Use of Budget
As a good Dutch girl, it is genetically encoded in my DNA to be thrifty (read: dirt-cheap!) As such, this section of the critique is generally difficult for me to write, since I must fight every instinct to nit pick more ways in which the filmmakers could save money.
That being said, I was expecting this movie’s budget to be much higher than it actually is. I am truly amazed at how great this movie looks for only $5,000! Of course, they surely saved a lot of money by negotiating cast, crew, and production gear “in kind.” This type of arrangement might be tricky when making the transition to a feature-length film, but I would be willing to bet that this 40-minute film will go a long way in securing any future financial backing.
Lasting Appeal
Historical accuracy is very important in war epics, since the people who watch these types of movies are usually the ones who fought the wars. Unfortunately, I did not have the assistance of any military men or women to help me out in this area, although I was pleased to find that Wikipedia backed up the information about the nerve gas manufacturing plant in Poland.
I was unable to find any information that verified whether this particular mission was real or not, which is a fact that the more historically knowledgeable viewers may get picky about. However, some will likely walk away with a more important idea – the importance of servitude and sacrifice.
Overall Comment
God and Country has the distinction of being the first critiqued film that has brought me to tears – which, as you can imagine, is not an easy task! Of course, it will not be long before I become a military wife, which gives this film a lot more meaning to me. It’s easy to romanticize about serving one’s country – not so when it’s you or your loved ones doing the fighting.
However, in a time when protesting war is the popular thing to do, a film like God and Country is necessary to remind us of the sacrifices made to protect the freedoms we so easily take for granted.
“We have enjoyed so much freedom for so long that we are perhaps in danger of forgetting how much blood it cost to establish the Bill of Rights.”
-Felix Frankfurter
