Analysis of Unknown Soldier and East of War. Visual & Performing Arts.

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Analysis of Unknown Soldier and East of War
In the two documentaries under study, Unknown Soldier and East of War, the themes of guilt and responsibility as depicted are central to the goal the films seek to attain. However, many issues arise while watching the two films that introduce certain complexities and questions. For example, should the German soldiers be considered or held liable for the crimes that transpired during the war? Were their actions justified and within the rules of war? Aside from these questions, there are also certain points or arguments that arise and that help to drive the conversation further. For example, both in our condemnation of these war crimes and in establishing what happened, to what extent should guilt hold water or be employed in the war crimes of the Second World War? Should guilt be universalized, or should it be personal and be left as such while assessing the atrocities during the Second World War in the quest to understand history? As revealed in both films, personal guilt does not belong in the realm of personal stories. The respondents reveal that personal guilt plays a role in our understanding of historical events as well. It is against this backdrop that this essay seeks to explore the theme of guilt, how it is explored in the two films, and the complexities that arise from the two films.
While watching the two films, one of the questions that arise, and one that forms a big part of the discussions in the two films, is whether all the German soldiers should be deemed guilty or not. From watching the two films, many of the soldiers who took part in the war express guilt. Some cry while trying to remember what they saw, others lack words to express themselves, and many claim not to be a part of the crew that carried out the heinous acts. However, the common theme in all respondents is that the reality of what happened appears to elicit an emotional response. But, they all distanced themselves from the atrocities of the war and said they were not part of the units of the crimes. However, they all indicate that they did see what was happening. They saw the murders, the tortures, the fires, and the discrimination that was levelled against the Jews. But, even though they did not take part in the atrocities, some of them shed tears for the crimes that happened. They share the personal feeling of guilt, and this begs the question of why; why would they feel guilty over something they did not do? Do they blame themselves for what happened? Do they feel they would have done more, especially with regard to preventing the crimes that happened? In both films, some respondents appeared to indicate that they knew of the atrocities. Knowledge of what was going on appears to cut them to the heart, and their faces express a mixture of emotions as they recount the moments. A touch of responsibility is thus highlighted in this section.
One other thing that captures one’s attention while watching the two films were the protests that were going on during the exhibitions. The protesters felt that their ancestors were misrepresented and that not all of them should bear the guilt of the criminals or the perpetrators of the war crimes. According to many of the protesters, first, the crimes were happening during the war, and there will be casualties during wars. One correspondent in the film East of War said unapologetically that there was nothing wrong with what they did. He said that all that happened took place during a war, and in war, it is normal to expect casualties. He also questions how the story is told, including how stories of the other side are either never captured or are delivered but with limited details. It is also crucial to mention the disgust with which the correspondents from the protesters were addressing the media or the filmmakers. The filmmakers were deemed the enemy by the protesters, and many of them did not want to be involved or to give their views. But, noticeably, in both films, the above notion that the filmmakers are the enemy is not built or enhanced for clear coverage of all sides. However, the filmmakers also appear to be subjective in their approach to the matter, with their questions seemingly discrediting the validity of the protesters’ quest. However, in the film Unknown Soldier, another aspect is introduced, which involves the stories that families were told. One of the correspondents in the film said that for generations, families had been given different stories. He notes that the heroization of the ancestors is something that continually limits the facts or truths that ought to be shared. With heroization, the idea of guilt or feelings of regret is limited mainly because the posterity of the German soldiers does not believe in the stories being propagated. The above limits objectivity, especially when it comes to observing or having conversations about the atrocities that happened in the past. By capturing the above take, the film helps the audience question while also ensuring an understanding of the protests against the exhibit. As the film shows, the protesters appear not to entertain the introduction of new theories that could induce conversations over what happened. The film paints the protesters are painted as subjective because of the above.
While assessing the theme of guilt in the two films, it is also crucial to consider the question of whether it is fair to recognize the individual efforts of some soldiers and commanders who did not take part in the killings. In the two films, some of the soldiers who were involved in the war said that they did not take part in the atrocities or killings. Others also provided details of how some commanders refused direct orders that required them to kill or exterminate Jews. In the German story, Nazi Germany is painted as evil, and the stories of these commanders are never mentioned. Guilt is universalized, and these heroic stories are buried as revealed in the film Unknown Soldier. However, it is also crucial to consider the army as a unit, says a correspondent in the film Unknown Soldier. In history books, successes of, for example, the allied powers overshadows any other losses that some of the units of the Soviet Union, Great Britain, France, and the United States’ armies suffered. The above is mainly because these are taken as a unit, as are the losses. So, the failures and atrocities are taken as such, and hence the reason why the stories of some real heroes in the German army are never mentioned.
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