Why We Fight

Following up on my theory of blogging more, so here I am...  finished watching the "Why We Fight" series over the weekend.  I liked it; that said, the Russia and China series were...well, a whitewash, to put it mildly (and, yes, they had to be, but still) and the last one -- about the US... was good, but nowadays, I think everyone would be all over Capra for what we now would say is a selective accounting of our history.  But you know what? There was a war going on, and, as they say, it was a big one.  And one we had to win. 

It's funny; I watched half "Triumph of the Will" last night; the film that supposed caused Capra to bump up his A game during "Why We Fight." I don't know... I mean, it's very...quiet; all sorts of camera shots and all; I think most US audiences would be bored.  It is well-shot, I will give Leni that (and yes, there is some presentism here, me liking a film that is basically Springtime for Hitler).  But it is a little boring; I mean, all of the speeches they have are snippets of "Hitler, what a guy" and "Germany, we got hosed in the peace talks" and maybe it was true, but... I am not seeing it.  On the other hand, I can see how it impressed filmmakers, because it is well done, filmcraft-wise.

https://www.vox.com/2018/3/16/17119366/teacher-health-insurance-cost-rising-data

Thus amuses the fuck out of me, because, well, one, my healthcare costs rose, and two... well, they (their union and them) voted for the man who caused this, so.... suck it up, buttercup.

Back to Leni, I don't buy for a minute that she didn't know exactly what was going on with the Hitler regime; I can see, somehow, that, yes, the full barbarity was beyond the scope of her (or anyone's) imagination, but I suspect that she, like a lot of people, simply regarded this as just one of those things...