Review of 1918

1918 (1985)
7/10
WW1 and the flu
12 September 2019
The thing I admire most about this film is how the town of Waxahachie, Texas was used as the location setting for 1918. The whole town practically, you really do think you're in the year of World War 1 in America. The panorama of the place reminds me of Picnic.

Horton Foote's play really does show what it was like back in the day. Texas itself was one of the areas strongest in support of our entry into the European War and of President Woodrow Wilson. It was really like that in 1918. Dissent was easily the equivalent of treason.

But the crisis of man in creating the first World War where the attitude is just fall in line or scorn or worse those that don't is superseded by a second crisis of health. The great influenza epidemic which started Over There came back with our returning doughboys. It ran wild through this country 1918-1919 and what you see here all the deaths and families affected was quite real.

William Converse-Roberts and Hallie Foote are the married leads and the parents of our author. He's got a draft exemption for flat feet, but no exemption from the flu. He survives it and he was weeks in delirium. When Converse-Roberts comes out of it. there are a lot of changes, some subtle some not.

Matthew Broderick is in 1918 as Foote's wastrel brother. A truly shallow character when we meet him. He shows signs of character growth by the end of the play.

The ensemble cast is impeccably cast and performs thusly. 1918 is great look back at that year.
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