Everything is history, eventually
Early on in life, I made a valiant effort to avoid studying history. Didn’t work out well for me, because the subject is everywhere. Better to accept that my species tries to remember and revisit every moment of existence, and then to pass that plate of hash around the table to others. You never know who might be hungry for a spoonful of memories. I’m not part of an oral tradition, exactly, so I find my stories where I can. Books, in large part. Inevitably, in cinema.
So, here we go. Another minimalist movie review. This time around, The Siege of Jadotville. I had to look on a number of maps to find out where it was; it didn’t help that the name has changed, following a few decades of war. There was also the (inevitable) Wiki entry, with enough information to convince me the story in the movie was based on something that actually happened. In my lifetime, as a plus.
I know nothing about imperialism in Africa, other than a few names. Not much to go on. This movie was suited to my level of preparation; I learned about the Irish as UN peacekeepers, and the role of “mercs”, and the back story of Dag Hammarskjold. He died in a mysterious plane crash while serving as the Secretary-General of the UN. Anyhow, not to spoil the movie, but when a small group tries to fight a much larger group, and their ammunition runs out… it doesn’t always end up as an amazing win. Of course, this movie wasn’t made by the Hollywood gang. Watch it, if you get the chance.
