Anna is a wellintentioned but overlong, disjointed affair that hits few of the right notes. But the film isnt just a history lesson, it has bangs, heroism, and treachery that wed expect of a war movie. Anna after a wwii veteran murders a man, we flash back to his days with the buffalo soldiers to learn why he became a murderer forty years later. It is set in the aftermath of the santanna di stazzema massacre during world war ii, in fall of 1944 in tuscany, with framing scenes set in winter 1983 in new york city and rome.
They experience the tragedy and triumph of the war as they find themselves trapped behind enemy lines and separated from their unit after one of them risks his life to save an italian boy. Spike lee explores fighting evil and living with it the new york. Anna stars derek luke, michael ealy, laz alonso, omar miller the r movie has a runtime of about 2 hr 40 min, and received a score of 37 out of 100. Set primarily in italy during germanoccupied europe in world war ii, the film tells the story of four buffalo soldiers of the 92nd. The santanna di stazzema massacre was a nazi german war crime committed in the hill village of santanna di stazzema in tuscany, italy, in the course of an operation against the italian resistance movement during the italian campaign of world war ii. Anna with credits including do the right thing, clockers, get on the bus, 4 little girls, 25th hour, and the landmark documentary when the levees broke. Armys allblack division known as the buffalo soldiers become trapped behind enemy lines in. Anna ties that incident to a fictional one involving the reallife 92nd infantry division, the only africanamerican unit led by white officers to see combat in italy. With derek luke, michael ealy, laz alonso, omar benson miller. Set primarily in italy during germanoccupied europe in world war ii, the book tells the story of four buffalo soldiers of the 92nd infantry division who seek refuge in a small tuscan village, where they form a bond with the residents. Anna begins in 1983 with hector negron, a veteran of that war, unexpectedly shooting a customer dead.
From touchstone pictures comes the powerful and uplifting world war ii epic. On 12 august 1944 the waffenss, with the help of the brigate nere, murdered about 560 local villagers and refugees. Anna chronicles the story of four american soldiers who are members of the allblack 92nd buffalo soldier division stationed in tuscany, italy during world war ii. As is often the case, lee seems to relish biting off more than he can chew, and. Anna, lee sets out to correct decades of omitting or marginalizing african american soldiers in world war iis cinematic narrativea mission made public when he called out clint eastwood for not including black warriors in flags of our fathers and letters from iwo jima. Directed by spike lee, it stars derek luke, michael ealy, laz alonso, omar benson miller, pierfrancesco favino and valentina cervi. Spike lees miracle at st anna denounced by italian war. Set primarily in italy during germanoccupied europe in world war ii, the film tells the. Stationed in tuscany, italy, four members of the u. When it was lees turn to step forward to the plate, it turns out that miracle at st. Anna chronicles the story of four africanamerican soldiers who are members of the us army as. A requiem in four acts, spike lee has made more great films over the past 20 years, perhaps, than any other american director. Anna goes out of its way to illustrate the anguish and heartlessness of war. Its a slightly heavyhanded misstep in a film that runs confidently though unevenly over a mountain of material, stepping right more often than it steps wrong over its 160 minutes.
Anna is a 2008 war film, directed by spike lee and written by james mcbride, based on mcbrides novel of the same name. Who is the sleeping man in the movie the miracle at st. Anna is part devastating world war ii movie, part political film exposing the notorious racism of much of white america during that time, and part fairy tale in which a child becomes one with his rescuers as his spirit transcends the evil around him. Four of the soldiers derek luke, michael ealy, laz alonso, omar benson miller become trapped behind enemy lines and separated from the rest of their unit after one of them risks his life to save an italian boy. Anna village, and they become connected to each other. Anna, directed by acclaimed filmmaker spike lee the inside man. They experience the tragedy and triumph of the war as they find themselves trapped behind enemy lines and separated from their unit miracle at st.
