| Overall Grade: |
A |
|
| Story: |
A |
|
|
| Acting: |
A+ |
|
|
| Direction: |
A |
|
|
| Visuals: |
A+ |
|
|
Dark Miracle Preaches Soul.
by Jim B (movies profile)
Sep 25, 2008
51
of
73 people found this review helpful
“Miracle at St. Anna” takes place in the high heights of the sculpted hills of Tuscany Italy during WWII where fascists remain helping the Nazis in their war campaign, and is a good film on war and battle, if you like war Pics. It is also a film on faith, inner spirit, trust, deceit, love, friendship, communication, hatred, betrayal, revenge, bigotry and honesty and at times can be very moving.
It is also a very violent and disturbing film and it shows the horrors of killing and being killed. Miracle… shows a pogrom of a large group of women, children and aged on their knees in front of a church, St. Anna, at the hands of a few well equipped German Soldiers where they literally empty their weapons of ammunition, till there are no more bullets, into these helpless worshippers wearing their Sundays best and you the viewer have a front row seat to witness this tragedy.
Murder at a post office in NY sends the story back in time to Italy and WWII and out onto a battle field; separated from home for the first time every young soldier fears the next moment as virgins when entering into battle. They go through all sorts of terrible imaginations of their impending death and react as any youth would stepping out into the world of the unknown, tools in short supply and scant knowledge to pacify their nerves. They look deep into places inside themselves they have never explored before which in turn carries its own fright. They become children, prayers, faithless, hard boiled, doctors, lawyers, poets, invisible and even men of might and reason within moments without warning as the first rifle pop of battle cracks the air. It is so for the 92nd Infantry Buffalo Soldiers Division in the early 1940’s of WWII somewhere in Tuscany seeking to destroy the evil “Krauts” who lie camouflaged in wait just ahead for these soldiers who are thrown into battle as cannon fodder, sent by the lily-livered white soldiers who stay back till the Krauts are softened up a bit before marching in a more formidable strike by an all white battalion. At least that is the way Director Producer Spike Lee delivers this opening message on war and being a black soldier in it.
The story is centered around a found marble bust which comes from a destroyed bridge, blown up by the Germans in Florence a short time before we meet the soldiers of the 92nd Infantry Division. The Bust is carried by Sam Train, in some netting, from off his waist taking it with him wherever he travels. He rubs the Bust’s forehead for luck and positive outcomes to his situations throughout the film.
Spike Lee has always been able to discover great acting talent for his work and Miracle continues this constant. Derek Luke (Stamps) gives a wonderful heart felt performance as do the rest of the cast of Buffalo Soldiers at St. Anna. The characters are somewhat stock, however are clearly defined by this talented group of actors. Omar Benson Miller (Sam Train aka Sniper Bait) is glorious in his roll of this Boy-Man and will take you the viewer on a ride you won’t soon forget. Michael Ealy (Bishop) plays the disillusioned young man, and I had wished to have seen more of his life in this film though he was effective. Laz Alonso (Hector Negron) was largely lost in the film even though he is the reason this story is told. We see the war through Hector’s eyes as he is our narrator in a sense by memory, but his characters life is lost in the telling during the military campaign so we never learn who he is and what he feels about his life and we are somewhat detached finally when all is discovered with him at films end.
The Italian cast was equally amazing and young Matteo Sciabardi (young Angelo Torancelli) along with Mr. Benson Miller’s performance, will rip your heart from your chest. Director Lee astounds in his ability to focus on this child finding the performance that displays this God’s wisdom through the features of a boy, building slowly their relationship where at a certain point, you will, without hesitation shout out loud to stop the madness of war and hate.
Violence and Humanity are loomed together in this story creating a medieval pagan tapestry where the celebration of ones good life is in the hunt of beauty’s death. Miracle captures the soul of “The Sorrow and the Pity” and of what it must be like to give up one’s own spiritual self, by force, to someone you despise.
The town in Italy where this film is shot is absolutely perfect. The interiors are spare and sitting at the dinner table is like sitting with Van Gogh’s and his Potato Eaters, rustic and dark. The exteriors are what you’d imagine this town would look like before the war and the tourists happen; narrow passageways with hidden entrances and stairs around every curve; endless stone pathways leading to more stone habitats and animal pens winding up the mountain along the ridge.
Spike Lee is all too often his own worst enemy when making his films. What he preaches borders on a mantra that the White man is the Devil and the Black man remains his procurement and must learn to fight Whitey at every turn. Often it is difficult to get past this with Mr. Lee. He has a penchant for spitting on all those who are white by casting them as untrue to nature or a biopsy of evil and lacing this theme in his films from beginning to end. Mr. Lee may be one of America’s greatest Film Directors but involves himself in this campaign that often sucks out the strength and splendor from his work.
This is a must see film, but more so, a must read book. |
My Public Profile 
