Posted on 10/14/2011 6:26:39 PM PDT by neverdem
Skeptics of America’s engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq have frequently drawn comparisons to Vietnam as a reminder of the futility of far-flung military interventions. Rarely do they mention the Philippines, the site of one of our first forays into nation-building. A recent film, however, uses that mostly forgotten war as a backdrop for a meditation on the wisdom of sending Americans abroad in search of monsters to destroy. Written and directed by John Sayles, Amigo, which arrived in a handful of American cities last month, is set in 1900 amid the three-year Philippine-American War.
In the spring of 1898, shortly after America’s declaration of war on Spain, Commodore George Dewey cruised into Manila Bay and defeated the Spanish fleet in a matter of hours. America, which had originally gone to war with the intention of saving Cuban rebels from Spanish savagery, had now netted a possession in the Pacific. President William McKinley subsequently redirected U.S. troops to the Philippines to provide “guidance to a better government” and establish “peace and order and security.”
Humorist Finley Peter Dunne made clear how unfamiliar the Philippines were to most Americans when he said, via his literary creation Mr. Dooley, that many were unsure “whether they were islands or canned goods.” And yet Americans went off by the thousands to this distant land to accomplish McKinley’s goals and, in the process, fight Filipino revolutionaries led by Emilio Aguinaldo, self-appointed president and would-be George Washington of the First Philippines Republic—an insurgent government determined to force the Americans off the islands.
Amigo offers an account of this period, told from the perspectives of the American soldiers, the Filipino revolutionaries, and the ordinary citizens affected by the conflict. The story, set in the barrio of San Isidro in the largest of the country’s 7,107 islands, Luzon, centers on village leader Rafael Dacanay (Joel Torre). When the Americans arrive in the rural rice-farming community, they quickly rely on Dacanay, whose brother and son have joined the rebels, as a conduit and guide. As the story unfolds, Dacanay struggles to maintain a balance between the Americans, and their goal of establishing an embryonic form of democracy in the village, and the insurrectos, who, following Aguinaldo’s orders, wage guerrilla warfare against the occupying Yankees. Matters are further complicated by an imperious Spanish priest with murky motives and by Dacanay’s treacherous brother-in law, who, while covertly conspiring with the rebels, unfairly accuses Dacanay of doing the Americans’ bidding.
Sayles uses Dacanay’s dilemma to present empathetic portraits of all involved. The young American soldiers, led by the amiable, architecture-loving Lieutenant Compton (Garret Dillahunt), are indeed strangers in a strange land. But they’re also earnest, well-intentioned, and humane. The usual Hollywood stereotypes are avoided. Their Filipino adversaries, hiding and plotting in caves or in the jungle while awaiting instructions from Aguinaldo, are not celebrated or deified but portrayed neutrally. Caught in the middle are the villagers, who gradually begin to bond with the Americans without necessarily losing sympathy for the rebels’ cause. A U.S.–Filipino cast employ their respective native languages (English would become the second official language of the Philippines later in the twentieth century), adding a sense of realism to the proceedings.
These intersections make for a relatively agenda-free film on a loaded subject. This is surprising, given that Sayles was a vocal critic of the Iraq War and has directed a number of left-leaning films, including the quickly forgotten Silver City, a satiric bashing of President George W. Bush. True, as the Americans’ strategy evolves, and the pitiless Colonel Hardacre (Chris Cooper), one of the few cartoonish figures here, takes the reins in San Isidro, the tone grows darker at the occupiers’ expense. One scene shows Dacanay being subjected to the “water cure”—a coercion method used during the war that will, of course, remind viewers of waterboarding. It’s worth pointing out, too, that the movie does not quite capture the full reciprocal brutality of the conflict. Consider the Balangiga Affair, in which rebels massacred 40 unarmed Americans on the island of Samar and subsequently generated a ferocious U.S. response. But for the most part, Amigo is a compelling and mostly impartial piece of historical fiction.
It is also a timely one. American troops have been bravely fighting terrorists and encouraging democracy in both Iraq and Afghanistan for nearly a decade. But increasingly, many Americans, of all political orientations, question our foreign commitments and wonder if the costs are commensurate with the benefits.
Some history not included in Amigo is also worth considering. After the rebellion ended in the first years of the new century and William Howard Taft was appointed governor of the Philippines, Americans advanced the archipelago’s infrastructure, public education, and health services, vastly improving the quality of life for its occupants. And though independence would not come until 1946, the Philippines would eventually emerge as a sovereign nation. A partial snapshot of the cost: over 4,000 Americans lost their lives. The cumulative toll for the Filipinos is believed to have been in the hundreds of thousands. Though the history that Amigo depicts in no way makes for a direct comparison to our current wars, the film nevertheless provokes a welcome consideration of America’s complicated role abroad.
