I gave Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows a second look this weekend. Wrapped into the movie is an important theme that was subtle. The movie asks us to consider the evil intentions of powerful individuals to change the landscape of our society. In the case of the movie, Professor Moriarity is a powerful person in London society. He is a wise secretive figure. Admired by many. No one would guess of his secret life hidden in a game of shadows.
Sherlock Holmes understands the complexity of his persona. He has linked him to numerous events that were unsolved. He knows that behind the persona lies an evil man. What I enjoyed about the movie is the geopolitical themes. Professor Moriarty uses the geopolitical theme of Nationalism to distract people from his actions. Very profound. What the movie cleverly challenges us to consider is that powerful individuals can use geopolitical themes to their advantage.
If you think about the logic of Professor Moriarity, he is not that unusual. Powerful individuals can take advantage of geopolitical themes without any worry of loss of life. A quest for control can consume an individual to justify evil as a necessary means to meet their selfish goals. Fast forward to today's geopolitical themes. Many powerful people are profiting from the war on terror, financial disasters in banking, and social policy changes. Are these individuals any different than Professor Moriarity?
Two great DC comics are currently on TV this fall. The Flash on the CW and Gotham on Fox. Both shows are intriguing and very well done. The greatest difference that I can see is that the CW's Flash is bucking the trend of Dark interpretations of comic book story lines. It is refreshing to see a balance between serious and campy themes with the Flash. Gotham continues the Dark Knight trilogies' interpretation of a darker Batman. The show is on a weird time slot. 8pm is early for some of the show's themes and darker interpretations of Gotham. Another problem I have with Gotham is that the timelines seem skewed. Bruce Wayne is much younger than the characters we have read about as kids. Many of the characters, including the villains will be in their 40s by the time Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. Even with the plot twists, Gotham is still very good.
The Flash has stuck to the original script. A bit campy, but intriguing how they are interpretation the death of Barry Allen's mom plays a role in the show. The show is slowly developing the story line of the yellow flash which is Barry's nemesis. The incorporation of metahumans and subplots from the comic book are cleverly interwoven into each episode.
While I might seem biased towards the Flash, both shows are very strong. I favor the Flash a bit for keeping some of the innocence of comics when it has become more fashionable to be dark. Similar to the Avengers Movie, the Flash allows itself to have some fun.
When I was a child, I could remember saying, "Keep it up, I will make a lamp shade outta you." Never understanding the phrase, we as kids just said it in the school yard. Looking back, I like most kids probably thought it sounded cool.
Fast forward 40 years and I stumbled upon a documentary that astonished me. It would seem, that the phrase was rooted from the Holocaust. A deeply troubling phrase that reflected the atrocities of World War II.
For those who are unaware, as I was as a child, the phrase is historical linked. Ilse Koch was a accused of War Crimes for using human skin as souvenirs. She was a secretary and guard at a concentration camp. She stood trial and was given a lighter sentence due to the absence of evidence. This injustice created a world wide search to prove that she indeed created articles of human skin for her enjoyment, including her most prized possession, the human lamp shade.
This documentary explains the historical background of Ilse Koch. The plot is indeed complex and fascinating. I truly recommend the story to history lovers, teachers, and parents. After forty years, I learned the horror of a childhood phrase. A phrase I had no idea what it meant. For words, while meaningful can harm, without a child even realizing it. That is the lesson for our world today.
