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The Carabineers

— There is no victory, only flags and fallen men. In Les Carabiniers, we see, once again, how Godard dealt with war and all its implications. It’s almost a prelude to what Week End and La Chinoise would become. Here, we see a great deal of humor used as a way to highlight how war and conflict are futile and pointless, bringing out the worst in men for no obvious reason. It’s as if it were showing, step by step, how foolish it is to risk your life for people you don’t know and for rewards you may never receive. Personally, I really liked how the story draws from the context of World War II to set the scene, with its own mannerisms and symbolism, yet never specifies a place, a country, or any historical figure. The film deliberately leaves us out of the geographical context simply because any place could be engulfed by war; after all, war can only bring out the worst in everyone. Thus, the way the characters move through the world reinforces the raw violence and evil that takes hold of everyone, turning them into nothing more than animals. The best part, however, comes precisely during the visit to the cinema. The character watches movies for the first time; it’s much more subtle than the rest of the film. The fear of being hit by the locomotive, just like in the Lumière brothers’ first screening, as well as thinking he can touch a girl taking a bath. As for the rest, the film makes it clear these soldiers are shown images of a reality they can never experience—merely portrayals of a reality they cannot be a part of. Just to watch and dream. In the end, is exactly what happens, and they realize they will only ever have access to the paradise of their dreams. Compared to other films, it's far from the best, but it’s interesting for its comedic structure, its nods to cinema itself as a language, and for showing the direction Godard would take when making films that use war as their central theme.