Macro Themes 

A Passage To India (1984), directed by David Lean, with Judy Davis, Peggy Ashcroft, James Fox, Alec Guinness

This film’s story is direct - there has been good and bad, love and hatred in British and Indian relationships during occupation, but there can be no mistake - the British days in India are numbered.

We see the potential lessons that could be learned from the Indians by the British, but lessons seldom pursued, we catch glimpses of India respect for the British, we cannot miss the British indifference, intolerance, and disrespect.

And, in a remarkable central, micro story, we find encapsulated in a British woman’s confusion and malice against an Indian man, the same parallel macro British-Indian confused rejection/love relationship.

This British woman’s micro story ends correctly, just as the macro story will eventually end - a great distance now separates the two, there is love and respect, jealousy and desire, but some things must be and must fade into memories.

Becket (1964), directed by Peter Geemille, with Richard Burton, Pete O’Toole, John Gieglud

This is good examination of a single, meaningful historic event as it related to the soul searching, worshiping, love-giving aspects of a nation being built.

Since nation building is still going on, for example, the dissolution of the “communist ideology” and most of the civil /border wars being fought today, and since the emotions, soul searching, allegiances, and cultural searching in this film might very well relate to this nation building still going on, this is a very relevant film and very thought provoking.

The Manchurian Candidate (1962), directed by John Frankenheimer, with Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury, and Janet Leigh

This film should be remembered, along with Dr. Strangelove, lest we forget the cold war mentality and hysteria that existed and created so many dangerous ideas and fears and responses.

Ideas such as planting Soviet mind-controlled people into elements of American society to conduct harm were considered by American intelligence as real threats.  And, out of all of this, came ludicrous stories and notions as portrayed by the Manchurian Candidate.

The film is a good statement to mentalities that can be created, based on falsities, on a nation-to-nation level and associated decision-making.

Saving Private Ryan (1998), directed by Seven Spielberg, with Tom Hanks

This film is a terrific inspiration for Memorial Day.  Its battlefield, “documentary-like” quality reins home well the pain suffered by fighters on the battlefield.

Through most of the film, going about saving Private Ryan seems by both those involved in the film, and this viewer, a dubious and questionable activity when more important things are at hand.  But, then at the end, I realized how much this act was related to saving one’s country, how General Marshall was so very right to view, in perspective, this act versus the destruction of war and killing a few more Germans.  In fact, it is a country that is capable of such valor that is worth saving and dying for. 

As Private Ryan would agree fifty years later, after returning to the gravesite of his saver, lets all never waste a moment of precious life when others have died that we may live.

Apocalypse Now (1979), directed by Francis Ford Cappola, with Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall

In this film, we are dealing with a thin line between good and evil, between moral and immoral, between the benefits of a Defense Department and the potential and realization it has for wreaking havoc on its own citizens through its actions.  There is a Machiavellian-like theme here - the need for nations to be ruthless when at war - versus the individual morality needs of its citizens.

The film moves into a mystical, dream, drug-induced stage in the last third, perhaps allegorically saying something about the state of American society in the 60s and 70s. And, perhaps this statement is just this – the conflict between a ruthless government policy, with Machiavellian overtones, and the morality of so many of its citizens, will lead to those citizens’ disenchantment with their government.

The Life of Emil Zola (1937), directed by William Dieterle, with Paul Muni

One might ask why “The Life of Emil Zola” would not go into biographical category.  For me, films can relate to more than one category.   I try to select the category that is the most important to me in terms of what the film is saying overall, the major statement the film is making to me.  For me, The Story of Emil Zola is most about nation building and national characteristics.

The film describes well French national problems of the 19th Century and how one man, Emil Zola, an intellectual and a writer, helps to unravel these problems and move the French nation in a direction.

Platoon (1986), directed by Olive Stone, with Charlie Sheen, William Defoe, 

This film is a good documentary approach to portraying war by those who actually engage in it, on the ground.   This is a thought-provoking commentary on the hell of war for those fighting in it.  This film ranks with “The Thin Red Line” in this regard.

The film suggests that war has little or no meaning or purpose to those who are fighting it on the ground; the macro meaning of the war transcends a micro ground level meaning.   The brutality and fear and insanity of the actions and the emotions that are created in   war are without parallel.   War consists of chaos, utter chaos, while experiencing it.

The film is a comment on the division between the macro and micro experiences wrapped up in war.  Ultimately, victory may eventually go to the side most made up of fighters that can combine the macro with the micro.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), directed by Frank Capra, with James Steward, Jean Arthur, Claude Reims

The message in Mr. Smith is the importance of honesty, justice, ideals, and pursuing these; the need for selfishness to the welfare of society.  These values must be current in the political system, or the system is in trouble.

