Arc of War in Film

Whether fighting with burning spears in the days of Gladiators to modern day Middle East warfare the war film has always been popular in Hollywood. War films have shown the honor of battle and the valiancy of fighting for ones freedom in films like "Patton" and "Gettysburg". They've shown the inhumanity and tragic consequences of war in films like "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Platoon".

They start at some point of innocence, rile up power with a call to arms, show fierce and devastating battles, encounter victory and crushing defeat, and gleam in pride and suffer in the horrible consequences of its aftermath and many times show the world anew after the war. Tonight we're looking at the arc of war through the silver screen and see different sides and different perspectives of a world at war.

Guests:

Garen Daly, a film reviewer, artistic director of the Dedham Community Theatre in Dedham Massachusetts, and On Point's Movie Maven

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst and senior editor at the Atlantic Monthly magazine