Remember Our Forgotten Men: Memorial Day Movies
A few Memorial Day films worth remembering
While Memorial Day was established to honor fallen soldiers, what better way to honor their memory than to see to it that those who survived are welcomed back home.
Among the greatest surprises in my film going experience is this final number from Mervyn LeRoy’s Gold Diggers of 1933, a pre-code backstage musical featuring elaborate Busby Berkeley choreographed dance numbers.
Trojan Horsed into the film’s climactic finale is this poignant and striking indictment of the treatment of World War I veterans, depicted as homeless, neglected, and down & out.
The juxtaposition of stark politics, and grim reality with the lavish fantasy of a stage musical is revelatory.
What’s old is new again as contemporary filmmakers address some of these same issues with documentaries showcasing the lives of returning veterans:
Oscar-nominated doc Hell and Back Again slated to air on PBS’ Independent Lens on Monday May 28, (I’ve looked and can’t seem to find it on any of the local channels - please add times to the comments section if you can find them) follows US Marine Sergeant Nathan Harris, 27 as he returns home from Afghanistan in the Wounded Warrior Regiment at Camp Lejeune recovering from a gunshot wound.