Attack on the refugee trek*

Classification in categories

• Transition between two social systems
• Battle and technology
• Suffering / victim / sacrifice

Metadata

An invisible and abstract Japanese army is set in juxtaposition to the strongly emphasized corporeality of the American army and Philippine civilians. The Japanese flag’s circle and the linear continuum of the refugee trek’s movement appear as stable and visible forms  (>EMU 1). The human convoy is depicted as a battered society in the state of emergency that is war. The improvised, thrown-together community of Philippine civilians and American military personnel is strongly accentuated as a heterogeneous mix by an emphasis on the differences between the marching people. However the stable forms, the regular rhythm and common framing bring these individuals together into one community headed in the same direction. The flow of human beings is blown apart by an invisible impulse and audible attacks whose staccato sounds are consistently repeated, by visible explosions as well as by shots showing a variety of images (>EMU 2). The explosive movement also includes moments that show suffering and agony, bringing pathos into the staging of injured and fragmented corporeality. This is connected to affective dimensions: the audiovisual staging and its realization as a scenario of perception link semantic references (the Japanese army) to perceptual patterns (audio attacks, shot composition). The bursting movement also strongly emphasizes the experience of the separation of the societies of war and civilian life.    SG  

Expressive movement units

Materials about the scene

Position of the scene in the film