In the film, the founding fathers are idolized, looked to as precedent setting, probably as a model for service and honesty, and those other values needed for a successful political system.  Goodness wins out, even wins over.  There are often conflicting drives even within the corrupt.  Corrupted people can be won over, changed, led by example, by effort and sincerity.

The way in which this film portrays political insights – perhaps the way in which it documents the Senate, Washington in 1939, might be considered a filmmaking first, one of it kind.

Another message is how easily fooled, manipulated people can be about things, political things - Washington.  Being in the right place, having the right values, and superhuman effort sometimes is required to make a political system such as ours function for the best good.

The Birth of a Nation (1915), directed by D.W. Griffith, with Lillian Gish

The film reminded me of Titanic in that both films covered a century.  In Titanic, there is a real sense of birth – the birth of a new born, the birth of a ship, the birth of love – a sense that we were dealing with a first major media story (the sinking of the Titanic), and then ending the story and the century with closure, death, a century – a long life of memories – a film that spanned the century with a love that saw the major changes and the duration of the century, a love so powerful that it allowed for the Titanic story to be resurrected as a story for the century.

The Birth of a Nation, of course, was about the 19th Century.   In perhaps a similar way, as with me in Titanic, viewers of The Birth of a Nation in 1913 walked away sensing a starting and ending feeling – a beginning, and an end, a sense of right being started and wrong being ended, a sense of wrong being dealt with, a sense that out of the events of the century, a union, a new country bettered, evolved, rebirth began, wrongs were being recognized, the 20th Century would be better off, than the 19th.

Perhaps, The Birth of a Nation helped end a century, just about the time that a lost ship helped begin the century.  Two films thus linked, by an industry that links people, and perhaps in this case peoples a century a part.

I wonder if there will be such a film at the end of the 21st Century.

Dr. Strangelove (1964), directed by Stanley Kubrick, with Peter Sellers (in at least 3 different roles), George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim Perkins.

A film with wonderful characterization  – a wonderful characterization of the madness of the US-USSR cold war face-off and its potential; a wonderful characterization of a general gone totally mad; a general gone partially mad; a too sane British officer; a mad scientist; a mad German scientist; a cagey, temperamental Russian diplomat; a Pentagon war room; and a B-22 crew led by an overzealous, patriotic southern Air Force major bulking for promotion.

All of this comes together rather scarily with a sense of what is possible, when events at the macro level get out of control, and the madness of that potential.  

All Quiet On the Western Front (1930), directed by Lewis Milestone 

Now I want to see Saving Private Ryan to determine which better shows the reality of battle (in fact, both do well, but neither do as well as The Thin Red Line and Platoon).  A fantastic picture of what war is really like and how on human terms it’s nothing but high tragedy.

This film’s documentary quality massage on the damaging, raw, stark, truth of the harm   of war to the participants suggests the seriousness of decisions at the macro level.

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), directed by David Lean, with Alex Guinness, William Holden

This film shows differences between three cultures  - English, American, and Japanese – on such subjects as nationalism, principles, and duty.

I think the film shows why the Japanese had to be losers – given their inflexibility and culture.   We see strict Japanese discipline, everybody working for a common good, but originality, initiative, and flexibility in executions and skills are lacking.

For the English, we see a lack to compromise, and a perhaps debilitating need for organization and its use as a response to the situation.

For the Americans, we see flexibility, a spirit of doing what one has to do to survive and how Americans are very successful at this, an ability to get the task done by the use of individual intelligence versus being boxed in by a set established discipline of traits.   There is something to be said for being a young country (organization), without debilitating habits.

The Right Stuff (1983), directed by Phillip Kaufman, with Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard

This is a good review of the Mercury program.  Seemingly historically correct, it shows well, insights into a very important, evolutionary interface of man with machine - as it relates to a major, significant national developmental program, going to outer space.

Advances just do not happen.  They require individuals doing individual things.  And, when these individual things work towards a common goal, a common purpose, then advances in a national (or lesser organization) program can happen.

This is good management-class discussion film.  It shows elements of the role of program management, human relations, teamwork, conflict resolution, and leadership – the right stuff.

Color of Money (1986), directed by Martin Scorsese, with Paul Newman, Tom Cruise

This film has a lot to say about focusing in on what really is important – the primary objective of your activity.  As Paul Newman says along the way in the film, something like  “you are in this only for one thing – the money, don’t ever forget that.  Don’t let being a hot dog stand in the way.  Every thought, every strategy needs to be focused on increasing the money that you can win while in this town”.  This concept is will presented in this film; strategic classes in management should look at the film and discuss.