Anna spike lee loses the battles and the war in miracle at st. Hollywood never advertised this movie in the states. Anna, is about the sometimes forgotten contribution of africanamerican soldiers during world war ii. Army as part of the allblack 92nd buffalo soldier division stationed in tuscany, italy, during world war ii. And that list doesnt include the spike lee joints that are merely very good, among. Spike lees miracle at st anna denounced by italian war veterans as. Anna movie trailers, exclusive videos, interviews from the cast, movie clips and more at. Anna compares reasonably well to most hollywood efforts. Anna, is a haunting meditation on faith thats also a crack military thriller.
In this case, instead of being riddled with bullets, she is shot. There are scenes that could have been lost to more decisive editing, but i found after a few days that my mind did the. Armys allblack 92 nd buffalo soldier division, stationed in tuscany, italy during world war ii. The film is the longest day, the sprawling 1962 world. Separated from their unit, they find themselves in a remote tuscan village where they experience the tragedy and the triumph of war. Anna contains scenes of brilliance, interrupted by scenes that meander. They experience the tragedy and triumph of the war as they find themselves trapped behind enemy lines and separated from their unit after. And the movie reaches something like an epiphany during one sublime scene where the american troops look at axis propaganda posters that depict the u.
The catcalls made a meal for the tabloids for a day. Director spike lee is at the centre of controversy after italian war veterans claimed his new film, miracle at st anna, insulted resistance fighters. The movie caves in by the middle under the weight of multiple intents and. Anna film the story of four black american soldiers who are members of the u. Directed by spike lee from a screenplay written by james mcbride, the author of the acclaimed novel of the same name, the film chronicles the story of four black american soldiers who are members of the us army as part of the allblack 92nd buffalo soldier division stationed in tuscany, italy, during world war ii. Anna stabilizes after an outright awful first hour, and becomes merely a middling war movie with a heightened social consciousness.
Now hes tried his hand at fiction, and the result, the world war ii novel miracle at st. There is too much, too many characters, too many subplots. While trapped in a village, train rescues the eight yearold boy, angelo torancelli, who survived a massacre in st. Sep 26, 2008 the first scene in miracle shows us a black world war ii veteran watching john wayne on tv lording it over the dday invasion in the longest day. From touchstone pictures comes the powerful and uplifting world war ii epic miracle at st. Four of the soldiers derek luke, michael ealy, laz alonso, omar benson miller. Flashbacks tell the story of four black soldiers who cross tuscanys serchio river, dodging german and friendly fire. National catholic register spike lee probably made few friends in hollywood over his spat with hometown favorite clint eastwood regarding the absence of black soldiers in eastwoods twin world war ii epics, flags of our fathers and letters from iwo jima. Spike lee has left me confused after viewing his new wwii epic miracle at st. Armys allblack 92nd infantry division, the buffalo soldiers, that are trapped behind enemy lines after one of them. A new york postal clerk, a buffalo soldier in italy in world war ii, shoots a stranger. He fictionalises a story revolving around the 92nd infantry division, a reallife unit of black soldiers, led by white officers, who fought in italy during the second world war. As times go on, the platoon interacts with the villagers and hector discloses a story of prejudice and betrayal in times of war.
The movie is good nonetheless i just which there was more focused of the racism the buffalo soldiers went through and their courage in battle. Anna when flags of our fathers came out, director spike lee took clint eastwood to task for not portraying any black soldiers in his movie. Spike lee has turned in an odd hybrid of a filma 160 minute war epic combined with a crime thriller combined with a discourse on civil rights. Anna a deeply inspiring story that transcends national boundaries, race and class to touch the goodness within us all miracle at st. Sep 26, 2008 spike lees world war ii film miracle at st. As a contribution and challenge to the world war ii genre, miracle at st. Anna 2008 authentic 27 x 41 original movie poster rolled derek luke drama u.
