Decadence | Jotup

Before Dawn: young Aussie director’s new film is a sombre recount of the ANZACs’ sacrifice

Retrieved on:

Venerdì, Aprile 5, 2024

Hindenburg Line, ANZAC, Russell Boyd, Essay, Empathy, Armistice, Aborigine, Trauma, History, Portrait, Sheep, Australian, Decadence, Commonwealth, Film industry

Since Australia first began producing feature films, it has returned time and again to the subject of the first world war.

Key Points:

Since Australia first began producing feature films, it has returned time and again to the subject of the first world war.
Before Dawn, out in cinemas today, is the latest in this long line of productions.

A sombre portrait of war

The Germans constructed the Hindenburg Line, also known as the Siegfriedstellung or “Siegfried Position” in German, as a defensive fortification on the Western Front in France during the winter of 1916–1917. Stretching between the towns of Arras and Laffaux in the country’s north, it served as a formidable barrier against Allied offensives.

Similar to All Quiet on the Western Front, Before Dawn downplays the celebration of victory and nationalist sacrifice by instead providing a sombre portrait of the horrors of combat.
By the time Armistice Day arrives on November 11 1918, marking the end of the war, it is hardly a victory for the soldiers.

A young man’s film through and through

That said, it would seem a little unfair to compare Before Dawn with the quality and emotional gravitas of Gallipoli.
Prince-Wright’s prior credits include 2018 film The Decadent and Depraved, an independent western genre film set in outback colonial Western Australia.
Prince-Wright shares screenwriting duties with Jarrad Russell, who is receiving his first screenwriting feature credit on the film.
Before Dawn is certainly a young man’s film, both in what is being represented as well as in the cast and crew behind the production.

Ambitious work

It relies too heavily on composer Sean Tinnion’s overstated musical score to provide emotional weight.
The contribution of Aboriginal soldiers during WWI is yet to be satisfactorily fictionalised on the screen.

Despite these faults and oversights, Before Dawn offers an account of the important sacrifice Australia made in assisting the Commonwealth during the war.
Coupled with other sources, it could function well as a teaching text for students learning about the Hindenburg Line.

Stephen Gaunson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Gabon coup: Bongo's rule ended by failed promises and shifting alliances

Retrieved on:

Venerdì, Settembre 1, 2023

The Bongo family’s 56 year hold on power in Gabon was abruptly brought to an end with a military coup on 30 August. The military takeover happened hours after election results were announced that gave Ali Bongo Ondimba a third term. Gyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot, a professor of public and international affairs with published research on Gabon, explains factors that may have contributed to the ouster.Did Gabon’s recent election stack up as ‘free and fair’? The presidential election on 26 August was the sixth since the formal end of the one-party state in 1990.

Key Points:

The Bongo family’s 56 year hold on power in Gabon was abruptly brought to an end with a military coup on 30 August. The military takeover happened hours after election results were announced that gave Ali Bongo Ondimba a third term. Gyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot, a professor of public and international affairs with published research on Gabon, explains factors that may have contributed to the ouster.

Did Gabon’s recent election stack up as ‘free and fair’?

The presidential election on 26 August was the sixth since the formal end of the one-party state in 1990.
The particular issue this time was that three elections (presidential, parliamentary and local) took place at once.
In the context of autocratic and dynastic rule in Gabon, it was bound to be problematic.
The many constitutional, legal and electoral changes before and after the elections severely undermined the integrity of the vote.

What are the weaknesses in Gabon’s political makeup?

Political domination by a single family is the country’s main weakness.
The political system has been tailored to serve the interests of one family only and its domestic and foreign allies.
In some ways, Ali Bongo Ondimba’s attempt to go beyond the political equilibrium created by his father doomed him.

What about the economy? How are ordinary people faring?

Well endowed in natural resources, Gabon is regarded by the World Bank as an upper-middle-income country with a GDP per capita of US$8,820.
Gabon used to be called the “Kuwait of Africa” because of its oil and natural resources wealth and its small population of 2.3 million.
Unemployment is said to be as high as 37%, with 35% of Gabonese living below the poverty line of US$2 a day.

What history does the military have in the country’s affairs?

This time it appears that the military brass are all in, at least those who matter in the Republican Guard (GR in French).
In my view the military has been central to the Bongo regime maintaining its power for all those years.
For instance, in 1993 and 2016 when the Bongo regime was under duress, only military intervention and repression of opposition groups ensured its survival.
The difference now is that it has decided to be king rather than staying behind the scenes as the kingmaker.

What difference is this coup likely to make?

General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, the leader of the junta, does not appear to be related to the Bongo family.
He entered the Bongo circle through his relationship with the long-time former commander of the Republican Guard, André Oyini.
Given that proximity to the Bongo family, it looks like a palace revolution rather than true political change.