Bravery in the field
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Bravery in the field |
| Country of production | Canada |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1979 |
| length | 29 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Giles Walker |
| script |
Alexander Bremner Giles Walker Ian MacNeill John Kent Harrison |
| production |
Roman Kroitor Stefan Wodoslawsky |
| music | Ben Low |
| camera | Savas Kalogeras |
| cut |
Les Halman Susan Shanks |
| occupation | |
| |
Bravery in the Field is a 1979 Canadian short film directed by Giles Walker .
action
Tommy once fought as a sergeant in World War II and was awarded the medal for valor in the field, among other things. He now uses his medals to move them to the pawn shop and thus get over the month before he receives the next pension check. In addition to his medals and his budgie, it is the meetings with other veterans in the clubhouse of the Royal Canadian Legion that determine his day. In the run-up to Remembrance Day in November, a woman sells poppy pins to be worn on the day in memory of the war dead. Three punks take the cash box from her and toss it to each other. Tommy steps in and slaps one of the boys, Lennie. In the evening over a beer, he proudly talks about the incident. The three punks have meanwhile seen Tommy go into the club house. You want to take revenge on him and pass the time sniffing glue . They later attack Tommy, who received his pension that day and therefore triggered his medals. They steal money and medals from him, but Tommy manages to break Lenny's nose with his cane. The three young men then brutally beat him up. Tommy is passed out and taken to the hospital. Lenny also comes to the hospital because of his broken nose. Both are in adjoining rooms. Lenny hears Tommy recapitulating in his sleep a scene that took place on the field back then: he saved a comrade's life and lost his leg in the process. Lenny is shocked when he realizes that the three of them beat up a man with a prosthetic leg. He escapes from the hospital.
Lenny meets his two buddies, but reacts monosyllabically to their greeting. He borrows the jacket from one of the boys and finds Tommy's medals in his pocket. He registers the preparations for Remembrance Day and finally visits Tommy at home. He apologizes to him and gives him the medals back. Tommy refuses to accept his excuses - he has no family and no work - and as a deserving soldier he doesn't have a rosy life either. Shortly thereafter, Lenny takes part in the Remembrance Day Veterans Parade as a spectator. He sees Tommy passing by with his medals and is delighted. At the memorial event, the emotional reactions of many in attendance show that memories of the events of the war are still alive.
production
Bravery in the Field was produced by the National Film Board of Canada as part of the Adventures in History series. Production costs were around $ 250,000. The artistic direction of the film was held by Claude Paré . After the release of the film in 1979, the Canadian Society of War Amputees (War Amputees of Canada) expressed criticism of the film because Tommy was presented as an alcoholic in the course of the plot.
Awards
Bravery in the Field was nominated for an Oscar in 1980 for Best Short Film. It won two Genie Awards that same year : Outstanding TV Drama Under 30 Minutes and Outstanding Cinematography in a Dramatic Film (Non-Feature).
Web links
- Bravery in the Field in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Bravery in the Field on the National Film Board of Canada website
Individual evidence
- ^ Gary Evans: In the National Interest: A Chronicle of the National Film Board of Canada from 1949 to 1989 . University of Toronto Press, Toronto 1991, p. 261.