American Solitaire

I NEED TO MAKE A CORRECTION ON MY LAST COMMENTS: IT WAS VIRGINIA MAYO- NOT VIRGINIA MC KENNA- WHO PLAYED THE WIFE OF DANA ANDREWS' CHARACTER IN "THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES." (VIRGINIA MC KENNA WAS THE BRITISH ACTRESS WHO STARRED IN "BORN FREE" & THE 199 PBS PRODUCTION OF GRAHAM GREENE'S< "NEXY YEAR HEN I'M FORTY."). "AMERICAN SOLITAIRE" IS CERTAINLY A WORTHY SUCCESOR TO "THE BESY YEARS OF OUR LIVES" & KING VIDOR"S 1925 WORLD WAR 1 FILM, "THE BIG PARADE"!

I HOPE THAT AS AMANY PEOPLE AS POSSIVBLE WILL TAKE PART IN TOMORROW NIGHT'S SCREENING OF "AMERICAN SOLITAIRE" & THEN STAY FOR THE TALKBACK WITH JOANE KELLY, THE ACTRESS WHO PLAYS SLINGER'S (JOSHUA CLOSE) LANDLADY & CO-MILITARY VETERAN. IN AN INTERVIREW, MS. KELLY SAID, "MOST OF US WILL NEVER SERVE IN THE MILITARY, BUT TO LEARN SOMETHNG ABOUT IT & TO REALLY UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THOSE EXPERIENCES STRENGTHENS US AS A SOCIETY &, FRANKLY, HUMANITY AS A WHOLE." I'D LIKE TO ADD TO HER STATEMENT THAT I COULD HAVE SWORN THAT SHE- ALONG WITH MR. CLOSE & MR. OWUOR HAD ALL SERVED IN THE MILITARY BECAUSE THEY ALL CONVEYED SO MUCH TRUTHFULNESS ABOUT THEIR CHARACTERS' EXPERIENCES. THIS WAS PARTICULARLY TRUE IN THE SCENE IN WHICH MS. KELLY'S CHARCTER TELLS SLINGER ABOUT WHAT SHE HAS BEEN THROUGH & ADDS THAT THERE'S SUPPOSED TO BE A SWITCH THAT CAN HELP YOU TO OVERCOME YOUR POST-WAR TRAUMA, & SHE THEN SAYS, "BUT WHERE'S THAT SWITCH? THEY FORGOT TO TELL ME." AND DIRECTOR AARON DAVIDMAN'S DECISION TO PAN THE CAMERA BACK & FORTH BETWEEN HER CHARACTER & SLINGER- & HIS DECISION TO HAVE SLINGER EMIT A SINGLE TEAR IN REACTION TO WHAT SHE IS SAYING SHOWS HOW THE TWO CHARACTERS ARE ABLE TO BOND. ALSO, THE POIGNANT DELIVERY THAT JAMIR VEGA USES WHEN TELLING THE OTHERS HOW HE GOT THE NAME EMMETT ALSO REMINDS US THAT RACISM CAN BE JUST AS DEVASTATING AS PTSD. WHILE I WAS WATCHING THESE SCENES, I WAS REMINDED OF THE SCENE IN WILLIAM WYLER'S "THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES" WHEN VIRGINA MC KENNA'S CHARACTER SAYS TO HER HUSBAND, "CAN'T YOU JUST GET OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM?" HOWEVER, MR. WYLER & MR. DAVIDMAN- & EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THE MAKING OF THOSE TWO FILMS MAKES US AL REALIZE THAT WE CAN'T JUST GET TRAUMAS LIKE WAR & RACISM OUT OF OUR SYSTEMS!