Movies are works of art unto themselves

Rating: 10/10 (14 October 2010)

People who read the book and were disappointed with the movie need get a clue! I love books (I work for a major publisher). But I also love good movies (of which there are not nearly enough IMHO). This is a good movie. Forget the book. Please! If movies adhered slavishly to books, there would be no cinema art. A book can be the inspiration, the idea, the launchpad of cinematic art, but faithfulness to a book is not the gold standard of movie greatness. If it were, most movies would fail miserably.
Sadly, what I think is really behind most of the negativity about this movie is that this story reveals the shallowness of contemporary American culture. What do modern audiences care about things like duty, honor, sacrifice, and the denial of self for a higher cause? Savannah says to John, "don't ever tell me I don't understand." And she's right. In the end, her choice is just like his - no choice at all. People who have the capacity to give whatever it takes to make the world a better place, in whatever way life presents that opportunity, and the sense of duty to do so, find that they really have no choice. They simply do it.
That's the key to understanding and loving this movie. These are two people I fell in love with for the depth of their honor, the gut-wrenching sadness of their sacrifice, and the hope of a reward no less sweet for having been postponed by cruel circumstances. They each did the right thing, more than once actually, and we could use a lot more like them.