Anna explores a deeply inspiring story that transcends national boundaries, race and class to touch the goodness within us all. This is the first theatrical trailer for spike lees miracle at st. Still, lee has a valid point about the absence of black americans in the. I knew nothing about the movie nor the book that came before it. Anna chronicles the story of four american soldiers who are members of the allblack 92nd. Armys allblack 92nd infantry division, the buffalo soldiers, are trapped behind enemy lines after one of them risks his life to save. When the war came renata lived under occupation for 6 years. They experience the tragedy and triumph of the war as they find themselves trapped behind enemy lines and separated from their unit after one of them. Armys allblack division are stationed in the tuscany region of italy. At a new york post office, an employee, hector negron, pulls out a german gun and shoots a customer at point blank range with no explanation. Renata salducci was the daughter of ludovico, and the subject of a love triangle history renata was born in italy in the late 1910s or early 1920s. In this sixth year of the iraq war, socalled war pictures are generally ill received. Set in 1944 italy, the story of four black american soldiers who get trapped in a tuscan village during wwii.
Anna, an elderly black man with a purple heart on his shelf watches a boilerplate john wayne war movie, in which wayne, the. There are several movies with quasireligious angles that have miracle in the title. Armys allblack 92nd infantry division, the buffalo soldiers, that are trapped behind enemy lines after one of them risks his life to save a traumatized italian boy. Anna a spike lee joint directed by spike lee written by james mcbride miracle at st. Set primarily in italy during germanoccupied europe in world war ii, the book tells the story of four buffalo soldiers of the 92nd infantry division who seek refuge in a small tuscan village, where they. Anna, a poorly constructed drama designed to spotlight the role of black american soldiers in world war ii. Jun 12, 2008 with this movie, bryan singers valkyrie, and edward zwicks defiance on the horizon, it looks wwii movies are going to make one hell of a comeback.
Anna is presented by touchstone pictures in association with on my own and rai cinema. It demonstrably points out how leaders on both the german and american side disregard human life there is a variety of deadly violence displayed throughout, but four dominant war scenes more than earn the movie s r rating all by themselves. Anna chronicles the story of four africanamerican soldiers who are members of the u. Trivia in the movie, like all the other characters, renatas death is played out differently. Anna is a 2008 americanitalian epic war film adapted by james mcbride from his 2003 novel of the same name. Miracle at st anna battle at the serchio river youtube. The story of african american involvement in world war ii is a story that needs to be told, but not in some roundabout way that makes you.
But there is so much here that is powerful that it should be seen no matter its imperfections. Anna an old man sits in his apartment watching a movie on his blackandwhite television set. Police discover that the suspect, a quiet postal worker, kept a statue head worth millions of dollars in his apartment. Miracle at st anna battle at the serchio river king ali ghost. Sep 30, 2008 spike lees miracle at st anna denounced by italian war veterans as insulting director spike lee is at the centre of controversy after italian war veterans claimed his new film, miracle at st. Anna is a wellintentioned but overlong, disjointed affair that. Sep 26, 2008 director spike lees latest movie, miracle at st. On 12 august 1944 the waffenss, with the help of the brigate nere, murdered about 560 local. In his apartment, police find a valuable italian marble head, missing since the war. They experience the tragedy and triumph of the war as they find themselves trapped behind enemy lines in a tuscan village, separated from their unit after one of them risks his life to save. War movies a list of 47 titles created 2 months ago spike lee a list of 27 titles. Spike lees miracle at st anna denounced by italian war veterans as insulting director spike lee is at the centre of controversy after italian war veterans claimed his new film, miracle. Armys allblack division known as the buffalo soldiers become trapped behind enemy lines in tuscany, italy. Top 10 most realistic war movies according to military veterans duration.
There are scenes that could have been lost to more decisive editing, but i found after a few days that my mind did the editing for me, and i. The story involves four africanamerican soldiers behind enemy lines in italy in world war ii. Diamond, untitled spike lee wwii project, miracolo a santanna. Anna, lees hand is evident in all the details, but he loses control of the overall structure. Jun 17, 2011 in the miracle at santa anna spike lee has focussed on a lessknown but vitally important corner of us military history. Sep 26, 2008 the sad thing is, theres a perfectly fine, sam fullerish, 90minute war movie on a worthy subject trapped somewhere in the selfindulgences of miracle at st. This film is a jumbled mess of great sequences, surreal moments, and short bridge scenes thrown in to advanced a contrived plot and then left on. Anna exists in part to make the overdue point that.
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