Reddit reviews Violence in War and Peace: An Anthology

ok so we at least agree now that he is saying something in his movies and that they are worthy of being ranked in literature rather than the dross?

so who is making equally worthy, interesting, engaging and thought provoking films from 'our side'? what non-violent films will any of my friends agree to watch? I mean personally I thought Ben Kingsley was brilliant and have watched the entire three hours probably ten times maybe? and that's still only a fraction of the time i've dedicated to lectures, documentaries and study courses on the real Gandhi but i'm the converted, i'm already a progressive leftist peacenik poetry loving literati type - and yes i'd love if everyone would come join me because i really am very loney... the reality however is that to debate with society you need to engage with society, even if i had the money and talent to make films like Kill Bill in which the goodwill activists use Satyagraha to resist the corporate villains people would say it's terminally dull.

and yeah i don't know about inglorious bastards, personally i thought it was taking the piss out of jingoism but i could be wrong. i must admit it was my least favourite of his films and i've only seen it once, maybe if i saw it again i'd be able to talk about it better.

He uses violence in exactly the same was as Shakespeare, i mean the first scene of Romeo and Juliet for example with the thumb biting and the stand-off, that raising tension which underpins the entire play and sets both the pace and narrative even before you've met any of the main characters - it's the same dynamic used with Pulp Fiction, likewise the Kent's eye scene in King Lear very similar literary importance and device as the Reservoir Dogs ear scene.

Violence has always been used literature, it's in everything from Spencer's Fairye Queen to Tolstoy's War and Peace - talking of which here's a fascinating book on the subject with the same name, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Violence-War-Peace-Anthology-Anthropology/dp/0631223495

You simply can't say that because something contains violence it's no good, that's far too simplistic a way to approach literature.