As I watched the vignette The Tunnel from the movie Dreams by Akira Kurosawa the antiwar message seemed transparent, the decisions of a guilt-ridden commander were coming back to haunt him. It communicates that without a proper cause to defend a soldier cannot manage the concept of killing or dying and the idea of war becomes idiotic. However, as I analyzed the segment further the artistry reveals it to be much more than a simple pillory of war. Description of my chosen vignette. The opening scene starts in a long shot showing a Japanese soldier still wearing part of his WWII uniform under a thick army green coat walking at dusk. The background is a mountain scenery with clear images and realistic colors, there is no indication that the segment is a dream. The only sound is the soldier's footsteps. The camera changes focal point tracking in a first …show more content…
[The camera switches to a tight shot on the Commander to reveal his reaction] The Commander’s anguish is apparent he cries out that the Third Platoon was “annihilated” in combat. The platoon stands in formation with no reply. The Commander states that he could blame the “stupidity of war” but he takes responsibility for his choices and transgression that led them to their deaths. The Commander then explain how he has contemplated death as an alternative to his torture and guilt, but does not dismiss the platoon’s suffering and urges them to “go back and rest in peace”. As a final act of leadership the Commander finds the courage to order the platoon to turn and march back into the tunnel, the troops obey. The commander falls to his hands and knees whipping, even though he is still emotional it looks like the worst is over but he is quickly placed back on his feet by the threats of the anti-tank dog that has returned from the tunnel. The image goes