Torture is an issue that inspires passion, as well it should. It is horrible, of course, but is it ever justified? These days I would hope it would be used as a last resort if credible information surfaced about an attack designed to inflict mass casualties. I would never have the stomach or moral certitude to do it myself, but I’m grateful that others do. Last night I viewed
The Railway Man (2013), adapted from a memoir by Eric Lomax about his suffering at the hands of the Japanese. It echoes
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), set in the same places, Burma/Thailand, where British POW’s were forced to build a railroad, many losing their lives in the brutal conditions. The narrative begins years later. Lomax has married. Unbeknownst to his wife, he suffers PTSD. Eventually, he returns to the site, where the Japanese officer responsible for the atrocity is working as a tour guide. The confrontation offers the film’s best moments. In the commentary section at IMDb, there were several complaints that the actions diverged from those in the book. If the filmmakers were trying to establish a moral equivalence between the tortured and the torturers, I think it’s a mistake. The British Empire advanced civilization, not always gently, but it vastly improved the world. The Japanese Empire, had it and the Nazis succeeded, would likely have created an era that would have made the dark ages seem mild. Their atrocities, the Rape of Nanking, the Holocaust, the carnage of WWII, are documented, fact. Lomax wrote a letter to President Bush, denouncing methods used at Guantanamo. Like John McClain, he has spoken out against torture. Who can blame them, given what they suffered? Any rational person prefers a world where there is no torture. Unfortunately, there are sub-humans out there willing to kill thousands, if not millions at a time. 16,000+ users at IMDb have rated
The Railway Man, forging to a consensus of 7.1 of ten. That seems about right. Anyone squeamish about graphic depictions of atrocities should pass. Anyone who has read the book should expect changes, as several commentators pointed out. It runs two hours. Although it moves slowly and the story is familiar, I did not pause the DVD even once. Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Stellan Skarsgard bring their usual excellence to their roles, and Jeremy Irvine is outstanding as the young Lomax. The title refers not only to the construction project but to Lomax's fascination with trains.
I had the good fortune of immediately finding a parking spot today, which proved fortuitous for the floating book shop. As I was setting up shop, a young woman exited the bank. She needed something to read for a long drive, chose a thin paperback romance by Nora Roberts, and grossly overpaid. My thanks, and also to the middle aged woman who bought Rebecca Wells' smash chick-lit hit,
The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. She read a couple of chapters while seated in a nearby sunny nook, enjoying coffee and a cigarette as well. Thanks also to Jack of Chase, who purchased David Baldacci's
The Whole Truth, and the elderly woman who included a Sandra Brown mystery to the stack she intends to take on a six-week stay in F-L-A. Conspiracy Guy stiffed me again -- twice. For weeks he's been promising an eleven-book donation, which he's keeping right beside his front door so he won't forget it.
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Web Site:
http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
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