This week's film viewing was the Making of Warhorse, and we had discussions centered around war and conflict, and art's response to them. It was actually quite a culture shock to hear a lecturer openly express anti-war sentiment. I am decidedly anti-war myself, but in Singapore where I am from, national service is mandatory for male citizens, where they will serve in a branch of the military for a a few years. In singapore, the idea that war might be inevitable some day and that males should prepare to give their lives for the country is perpetuated as a national narrative, and criticizing of the government is illegal in public spaces. There are films made in singapore about serving the army and although they do gently criticize the methods and effectiveness of the training within the military, the films ultimately make the statement about how national service fosters courage, camaraderie and good character in the young men who go through it, and are meant to instill a sense of nationalistic pride. I think this shows how important it is that there needs to be more honest discussions around war and conflict and their consequences, especially from diverse perspectives.
In terms of the film showing the work that went into making the puppets and bringing them to life, I was blown away by the amount of research and design sensitivity that went into the design of the production of Warhorse. I had never seen the production, but i did get the chance to catch Life of Pi in London last year, and i can see where the inspiration of Life of Pi's puppets came from. Having also grown up in Asia, i was also intrigued by how the designers cited learning from puppetry techniques in Asia.
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