Ryan L. Cole writes on politics and culture from Indianapolis.
Dude. That is an EPIC tale. Cyber high five.
Must have been tough to be a Marine doing tour over there with a bunch of impoverished Michelle Malkins running around. I’m not sayng, I’m just saying.
They were warned by the Spanish that Americans would not accept their Roman Catholicism; they were right. We have sodomites in our military; they don’t. They are also allowed to pray in school; we pray to Mother Earth and global warming. The Filipinos were right to reject us; they are inheriting the earth. Now they work in my home state of NJ, having families while Americans buy new cars instead of having children. They are very “Irish” (no apostles sent, receiving the Word second- or third- hand) and living like the early Jewish followers of Christ (persecution & all).
As a Catholic I must say that Filipinos are as Catholic as Mexicans, in a good way; we Americans never had the Virgin of Guadalupe appear, and it shows. Tagalog doesn’t have a word for “gay marriage”, because they are God’s people; their war against Moros on Mindanao reinforces their beliefs, while we believe Islam is compatible with our way of life.
I’m not Filipino, but I understand why God lets them spread around the globe; they deserve it, and suffer for it.
“She told me the Spanish gave the Philippines religion. The Americans gave them education.”
Which was the better of the 2? The Filipinos have made it clear which was more important for them; if they were an American state they’d be required to let perverts in their military & government. No matter what they think of Spain in hindsight, Spain (at the time) was Catholic; what else matters?
My wife is from Mindano: Overall Mindano is mostly Christian, with both Catholics and Protestants well represented. Only in certain parts of Mindano are Muslims in the majority (and of course those areas are where most of the armed-conflict type trouble is.)
Here in NJ you can’t get a “customer service job” (bank teller, cashier, telemarketer, etc.) without speaking Spanish, Portuguese, or Ordu; the empire has already fallen. Americans need not apply (so they are leaving); before the “bully” Christie arrived, his DEM predecessor admitted that without ILLEGAL immigration NJ had lost population. Whatever you think of Christie, he wants the state to be a place where AMERICANS (besides cops & schoolteachers) can live...
Ethiopia & Liberia were free; when enough of the brown people picked up guns, they all became free.
LOL!
Race baiting pc vomit alert posting on this thread...just sayin
Does your wife have a sister? :p
Well since they already had religion, the Americans didn't need to give it to them so therefore we gave them the next best thing. Are you saying that since they had religion under the Spanish, that's all they needed and they were better off with them than under the Americans?
Thanks neverdem.
“Are you saying that since they had religion under the Spanish, that’s all they needed and they were better off with them than under the Americans?”
As a Roman Catholic faith supersedes all else; we certainly contributed much to the Philippines, but not that. Americans have a different version of history than Filipinos do. Their initial “independence” celebration they held when Spain left was the only one they had for decades. They fought us as they had fought Spain. Spain has left an indelible mark on the Filipinos in terms of language, faith, and culture; today the Philippines bears little resemblance to the United States.
Just who is this "we"? Zero and the Bushies may, but certainly no FReepers or non-FReepers that I know of.
“Zero and the Bushies may, but certainly no FReepers or non-FReepers that I know of.”
True; I should have been more specific. The “people who determine which foreigners can move next door to me” believe Islam is compatible with our way of life.
As a Roman Catholic, I also agree that that faith supersedes all else. Faith should be first in life, but it is not a panacea for all of life's challenges.
today the Philippines bears little resemblance to the United States.
I would disagree, it bears a good deal of resemblance to the US. They may be ahead of us in the faith department, but don't sell the US short. Contrary to what you see in the MSM, liberals that worship "mother earth" are a very small minority here. It was never the intention of the US to make the Philippines into a carbon copy of the US or a US state for that matter. The Philippines today is a dynamic republic that practices democracy pretty well. It has a well developed education system, a vibrant economy, and very little socialism. The US certainly deserves some credit for this. The Philippines is still a trusted ally and the US is still respected there.
“Contrary to what you see in the MSM, liberals that worship “mother earth” are a very small minority here.”
Whatever you want to call them, we have a lot of people that support legalized abortion, and a significant number (though not near a majority) that support “gay marriage”. Some would kindly say they worship mother earth; others would rightly say they worship the Devil. Whether you want to connect it to faith or not, the American family has been under assault (successfully) for decades; I don’t see this antipathy in Filipinos.
Yes, that is one of our biggest problems. I lot of people don't know it, but they are indirectly worshiping the devil by doing this.
I see we also share a common heritage. I'm happy that at least Ireland still outlaws abortions.
Our bond with the Philipino people is something Americans should be proud of.
I agree...but i am seriously biased ;)
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