PIC of the Week – A Private War
Article series by Ray Schillaci
When there is not a lot to choose from, I tend to go back and see what I might have missed. I am glad I did it for this past week. The closest thing to a PIC was possibly Clint Eastwood’s The Mule. But, while watching it I couldn’t help feel that it was screaming out to be a better picture. Eastwood seems to adopt an almost a laissez faire style of directing that kinda worked with his character. The story was interesting enough, and definitely worth catching, but I could not bring myself to say it was my top PIC, especially after finally catching Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s release of A Private War. For whatever reason (possibly political) this 2018 film (and its star Rosamond Pike) was robbed of nominations from The Academy Awards.
Rosamund Pike, most notable for Hostiles and that fatale of femme fatales in David Fincher’s Gone Girl, uncannily captures the grit and spirit of one of the most famous war correspondents of our time, Marie Colvin. The woman literally threw herself into the hellholes where she reported and emphasized the plight of the civilians who were casualties of war. Innocent victims caught in the crossfire of it all. Men, women, and children maimed, brutally raped, killed, and sometimes mysteriously gone missing, their families grieving for an unsurmountable amount of time, wishing to bury their loved ones. She dared to go places where journalists were banned and targeted and was quoted, “…I cared enough to go to these places and write, in some way, something that would make someone else care as much about it as I did at the time.”
That quote, along with so many others taken directly from Marie Colvin, along with director Matthew Heineman’s riveting directing style that’s much like the documentarian he is, and Rosamund Pike’s brilliant performance makes this a film you should not miss. All too often we hear the words “powerful,” “must-see” or “important,” associated with films, and after awhile it becomes a little mundane. We begin to associate those words with films that you might consider a “drag.” Not a top pick for a Friday or Saturday night when one can look for an escape with some Disney frivolity. But, once in a while a film comes along that we owe it to ourselves to see to feed our soul and get in touch with the real world. This is that film.
A Private War chronicles Colvin’s odyssey: the civil war in Sri Lanka where she lost an eye, East Timor, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and finally Homs, Syria. Once again, she did not just document these civil wars, she put you in the hearts and minds of the victims of the senseless violence. She made us think and outraged many for her bold outlook on how these wars affected those who were never involved. The bloody and beaten pawns in a cruel challenge of chess made by those who would never understand the suffering, nor would they care. There are those who disagree with her views, but after seeing the film I cannot see how anyone could find a reasonable argument to counter her views and what she and those around experienced.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment sadly does not honor this film with a 4K presentation. The Blu does have its share of strong visuals, but some of the darker scenes can have you straining. There’s a stark reality to the film as a whole, and that is probably because the director originally started in documentaries. The style works well, and the picture had me feel as if I’d been thrown right into the chaos of it all. That all changes when we get back to civilization, hotels, parties, fine dining. It’s a sharp contrast, and it works well with this film.
The audio stands out far and above the picture presentation. The surround effects are uncanny as bullets fly by, explosions rock the living space, and yet the clink of wine glasses are as subtle as one could get while dialogue is never missed. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 works overtime thrusting you into the war zones and through Colvin’s PTSD. This track is definitely reference quality. You may end up actually turning down your subwoofer so the plaster on your walls doesn’t crumble.
UPHE skimps on the extras:
• Becoming Marie Colvin – a brief doc featuring the director and cast members
• A Women in the World Summit Q&A
• Requiem for a Private War – an all too brief interview with Annie Lennox
I can forgive UPHE for their stinginess on the extras, but it’s hard to imagine them not making a bigger deal out of the rollout of this film or its home entertainment release. It was highly praised by most critics, recognized by the Toronto International Film Festival, the Golden Globe Awards, and the DGA. Everything about this movie is perfectly calculated; from the excellent cinematography to the editing and music. By the time we think the film is over we are left exhausted, but we are then treated to a brief interview by the real Marie Colvin and left shocked as to how well Rosamund Pike captured her. To top it off, singer/songwriter Annie Lennox delivers a soulful original song, “Requiem for a Private War”, that encapsulates Colvin’s life beautifully and had this viewer moved to tears.
Lowest Price – $14.99 – Walmart and Amazon
