Does Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk ignore the role of the Indian army?

[soleiltropiques]

(OP: Please note that the mention of 'India' in the text includes not only today's India, but also people from today's Pakistan and Bangladesh. Also important to the war effort in Europe were other groups such as the Nepalese (commonly known as Gurkhas).)

Does Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk ignore the role of the Indian army?

Comments

[meadowphoenix]

To be fair, Nolan has said that he approached the story "from the point of view of the pure mechanics of survival rather than from the politics of the event".

Ah, yes. The tried and true "poc are political not human" excuse! Our survival is political not transcendent, unlike white men who obviously aren't political, but everyman. Thanks Nolan.

[bluemeanybeany]

there is a POC in the movie, but he's French, so he gets lied to and screwed over by the British cause he's French, like all the other Frenchmen.

[meadowphoenix]

tqh, I think you can feel a type of way about white people's nationalities being changed for sake of nationalism/propaganda, but I don't really care. That's been happening so long and with every Western country. But I am pissed about how easily these directors say or imply that POC have no common man stories. It doesn't really matter to me whether there were any POC in the movie, when Nolan clearly wasn't trying to use them as more than a prop for the human interest story of white people he is so fascinated by.

[bluemeanybeany]

I think it probably does matter if you change the HISTORICAL DATE of an event simply so your own team can be the heroes yes, but your mileage may vary I suppose

[bluemeanybeany]

In fairness the action in the movie is fairly limited to one area of the whole clusterfuck, the British being removed from the beaches where it was an total disaster. It doesn't for example show other rescue points for the Allies which weren't quite so dramatic. Nor does it show at all the British units that we're holding the perimeter whilst the others got away. It doesn't show Churchill or any of the action in Dover Castle. It's a very specific section of the action.

Also in terms of omissions it omits the French to an epic degree, which is by far the most glaring narrative not included. However, telling the story of the French during the Fall of France to the oppressive rule of the Nazis isn't really the job for a British director and British actors I don't think. That's their own story.

[mhfromnh]

I thought Dunkirk was in Belgium?

[bluemeanybeany]

It's in France now, it's close to the border though and at various times has been in the possession of various countries. It's very like Calais.

[oudeteron]

When will they just stop? Do they really think every audience will always be so ignorant (and white) as to eat up the same censored shit over and over again?

I mean, we don't even need more movies about WWII to begin with - unless they're bringing something that hasn't been portrayed before to the table, like the actual historical involvement of PoC no one in Hollywood ever seems to be interested in. Just another excuse to watch whoever the current popular white guy of the hour is. Enough.

[bluemeanybeany]

so basically you haven't seen the movie, and you have no idea what Dunkirk is, or what it symbolises do you?

[oudeteron]

I haven't seen the movie, because I'm not paying money for Hollywood to make more whitewashed bullshit, no. I do know the history and I resent your implication that it only needs to symbolize white suffering, played by the hot celeb of the hour so he can net some more cash.

But thank you for defending a popular Hollywood title that will no doubt gross millions despite contributing nothing of substance, lol, you sure told me.

[bluemeanybeany]

Yeeeaaahhh you don't know what it represents.

I'm defending actually SEEING a movie before deciding it's #racist hell, illegally torrent a movie if you don't want to spend money on it. Just don't decide something is whitewashing because one blog tells you it is.

[omimouse]

-points Nolan at Wonder Woman-

Take notes.