Another important management area covered is mentoring.   This is a good film about the role that a mentor (Paul Newman) can play for a mentored (Tom Cruise).  This is an important area for an organization – one-on-one exchange (mentoring) really is where so much learning and fertilization and transfer of information, on unique organizational capabilities and skills and knowledge and know how, that cannot be learned anywhere else, except in the context and experience of the organization, is done.  In the mentoring portrayed in this film, we see concepts such as gaining trust, having position to be a mentor, active engagement, backing-off, integrity, and termination when appropriate.

The Madness of King George (1994), directed by Nicolas Hytner, with Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, Ian Holm, and Julian Wadham

This film makes me think about the issues of state/government governance, as the   capacity of the recognized /needed leaders deteriorate, disappear, and incapacitation appears.

The King George story is interesting and revealing.  It provides a lot of food for thought about the importance of accurate information and analysis and the responses to this information and analysis.  It also shows the need for scientific knowledge and understanding – its use in supporting the acquisition of good data for decision-making.  In fact, the film is a testimonial to how decision-making can be terrible, when suffering from the lack of good information and analysis, and the insertion of human beings with bias and poor abilities into the decision making process.  We also see the importance of the influence of rational input on the process.

Good Earth (1937), deiced by Sidney Franklin, with Paul Muni, Louise Rainer

“She was a woman of the earth”, Paul Muni says about his just deceased wife in the final few seconds of this film.

The film says a lot about the human condition in terms of the necessity for sacrifice and work; on the dangers of community, nature; separating bad influences from good destinations; and on the place of family.  But this film presents something more unique than a story about the human condition.  It becomes a macro statement on the relationship between our earth and us.

Paul Muni, in the above complement, could mean no higher praise for his wife.  The complement has, in it, inferences about her judgment, perspectives, soul, values, worth.

I also think the film has a broader, unique statement about the earth’s importance to   community.  As one peasant asks another peasant, as they are both struggling for their very survival during a period of revolution in China, “What is word revolution, what does   mean?”  The other answers, “ I don’t know but you can be sure it has something to do with food.”

I think this question/answer sequence relates importantly to this broader exploration in the film – the influence, if you will, that the earth has on our lives.  This film becomes a strong “environmental” statement (in the thirties), a film that should be loved by environmentalists.  The film has a fundamental statement to make on the necessity that we, as humans, must care about the wellbeing of the earth, if we are interested in our own wellbeing.

Ultimately, for me this film makes a global statement, a macro statement, about the relationship of the wellbeing of the earth as a necessity for the wellbeing of the community (and the individual).

Titanic (1997), directed by James Cameron, with Leonardo Di Caprio, Kate Winslet

Somewhat like The Birth of a Nation, made near the beginning of the last century, and looking back over the previous century in terms of important characteristics of that 19th century for the nation, Titanic, for me, has the same effect.  Titanic captures some fundamentally important changes that came about during the 20th Century: the development of new, and potentially dangerous, technologies which so many people will be involved with simultaneously; the advent of opportunity for the common man to transcend one’s status through the American economic system in a way never experienced before; the breakdown, also in a way extraordinary and never seen before, of old social structures and strata; the ability of science and investigation to uncover and analyze and put into perspective, and then to transmit all of the result, almost instantaneously, to the world; the “westward” march of so much of the world – going “westward” towards America, but not without real tragedy during this march; and, finally, through all of the above, and as a consequence, the liberation of the human spirit, the freedom to determine for oneself, one’s destiny and happiness. 

These are truly “macro” themes.

And, if these are not important enough attributes to make a film rare and momentous, we find in this film one of the most profound and penetrating of love stories, which covers not just the short few days of voyage toward a hidden iceberg, but the century itself.  This is a love story and result that one must separate from or one will experience un-bearing sadness (at least for me).

In short, this film will have to be near the top on my list when I look back over the many films I have watch and think about them.

Little Big Man (1970), directed by Arthur Penn, with Dustin Hoffman and Faye Dunaway

Talking about terrorism, and people blowing each other up, and one group performing atrocities against another – it was not just invented yesterday in the Middle East.  We need go no further than this film to remind us of that.

Who was right and who was wrong in the American west of the 1800s?  We have about as equal a difficulty in deciding guilt and placing blame on specific events then as we do now about events in the Middle East.  For me, a lot depends on assumptions, and since the assumptions one uses usually depend on a lot more than a good, strong dose of the historical facts, which may, after all, not even apply, but rather depend on cultural, emotional, and other “intangibles”, one person’s assumptions can be just as right as another person’s assumptions, even as both people come together in a field somewhere to kill each other.

So what do we do?  I would say films like Little Big Man can help us with insights into such a “macro” subject, a subject that is beyond individual control.  Let’s use such films to open up and advance our understanding of this “macro”, a subject much in need of new views and changed behaviors.