MOVIE REVIEW
Movie: Instrument of War
Network: BYU
Original Air Date: November 23, 2017
(*Please Note: I have NOT previewed this movie. Check ratings before viewing.)
CAST:
Jack Ashton ... Clair Cline
Elliot James Langridge ... Reed 'Whit' Whitaker
Daniel Betts ... Lawrence Packer
Rupert Simonian ... Al Thomas
Urs Rechn ... Klaus Schmidt
Andrea Deck ... Anne Cline
Andreas Wisniewski ... Karl Herrmann
Callum McGowan ... Vinny Petrolini
Barney White ... Jack Findlay
Matthias Zera ... Georg Klemper
Ethan Kai ... Frank Romero
Ethan Vincent ... Peter Schmidt
Christopher Lakewood ... Shaver
Daniel O'Keefe ... Billy Bryant
David Brumberg ... McReady
Deividas Breive ... German Teen
Elvinas Juodkazis ... POW 1
Edgar Bechter ... POW 2
Jonas Braskys ... The Lifeguard
Dovydas Laukys ... RAF POW
Ervinas Peteraitis ... Old German Farmer
Artiomas Rybakovas ... Tower Guard
Dovydas Stoncius ... German Officer
Tomas Zaibus ... German Soldier
PLOT:
Storyline via BYU press release: Instrument of War is an original scripted holiday television special inspired by first-hand accounts of WWII bomber pilot Clair Cline, an American B-24 pilot captured and held as Prisoner of War (POW) in a German prison camp, Stalag Luft I. After being shot down over Nazi-occupied Holland during a bombing mission, Cline and the surviving members of his crew struggled to keep themselves psychologically sound while living in captivity under the rule of a ruthless Commandant. To resist helplessness and bitterness that plagued POWs, Cline, a self-taught musician, crafted a violin from bunk bed slats, the leg of a chair, dried glue from the bottom of chairs and a shard of glass as a wood carving tool.
To help maintain his sanity during internment and lift fellow prisoners' spirits, Cline traded Red Cross rations with other prisoners, as well as with guards, to obtain tools and supplies needed to complete the instrument for the Christmas holidays. After playing traditional Christmas carols on his homemade violin, he became known throughout the camp. Filmed with the cooperation of the Cline family, this holiday special includes excerpts from his wife's diary that she kept throughout her husband's captivity.
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*images via: BYU / Kaleidoscope Pictures, Inc
I was impressed with the influence that music was portrayed to have on the mind. That a soldier mourning the loss of a brother in war could be irritated by Christmas carols played on a handmade violin. That the same soldier will throw the violin and hope to destroy it because of the irritation it caused him. While otherwise, the construction of the instrument brought hope and raised expectations in a prisoner of war camp.
ReplyDeleteGut wrenching movie. Powerful plot, with good acting. Warning, have handkerchief on the ready.
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