An Analysis of Spielberg's Upcoming Film: War, Trauma, and Hypocrisy

This essay explores the prospective themes of Steven Spielberg's upcoming film, drawing parallels to George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and examining the recurring nature of war and oppression throughout history. The film intertwines the experiences of a Holocaust survivor and a Syrian refugee to highlight the universal suffering caused by conflict and the hypocrisy of nations. Through visual and auditory techniques, the film aims to provoke thought and action, balancing empathy with critical reflection. Themes of familial bonding, the impact of trauma, and the search for connection amidst hardship are also explored, echoing elements from Spielberg's previous works like Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List. The essay concludes that the film promises to be both a visual and intellectual experience, urging viewers to contemplate humanity's ongoing struggle for peace.

Running head: PROSPECTIVE OUTCOMING FILM OF STEVEN SPIELBERG
PROSPECTIVE OUTCOMING FILM OF STEVEN SPIELBERG
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Bordering largely upon George Orwell’s famous dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty
Four, the upcoming film attempts to integrate societies, both modern as well as that of the
past, when people have suffered from perpetual war and oppression of propagandist
governmental regimes (Kulsum-Binder and Crompton 2017). Although there are many issues
and incidents which are presented in tandem with Orwell’s novel, the context is a unique
admixture of the world politics of the contemporary times as well as that of during the
Second World War, presented from the perspective of the sufferers.
The name of the film is yet to be finalized. The crux of the story involves a series of
interactions among two individuals who happens to come across each other by a twist of fate.
One of them is a an old man, who is a survivor of the Second World War, while another
being a Syrian teenager girl who has survived the recent attacks of the Russian bomber
planes. Through the accounts of their personal experiences they discover that over the ages
the broader contexts of war has remained the same, with only subtle changes in the nuances.
Both realize the failure of humanity, in general, to establish peace for a sustained period of
time. The elderly man, largely based on an aged version of Winston from Orwell’s Nineteen
Eighty Four initially disregards the Syrian girl. But as she starts to starts to recount her
stories, he not only starts to empathize with her, but also could relate many of her experiences
to his own, and discovers that in spite of her little age, she is no less experienced about the
realities of life than him. Both discover that the socio-political scenario was more or less the
same.
The film unifies the position of the Jews with those of the innocent people who were
killed in Syria. The also mocks the hypocrisy of other nations, who would witness the
situation and sympathize with the victims without taking any actions against the inhuman
behaviours for a considerable period of time. With a universal appeal it mock humans as a
social being, through a short satiric episode of a group people coming to know about the

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hundreds of children that died in Syria, feeling aggrieved for a moment, followed by an
exuberant jubilation of coming to know about an attractive offer in a restaurant and the
prospects of availing it, gradually forgetting the incidents of Syria. Winston’s secret rebellion
in Nineteen Eighty Four has been integrated with the rebels of Syria as well as that of a group
of Germans who acted secretly against Hitler (Berggren 2016). In the context of the film, the
Big Brother and the Brotherhood can be classified as two opposing sides of humanity. The
Nazis and the Russian bombs act as Thought Police and Telescreens from the novel, striving
to find out the hidden entities whom the state considers not worthy of a life. In a different
context, previously used themes like those of fractured or distanced family, emphasis on the
childhood, paternal feelings and a struggle to survive are adequately explored.
As in many previous films, there is a familial bonding that takes place, between the
two protagonists much in line with the short, yet intense relationship between James Francis
Ryan and Captain John Miller in Saving Private Ryan or the more subtle and more intense
relationship between Oskar Schindler and the little girl in red coat in Schindler’s List (Saving
Private Ryan 1998). Estrangement between the father and child resulting in two different
characters seeking to find either of the two in a different individual has been a recurring
theme, and it has also been dealt with in this film (Dotan 2017). While many of the previous
films show evolution of a character through experience, this film presents two such characters
who has already gone through those hardships, and looks back at them from a distanced yet
affected perspective.
The close-up effect will be more frequently used to heighten the tension in critical
moments (Collins 2017). On many instances, the camera will track the harrowing journey of
the protagonists from a low angle. Much in line with Schindler’s List, the film will play
mysteriously with light and darkness, though not completely black and white (Schindler’s
List 1993). A rich texture of red will be used in abundance. Vibrant colours would be used in

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places having a symbolic value. Similarly, there is a reflection shot where, as the camera
starts focusing on the mirror image of the old man, the scenario goes back to 1945. Natural
long takes are used to explore the unnerving impact of sudden attacks.
Therefore it may be concluded by saying that this film is possibly going to be a visual
as well as auditory treat for the audience, at the same time providing them with food for
thought. There will be a fine admixture of extravagance with minimalistic subtleties which
seeks to strike a balance between empathy as well as the Brechtian ‘Verfremdungseffekt’ or
the ‘alienation effect’, which intends to provoke thought and action among the audience
regarding the concerned issue.

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Reference List
Berggren, A., 2016. Surveillance in Nineteen Eighty-Four: The Dismantling of Privacy in
Oceania.
Collins, A.B., 2017. The Mountains Are Calling.
Dotan, E., 2017. Why Did I Marry A Sentimentalist?: Family & Domesticity in the Films of
Steven Spielberg.
Kulsum-Binder, R. and Crompton, P., 2017. A Stylistic Analysis of Dystopia: Hopelessness
and Disturbance in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Saving Private Ryan. (1998). [film] Directed by S. Spielberg. United States. Retrieved from
http://velangimovie.stream/movie/857/saving-private-ryan?platform=hootsuite
Schindler’s List. (1993). [film] Directed by S. Spielberg. United States. Retrieved from
http://velangimovie.stream/movie/424/schindler-s-list?platform=hootsuite