I caught this movie on cable when it had started maybe half an hour before. I hadn't watched it before because I thought it would be corny. It wasn't that bad, I think, but even if it were hideous, there was one scene that made the movie worthy: the one in which the Japanese commander sings to Close's character.
I read a text by Umberto Eco about ethics, in which he explained that you failed to respect others' rights when you don't see those others as equals, and this scene was the perfect example. It was beautiful and, at the same time, terrible to see that this man, who almost kills her in other circumstances, has the human need to be acknowledged and approved by her. It is beautiful and terrible to see how he can disrespect her human rights and at the same time respect her opinion so much. And you can see it in Close's face: the perplexity of recognizing for a moment her captor as a human being who is capable of terror and beauty. Eco was absolutely right: music is too human a skill; you cannot listen to somebody who sings and still regard him/her as something inferior. And yet the roles cannot change that easily. Hate becomes harder, but is there anyway.
The scene was very powerful for me, because it summarized a war too well: a chaos where everybody is dehumanized and everybody fights to be human again.
I read a text by Umberto Eco about ethics, in which he explained that you failed to respect others' rights when you don't see those others as equals, and this scene was the perfect example. It was beautiful and, at the same time, terrible to see that this man, who almost kills her in other circumstances, has the human need to be acknowledged and approved by her. It is beautiful and terrible to see how he can disrespect her human rights and at the same time respect her opinion so much. And you can see it in Close's face: the perplexity of recognizing for a moment her captor as a human being who is capable of terror and beauty. Eco was absolutely right: music is too human a skill; you cannot listen to somebody who sings and still regard him/her as something inferior. And yet the roles cannot change that easily. Hate becomes harder, but is there anyway.
The scene was very powerful for me, because it summarized a war too well: a chaos where everybody is dehumanized and everybody fights to be human again.