War, What is it Good For? World War 2 on Film Willis' Westover Colloquia

In our final episode, Lilla and Julianna discuss the 2019 comedy Jojo Rabbit, in which a young boy in Hitler's Army in Nazi Germany slowly realizes that his mother is hostile to the Nazi regime and is hiding a young Jewish girl in their home. They suggest that as it satirizes Nazi Germany, the movie also reinforces the popular conception of World War 2 as a Good War. 

In this episode, Amanda and Annabelle analyze the 2019 film Midway, its representation of the Battle of Midway, and its depiction of World War 2. They suggest that Japanese violence in this film highlights the popular understanding of World War 2 as a Good War for the Allied forces. 

In this episode, Molly and Elizabeth discuss the 2017 film Dunkirk in relation to the myth that World War 2 is a Good War for the West. They frame the Dunkirk evacuation as a romanticized rescue mission where the goal is to get away from the Germans, while acknowledging the film's complex portrayal of the civilian sea rescue and soldiers' suffering. 

In episode 3, Joe and Michael discuss the 2016 movie Hacksaw Ridge, featuring the war hero Desmond T. Doss, an army medic who refused to carry a gun, and his monumental effort rescuing 75 men in the WW2 Battle of Okinawa. They examine the relation of the film to the popular myth of World War 2 as the Good War, and they wonder whether or not more people like Doss, who have the courage to stand up for what they believe in despite external pressures, might eventually eliminate war as a tool of human relations. 

In episode 2, Taylor, Jenna, and Lauren discuss the 2014 film The Imitation Game, which tells the story of Alan Turing's attempts to crack the German Enigma Code. They focus on the way the movie highlights Turing's personal life, and discuss it as a non-traditional war movie that still positions the Allies as the Good Guys racing to save the world from the Bad Guys of World War 2. 

In this episode, Sarah and Laura discuss the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan. They examine it in light of popular conceptions of World War 2 as the "Good War," wondering whether war can ever actually be good, and the extent to which the film supports this idea.