arthur_tafero Review of Major Barbara

Major Barbara (1941)

The Silly and the Profound: Major Barbara (also known as Major Concerns)

[7/10 · 20 February 2021]

I never knew George Bernard Shaw had such a devilish sense of humor; what a grand discovery. The name of this film is a misnomer; the film is not really about Major Barbara; it is more about that great philosophical and/or religious struggle of good against evil. Few writers would dare to tackle such a lofty goal, but Shaw takes on this task with gusto. The actors go all out in the spirit of true socialism; Rex Harrison is smitten by Barbara, but then becomes beguiled by Darth Vader, played by Robert Morley with great enthusiasm. Although Morley's character is far more evil than Vader, Undercraft does pose a crucial queston? "Dare we make war on war?" If pacifists had their way, we would, but then a country or a whole group of countries would be defenseless against the aggression of any militaristic states. So, being a pacifist doesnt seem to be the most practical choice at this point in the development of the human race. This is one of the problems of being too adamant about one pole or the other in the choices of human philosophy. I am a great believer in being the middle of the wheel, as in philosophical Taoism. I prefer the path of moderation in all things; quite similar to Confucian philosophy. When I hear a person go off to far in one direction or another politically or religiously; I tend to write that person off as being unworthy of my company. The film contains some silly notions; like trying to reform unreformable Robert Newton. You might as well try to reform Nigerian pirates or Arab sultans. However, the majority of the film focuses on profound questions: socialism or capitalism? Pacifism or being prepared with national defense? And ultimately; is there value in turning the other cheek? The answer to all these questions is neither yes or no, but somewhere in the middle; which is why I employ Taoism to begin with.