Tuesday, August 04, 2009

The Americanization of Emily

The Americanization of Emily is a 1964 film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring James Garner, Julie Andrews, Melvyn Douglas, James Coburn (a favorite of mine), Keenan Wynn, William Windom (who has an original series Star Trek connection). This comedy/drama takes place in London during WWII.

Youtube has it online in 11 pieces that should autoplay from here:

Part of the movie from the 6th section is not included.

I don't trust people who make bitter reflections about war, Mrs. Barham. It's always the generals with the bloodiest records who are the first to shout what a Hell it is. And it's always the widows who lead the Memorial Day parades ... we shall never end wars, Mrs. Barham, by blaming it on ministers and generals or warmongering imperialists or all the other banal bogies. It's the rest of us who build statues to those generals and name boulevards after those ministers, the rest of us who make heroes of our dead and shrines of our battlefields. We wear our widows' weeds like nuns and perpetuate war by exalting its sacrifices.
...
It may be generals and ministers who blunder us into wars, Mrs. Barham, but the least the rest of us can do is resist honoring the institution.


The New York Times gives it high praise. Slant Magazine says it "offers a scathing critique of the military establishment, war, and its pervasive glorification." TCM has an overview, as do MSN and AMC.

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