Beautiful illustration of the conflict between loyalty and survival

Rating: Null/10 (22 January 2002)

A magnificent movie this is, indeed. But I don't agree at all that it is about war -- the war serves only as a backdrop to the interaction between Jim, his hero Basie, and his surrogate parents Mr. and Mrs. Victor. Precocious yet innocent Jim picks up quickly on lessons from "the university of life" and is seduced by the exciting but survivalist ways of the American GI. Ultimately the glamourous illusion is shattered by betrayal, and Jim learns the meaning of true loyalty and care when Mr. and Mrs. Victor take him back as their own child. Jim grows out of his naivety when he sees through Basie's final attempt to seduce him (by offering to take him to his parents), yet he retains his charming innocence with a polite "Yes please, Basie" when offered a Hershey Bar (for real). In the end, what is this movie really about? The tragedy of a lost childhood.