The bombastic sounds of death, the sheer cry of lost innocence and the roar of victory are constant sights and sounds of war as created by American filmmakers of the past. Directors of world war movies typically take the viewpoint of the white American soldier fighting for the preservation of democracy and American freedoms. However, when the struggles of war are articulated through the voice of race relations, those popular images of white dominance within our history become clouded with visual images of a stable nation, fighting for the same freedoms whites fought for. Add some extraordinary fighting scenes, propaganda and a vibrant usage of color, and you have a Spike Lee Movie, directing its attention of changing historical racism in American culture.
Spike Lee’s (“Do the Right Thing”) “Miracle at St. Anna” is about the horrors of World War II, which depicts the miraculous efforts of an oppressed race fighting to have its place in history.
The movie takes place in Italy during World War II. The storyline follows the struggles of four black soldiers fighting in an all-black brigade. They immediately face adversity in the beginning battle when the four soldiers are separated by their racist white captain Nokes, (Walter Goggins “CSI”, “Shanghai Noon”) who can’t believe black soldiers made headway on German opposition causing him to shell his troop’s position.
After his separation from his comrades, the spiritual and rather humorous “Train” (Omar Benson Miller, “Transformers”) finds a wounded Italian orphan named Angelo (Matteo Sciabordi), whose story creates the foundation of the film. While trying to find his parents — who were previously killed — Omar connects with the child and together, they form a nurturing relationship. Omar eventually meets up with the whimsical Sgt. Bishop Cummings (Michael Ealy, “Barbershop”), Hector Negron (Laz Alonso, “Jarhead”) and the serious and candid Staff Sgt. Aubrey Stamps. (Derek Luke, “Finding Forester”) Yet upon their meeting, they encounter a small partisan family trying to fight the Nazi armies invading their small Italian villa.
Although contrasting in subject, “Miracle at St. Anna” finds common ground with other Lee classics such as “Do the Right Thing.” For example, Lee’s usage of vibrant color represents the abuses of power and acts as a powder keg ready to explode upon racial tensions. In one particular, the soldiers tear down glowing red Nazi propaganda posters, which symbolizes their triumph over a demoralizing ideology of hate. This triumphant scene later morphs into a climactic image of Train rejecting the demands of his white captain, leaving him and his friends to fight the Nazis by themselves.
Lee’s strategic use of flashbacks also works to enhance the film and further the theme of universal freedom. When a coffee shop clerk denies the four black soldiers food as they watch four German officers indulge in their warranted freedoms, they are compelled to come back with guns and demand better service. The powerful emotion that the scene depicts, and is re-lived by the characters, illuminates the soldiers’ cause to create their own nation: a nation that is defined by the freedom for all colors.
Despite these achievements, the movie is too long. The film is jam-packed with violence and an interesting main plot, yet the peripheral sub-plots add unnecessary length.
Lee succeeded in portraying blacks as guides to America’s bright democracy. Though the movie drags on, “Miracle at St. Anna” removes the dark shadow of anonymity placed on African-American soldiers in WWII and argues that we cannot ignore our silent past.
4 stars out of 5
