Mother courage and her children - Essay Example

‘Mother Courage and Her Children Movie Review Most of the film makers worldwide adapted stories from real-life experience of war heroes and artists of the eventful past during the horrible times of Nazism and the devilish rein of Hitler. The essential feature of such pieces of art was their theme of building the sentimental touch of stories based on the heroics or horrors of wars. A majority of such visual presentations in the movie format belong to the documentary genre. The movie ‘Theatre of War’ is a piece of film editing excellence from the director of the movie John Walter.

It is based on the play ‘Mother Courage and Her Children’, a 2006 production by Bertolt Brecht for New York’s Public Theatre. It was the style of ‘epic theatre genre’ to show plays based on the playwright’s imaginations of a mixed pattern of time-matched scenes and backgrounds. The theme of the play described in the movie is in the form of a documentary interview based on a historic incident. Characters and contexts in the movie are based on a chronicle of events therefore it can be staged in the ‘epic theatre’ genre if we present it on the stage now. 2. ‘Mother Courage and Her Children’ represents the ideological views of individuals about war and their struggles for survival amidst the horrors of the thirty-year war that was fought for religious dominance.

The Christian-Jewish war shown in the play is not the end of the war in the history, but it can be seen in more fierce forms in different parts of the world today. The theme can be attributed to current events like the Iraqi wars between the ‘Shiites’ and the ‘Sunnis’ – citizen of the same country fighting for dominance over each other. Another such instance is the war between Israel and Palestine in which survivors are still left unsafe in their home countries. Emissaries and peacemakers sent to those provinces are captivated and their lives are bargained by fighting countries.

The war of present day has parasites too, like the Cook. Developed military powers of the world identify the fighting countries as the best places for selling weapons. They sell weapons to the militants and terrorists and encourage violence in the target countries. Then they do the fishing in troubled water. At one side the UNO and other organizations walk up to the warring lands like Courage and at another side there are some terrorist groups taking the war as their business like the Cook. 3.

In the play, Kattrin deserves sympathy for she was the victim of a war and is a silent observer of event happening around her. She has the finest mind to help others but silence and fear seizes her attempts. It was not her choice to be quiet even when her brother was taken by the military or Swiss Cheese was brutally killed. She had to remain a silent observer as she was unable to react. I know one person similar to have the conditions of Kattrin. He is Major Stephen Alex, my neighbor. He had been deployed to the peacemaking efforts during Iran-Iraq war around 30 years ago.

He sustained severe shell injuries and lost his vision in the left eye and the movement of the left hand. He was brought home for about one year and then he came back to tell the stories similar to that of Kattrin’s; he remembers how unfortunate he was to see four of his soldiers die. He takes a deep sigh when he describes the moments he was signing the death confirmation certificates at the military camp hospital. He dislikes believing that he was a survivor for he thinks that an escape without meaning is equal to death. 4. This play is very meaningful in the wake of present conditions of the world.

Though theatre art is not common in my area, I would like to see a production of it in any local theatre nearby. It sparks the spirit of a great human thought for peace. The world today has become a fierce battlefield for guerrilla warriors against human community. The distance between the rich and the poor and the good and evil has been increased and people started hating among the brethren. 5. As free individual, everyone has the right to choose his favorite life style and belief models. A war is no more and insignia of a civilized society where communication has the greater role.

Technology and scientific methods are the roads on which the present community is moving around me. ‘Mother Courage and Her Children’ stands as a prolific peace ambassador in my view; therefore the great message of universal brotherhood and cordial relationship between communities and nations should be drawn from this great play.