[susie123]

Apologies for changing the mood of the thread somewhat but last night I suddenly remembered the 1963 war film The Victors and the impact one scene had on me at the time. I have been trying to find a clip on Youtube, without success, but the following description may suffice, if you have a good imagination. Does anyone else remember it?

One of the cinematic highpoints is the detour of one truck load of GIs out of a convoy, for the express purpose of supplying witnesses to the execution by firing squad of a GI deserter Pvt Eddie Slovik. Depicted in a huge, otherwise empty, snow-covered field near a chateau at Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines on 31 January 1945, the movie audience first hears Frank Sinatra singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and then a chorus of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", after the fatal shots are fired.

This scene is remarkable for its stark, visually extreme imagery, and the non-combat stress and anguish foisted on GIs during a lull in combat. The New York Times film review stated "it stands out in stark and sobering contrast to the other gaudier incidents in the film".The whole film is shot in black and white, and so the black regimented figures of the firing squad and witnesses face the lone man bound to a stake in the midst of a snow-covered plain. The addition of surreal accompanying Christmas music and absence of dialog make this scene an often cited one. The juxtaposition of saccharine music with a frightful scene was emulated the following year by Stanley Kubrick in Dr. Strangelove, which was also shot in black and white.