Disassembling the Bomber Crew
![Saints and Soldiers.jpg](http://www.artsjournal.com/popcorn/Saints%20and%20Soldiers.jpg)
As it happens, two of the most interesting World War II films made recently take the opposite tack, highlighting the social divisions among US soldiers. The first, Saints and Soldiers (2004), is about a handful of GIs caught behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge. The second, Miracle at St. Anna (2008), follows a band of GIs in a similar fix, during the Allied invasion of Italy.
In the first film, the difference between the soldiers is religious: one who is very devout contends with and then befriends one who is not. In the second, the difference has to do with race: the soldiers are all African-American, and the story revolves around their very different ways of coping with the challenge of fighting a racist enemy while being commanded by a racist white officer.
![Miracle at St. Anna.jpg](http://www.artsjournal.com/popcorn/Miracle%20at%20St.%20Anna.jpg)
November 22, 2009 4:16 PM
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