Film Review | Miracle at St. Anna

Released: 2008
Starring: Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Omar Benson Miller, Pierfrancesco Favino, Valentina Cervi
Director: Spike Lee
Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Produced by: Touchstone Pictures, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, RAI, On My Own Produzioni Cinematografiche
Rated: R (UK – 15)

“World War II Has Its Heroes And Its Miracles.”

Spike Lee, famous or infamous director (depending on how you feel about him) of many films dealing with social issues plunges neck deep into the trenches of World War II. But what does a platoon of African-American soldiers, a long lost statue head, and an Italian orphan got to do with a miracle at St. Anna?

Miracle at St. Anna follows the members of the US Army’s all-black 92nd Buffalo soldier division stationed in Italy during WWII. Four soldiers find themselves behind enemy lines without their unit after one of them tries to save an Italian boy. The Italians of the small Tuscan town form a bond with the American soldiers as they attempt to stay alive despite being surrounded by German troops.

The story behind the real Buffalo soldiers of the 92nd Division who served in Italy during World War II is one that is not told often or even known by most Americans. Taking on the task of sharing the story while keeping it both historically accurate and entertaining was definitely not an easy task. Based on real-life testimony from both the Buffalo soldiers who served in Italy and the Italians, the characters give us the glimpse of the incredibly tough situation that united two groups of people from across the globe. Even with a language barrier the characters not only found a way to communicate but also built a bond strong enough to fight beside one another as equals.

Spike Lee, director of Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X, has always been one of my favorite directors. He takes on controversial topics and isn’t afraid to show the raw truth. In Miracle at St. Anna, he showed the many sides of war. He included the struggle and journey of the African-American soldiers as well the Italian partisans and even gave us a glimpse into the side of the Nazi soldiers. It’s not always just a battle between the “good guys” and the “bad guys” and I enjoyed the peek into the many sides even if it made the film rather long.

The cast includes some of my personal favorite Italian and American actors including Michael Ealy, Darek Luke, John Turturro, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Pierfrancesco Favino. The four main soldiers (played by Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Omar Benson Miller) come from the south and find themselves in a completely new world led by racist commanders who aren’t exactly happy to have African-Americans in the army to begin with. The soldiers all have different opinions on their participation in the war. Some were drafted and others volunteered. Some are hoping they truly make a difference in history the USA and for the African-American struggle while others feel as tho they are just being forced into a war to fight for a country that would rather have them dead. This often causes tension between the soldiers.

The acting performances by the four main actors are very well done. Each actor made sure to stay true to their characters’ identity. You feel their fear, pain, and joy authentically. Omar Benson Miller who plays Private First Class Sam Train brings such a sweet innocence to his character and his interactions with the young Italian boy he saved (played by Matteo Sciabordi) are some of my favorite parts. They do not let language stop them from communicating. Sam Train becomes very protective over the young boy and refuses to leave his side even if that means going against Army orders. Most of their interactions are authentic as both actors did not speak the other’s language.

However, there are problems that start to rise. Spike Lee has a great foundation of the true story, a solid cast, and something to say about the events of St. Anna all those years ago. The main problem is he has A LOT to say about every side involved. He is also trying to convey a sense of diversity among all the soldiers on each front and some of the characters fall into the pit of being there “just cause. An unfortunate Deus Ex Machina is some of the characters exist essentially to die or to betray someone and have no more character than that. Also to note that this subtracts from the actual events, working against the film rather than for it. As much as he may want to portray one character as a conflicted nazi who does not want to kill he also portrays ten Nazis who don’t think twice or even wince when mowing down civilians and killing an infant in the process with a bayonet. While I personally understand what he was going for I can see where it’s criticisms come from.

It’s moments like these where characters don’t really have any reason for their actions other than being introduced in one scene and betraying the group in another. This stops Miracle at St. Anna from being a perfect film which is so unfortunate as it’s so very close to being Lee’s magnum opus. However, it does hit some very tender high beats when it comes to characters on screen, a long film without much action that still keeps you glued to your seat just because the character building is so very human from the humour the black company has, to the romance and infighting among them all.

The soundtrack, by Terence Blanchard, is the 12th collaboration the composer has had with Spike Lee. Each track is beautifully appropriate for each scene. Sometimes soft and intimate with just piano and other times intense with a full-on orchestra. I am a big fan of movie scores and this one was a quick favorite.

In closing, Miracle at St. Anna is beautiful and has so much going for it from the characters to their respective arcs they go through. I cannot see who this wouldn’t appeal too as it is thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. There may be a few red herrings thrown in to reel in the viewer that essentially don’t come to much at all, but the meat of the plot is great it is just a pity Spike Lee didn’t get more time to cut the film better and flesh out the characters.

Rating:

Ella Fiore:

Although Miracle at St. Anna was described by many as being too long I enjoyed it all. I really liked the ending and felt that despite the sad topic that the ending was a beautiful closure to the story.