Miracle at St. Anna Review

Posted by Erik Luers on 10.02.2008

Director Spike Lee crafts an uneven but still worthwhile film.....

You ever know someone who started out a conversation with, "have I got a story for you"? Intrigued, you ask this person to start spilling the details. As the story is being told, you begin to wonder what's the point and what it is he/she is getting at. Wasn't this story supposed to be brief and to the point? No? Finally the interesting tidbits are revealed and you begin to express some sliver of an interest when, what do you know, the story concludes. Damn, just when it was getting good. Looking back, the story has some interesting moments but you still can't figure out why it took so long for your friend to get to the point; he/she lessened the impact of the twist by taking so long to get there. With Miracle at St. Anna, director Spike Lee is that friend and this film is that story that ultimately takes too long to get to the good stuff. Once you get there you're satisfied, but why did it have to take so damn long?

In its simplest form,Miracle at St. Anna (adapted by James McBride from his novel) tells the story of four African-American soldiers in World War II, fighting to retain the safety of people they've felt so distant from: the white, simple minded, negro hating Americans back home. They feel as if they are to die for the wrong cause. After a brief battle sequence (which leaves many frightened black soldiers dead in the river), the film focuses on these four soldiers specifically, and a young eight-year old Italian boy named Angelo who the men rescue from a collapsed barn. The men go to Tuscany to find shelter and, due to one soldier's infatuation with the young boy, Angelo comes along too. There they will befriend a poor helpful Italian family and (surprise) many casualties will be had.

Spike Lee handles this material lopsidedly. There are sequences that really hold some weight (the mass murder at St. Anna, for one) and some that are less successful (the Louisiana ice cream parlor flashback), indicating that perhaps the material intimidated Lee somewhat; he zones in on the good parts and let's the others sort of drift away. He effectively stages the battle scenes to give off a hyper kinetic vibe, but has his bullet-ridden victims fall down like the men in the cowboy pictures of 1940s (or like Paul Muni in Howard Hawks Scarface). Early in the film, a John Wayne film is shown playing on television. We begin to believe that Lee's film will be something fresh but it plays more like a homage to these predominantly white casted westerns. I don't think these were Lee's intentions. He is saying that the horrors of war do not only seem to come as a result of bloodshed but from the degradation of these men and women. He's right. When a Nazi hired woman degrades the black soldiers over a loudspeaker in the midst of battle, we begin to see the real evil taking place. Licking her red lips (and with a Swastika prominently displayed behind her) she becomes the Sally Bowles of repugnancy. Her racist message is designed to sound appealing to the men. Here, the film is right on the money.

I do question the inclusion of the sexy Italian woman, Renata, who develops an interest in our four leading soldiers. Her wardrobe appears too contemporary for the 1940s. Lee puts her into modern day apparel to look more attractive and enticing, with her hair swaying down whenever she is in heat. She does look stunning, especially when she disrobes (Lee knows what he's doing), but at what cost? She stands out because she looks as if she just stepped off the cover of Vanity Fair or GQ magazine, robbing the film of a much needed authenticity. Even the men speak in slang that sometimes reeks of a MTV inspired vernacular which occasionally took me out of the picture.

So far this review sounds quite negative, but I do think it's worth seeing for its universal messages and themes. Lee's film may be long and preachy, but it is never boring. It's only in retrospect that you realize that some scenes with the Nazis weren't necessary (though the booming score by Terence Blanchard tends to make you believe otherwise). The film's outbursts of violence are unsettling and unrestricted, shining a light on the helpless men, women and children whom were slaughtered by the Nazi party. It's just that Lee becomes overwhelmed by the epic scope of the screenplay at times. The wraparound story that takes place in the early 1980s attempts to answer viewer's questions but winds up proposing many more: who brings a German luger to work everyday for twenty-five years? Was Hector expecting this man, Rodolfo, to come to his workplace in America? It's doubtful. Also, what's with that ambiguous ending? In one way it works and in another it's so off the mark that I thought my theater's projectionist has gotten his reels mixed up. I'm still not sure what to make of it. I can say it's certainly the strangest ending to take place on a beach since Barton Fink in 1991.

Although flawed, Miracle at St. Anna is still a noble effort from the always reaching Spike Lee. Even when his films falter, they still serve a point, and I have a feeling that this film will benefit from future multiple viewings. It just needs to find an audience first. Here's hoping you find the time to check it out. It's certainly worth it if you can just suck it up and stick with it.

The 411: In a slow movie going month, Miracle at St. Anna is a noble effort from the always thought provoking Spike Lee. Even when it doesn't hit its mark, you still develop an admiration for its attempts. This is a good film worth seeking out; you'll find a lot to talk about. Over and out.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]