Although I’ve always loved movies I admit I don’t watch as many as I should. I had heard of the Spike Lee joint “Miracle at St. Anna” when it first came out, but I was too busy being a workhorse at the time to catch it during its run in theaters. Big mistake.
Last night, and just again a few minutes ago, I had the chance to watch what may be Lee’s best film in recent years, perhaps ever. And I mean that. His story about war, life, death & faith, to say nothing of race, set against the backdrop of the Italian campaign during WW2, is a must see for anyone who wants a full understanding of those times and the “other side” of the Greatest Generation.
Lee’s film, of course, harkens back to Steve Spielberg’s epic “Saving Private Ryan”, which bosted an all-star cast and was hailed as a cinematic masterpiece for its accurate, grisly depiction of war on the shores of Normandy. And no doubt, it was and is, a great film. Nevertheless, Lee’s “St. Anna” goes where Speilberg’s magnum opus doesn’t-it explores the very real racial politics of the US war effort, the emotions all of this generates in its Black soldiers, and how this plays itself out the military campaign against the Nazis.
“St. Anna” focuses on a Band of Brothas from the US Army’s 92nd Division-the Buffalo Soldiers-and their ill-fated attempt to take a town in Tuscany, Italy. Like many African Americans my age, it was a deeply moving experience, as we too had relatives who fought in the “Good War”, and what Lee shows on screen are things we can relate to; I know I could, having been told about many of the very same things myself by my Dad and Grand Dad.
For example, there’s a scene in a film when, before the fighting starts (a scene every bit as evocative as “Ryan”’s famed Normandy battle sequence), the Germans attempt to dissuade the Buffalo Soldiers from fighting (“Axis Sally”). They make the point that it is foolish to fight for a country that doesn’t even recognize you basic human rights-something I know well.
Because my own dad-himself a Marine vet of the Korean War-told me on several occasions, how the Koreans would drop leaflets saying the exact same thing. And as “St. Anna” shows, where Black soldiers had to with enemies within and without, or as my daddy would put it, how he “fought the Koreans in the daytime, and fought the crackers at night”.
Another scene in the film is powerfully evocative for me as well. When still training to be deployed, this same Band of Brothas attempts to be served some ice cream at a local store. The shop owner, a stompdown racist, pulls a gun on them, while Nazi prisoners of war are sitting in a both, enjoying sundaes. Nor was this unusual-in addition to things like this, my grandfather, who was a DI in the USMC during WW2, often told me about how “Krauts” could ride in the front of the bus-and how he had to ride in the back-even in uniform.
There’s more to the story, but I don’t want to spoil it for those who have yet to see it, and believe me, you want to see it-not just because of the “flipside” of the usual WW2 narrative, but also because its a damned good story, too. Many have believed that Lee was snubbed for an Oscar for “Malcolm X” and “Do The Right Thing”. I suspect his “Miracle at St. Anna” just might get buried in the Hollywood shuffle, too.
For the usual reasons.
