When the opportunity to fight arises, does one fight for nationalism, for the people, or for the men above him ordering him to fight? And when the smoke clears, how is he held responsible for his actions if they were based on his best judgment at the time? Throughout It was the War of the Trenches, Jacques Tardi portrays the various realities, situations, and decisions of the French soldiers fighting in World War I (WW1); forcing the readers to question the ideals of nationalism as opposed to ideals of humanitarianism. Whilst in The Crime of Monsieur Lange, Jean Renoir created controversy and uproar through his expression of socialist ideals that portrayed a better lifestyle for the collective working class to permitting heinous acts in the
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The film offers the viewer enough information at the beginning of the film to be able to accuse Monsieur Lange of a crime, but throughout the film, Renoir cleverly develops the character, establishes the setting, and presents the situations that Lange faces and overcomes, ultimately leading to the death of the Batala. By the end of the film, the viewer is left with a crisis; was the murder of Batala justified in order to preserve the successful lifestyles of Lange and his fellow employees? This question is what created such controversy on its premiere, it questioned the ideals of a capitalist French economy and shone a spotlight on the benefits of a socialist economic and social system. By no surprise, the French working class found the socialist system quite appealing compared to capitalism; they wanted a voice for themselves with fair and equal treatment. Although there seems no flaw in those desires, the film had suggested that, if necessary, murder was a justifiable action to achieve socialism for those who were shunned and disregarded when voicing their concerns and demands. This left the French people in a cataclysmic position throughout the time period. They saw the result of a man on top giving orders to those below him in the form of war, and although that was a more extreme case than …show more content…
Renoir offers a platform for working-class Parisians or French WWI veterans that were expected to continue to work and produce so that the manager, boss, general, executive, or man on the high castle could reeve the benefits. The film portrayed the emotions that Parisians could not voice, Parisians that were tired of orders from superiors in high seats, lavish lifestyles, and the lack of experience actually working in the same lowly conditions most Parisians lived with to earn ends-meat. The Crime of Monsieur Lange also showed Paris’ historic novelty of brotherhood; a people that when faced with harsh conflicts, would look to each other for support and strength, regardless of socialist or capitalist ideals. Paris has always been a city of fraternity; through the French revolution and the end of the monarchy, through the Napoleonic empire, through the Commune, and it continues into the future, during Nazi occupation, preceding university student riots, and recent terrorist attacks in the last decade. The people of France are known for their resilience in difficult situations, but Parisians are known for conquering these situations with fearlessness, force, and most importantly
The film offers the viewer enough information at the beginning of the film to be able to accuse Monsieur Lange of a crime, but throughout the film, Renoir cleverly develops the character, establishes the setting, and presents the situations that Lange faces and overcomes, ultimately leading to the death of the Batala. By the end of the film, the viewer is left with a crisis; was the murder of Batala justified in order to preserve the successful lifestyles of Lange and his fellow employees? This question is what created such controversy on its premiere, it questioned the ideals of a capitalist French economy and shone a spotlight on the benefits of a socialist economic and social system. By no surprise, the French working class found the socialist system quite appealing compared to capitalism; they wanted a voice for themselves with fair and equal treatment. Although there seems no flaw in those desires, the film had suggested that, if necessary, murder was a justifiable action to achieve socialism for those who were shunned and disregarded when voicing their concerns and demands. This left the French people in a cataclysmic position throughout the time period. They saw the result of a man on top giving orders to those below him in the form of war, and although that was a more extreme case than …show more content…
Renoir offers a platform for working-class Parisians or French WWI veterans that were expected to continue to work and produce so that the manager, boss, general, executive, or man on the high castle could reeve the benefits. The film portrayed the emotions that Parisians could not voice, Parisians that were tired of orders from superiors in high seats, lavish lifestyles, and the lack of experience actually working in the same lowly conditions most Parisians lived with to earn ends-meat. The Crime of Monsieur Lange also showed Paris’ historic novelty of brotherhood; a people that when faced with harsh conflicts, would look to each other for support and strength, regardless of socialist or capitalist ideals. Paris has always been a city of fraternity; through the French revolution and the end of the monarchy, through the Napoleonic empire, through the Commune, and it continues into the future, during Nazi occupation, preceding university student riots, and recent terrorist attacks in the last decade. The people of France are known for their resilience in difficult situations, but Parisians are known for conquering these situations with fearlessness, force, and most importantly