Expressive movement unit 3

The final register of experience portrays the separation of the military and the civilian body, realized on the level of camera movement as well as in the shot composition and music: the figures of Dane and Lassiter are first incorporated into and then deviate spatially from the clear form of the human trek on the street into the formless jungle.

As Dane and Lassiter continue along the street in one direction, the surroundings are again more clearly visible, in the background the remains of civilian life can be seen; burning houses and stone ruins. Hustle and bustle surrounds them, the mourning music from the first scene also starts up more loudly. The refugee trek moves slowly and continuously, its clear linear form along the street is re-established. Outside of the city, in a long shot a huge mass can be seen; a slow river of people and vehicles with no end in sight. Wisps of smoke and trees blowing in the wind add a laborious note to the even marching. The river of people crosses a bridge. The shot changes to a panorama that encompasses the monumental size of the bridge in its entirety. Numerous thick, oversized pillars connect a valley hundreds of meters deep. On these massive pillars a thin bridge is gracefully attached on which the people and vehicles are now as small as ants. The image is dominated by sharp contrasts and, as a kind of silhouette, exhibits the iconographic characteristics of a caravan. A steady backwards track now accompanies the two soldiers across the bridge. Having arrived at the other side of the valley, Lassiter shows Dane his unit’s base. His line of sight points towards a spot off the path. In a point of view shot a seemingly impenetrable jungle is shown – impressionist flecks of light give life to the snaking plants. In a backwards track the two officers leave the street for the jungle; this is visually staged as a change of course. While the camera movement and the movement of the walking men inscribe a curve in the thicket, in the background, at about a 45 degree angle, the human trek – now composed only of women – is also visible as a continuing straight movement. The camera pulls back and establishes an inscrutable space: the image is cut through by the sharp contours of ferns, bushy leaves and large tree trunks.