There is no way in which the film can be read as a glorification of war. Look at the handicapped military recruitment officer at the beginning of the movie. Look at the carnage that happens to the heroes and their friends. That is not a glorification of war. Verhoeven is plainly using gore to foreground the horrors of war. Near the end of the film the line-up of new recruits are clearly made up of children who are 13 or under. Verhoeven shows that as the war progress, the fascist society turns to younger and younger individuals to use as cannon fodder.
One of greatest lines in the films comes from the hysterical and cowardly general who screams (to paraphrase), "They're just like us, they only want to know us so they can conquer us!" I don't see how these images can be seen to glorify war.
Best,
Vikash Yadav Philadelphia, PA
-----Original Message----- From: owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com [mailto:owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com]On Behalf Of Cian O'Connor Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2002 1:38 PM To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com Subject: Re: Starship Troopers & left infantilism (Re: Carmen Electra with the troops
A number of reviews that I saw seemed to think that Verhoeven was a fascist (well he's Dutch - that's practically German I guess) and that the film was a glorification - which was a bit disquieting. It's not as if the film was particularly subtle about it.
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