by the SS party. At first he is the victim, however, after deciding to stay with the Nazi party, he assumes the role of the victimizer. He does this because despite his views on the Nazi's politics and proceedings and Hitler, he stays with the party due to the safety factor and is essentially is responsible for the death of millions of Jews. Instead of taking a stand for what he thought was right, he let it all happen in front of his eyes.

Bent, a play written by Martin Sherman, is about the persecution of the gays and Jews by the Nazi's during World War II. After World War I, Germany was considered a "safehaven" for gays in Europe. This all changed when the Nazi party came to power. Bent follows the story of a gay man named Max, who lives in Germany with his boyfriend Rudy. At first, Max can be seen as a victim, despite his cruelty bringing a German solider home with him to his place with Rudy. When the SS soldiers break into their home and kill the German solider, Max and Rudy are forced to flee. Now Max takes on a different role, he victimizes Rudy on the train by denying his sexuality and not helping him while he is being beaten, Max even helps beat Rudy, who dies on the train. Later, in concentration camp, he denies his love for Horst despite their true feelings toward each other. After Horst is shot by the guards, Max puts on a jacket with a pink triangle (signifying that he is in fact gay) and commits suicide by grabbing the electric fence, a victim of himself.

 In Night there is no blurring of the victim and the victimizer. Elie Wiesel is the victim from the beginning of the story, along with the rest of his people. The victimizers are the Nazi's who subjugate and kill the Chosen People. Elie can be seen as a victimizer when referring to his feelings toward his dad, yet despite his feelings they support each other and Elie helps his father struggle until the very end. However, when his father is on his death bed he cries out for Elie, who never responds. Elie went to sleep that night only to wake up and find his father gone.

 So we see that sometimes the lines between the victim and the victimizer can be blurred. Sometimes (in Good & Bent) it is difficult to tell one from the other. Other times it is very simple to point out who is the victim in each situation. In reference to Good & Bent, one should be true to oneself and stand for what is right despite any circumstances.