ERH-102 BTF Rhetorical Analysis

The documentary, Between Two Fires tells of the atrocities committed by American soldiers on Russian POW’s at the end of WWII at Fort Dix, NJ. The story told is one of embarrassment for the U.S. government and tragedy for the Russian soldiers held captive for sympathizing with Hitler’s Nazi regime. Through the use of personal interviews and actual footage uncovered from that time period, the film presents both sides of the situation through the use of appeals to portray both sides of the situation. The creators of the film, Doug and Mattie Smith, project an unbiased viewpoint on the subject and it is apparent that it is his objective to bring to light this event that is commonly overlooked and so little known about. The narration of the film and the use of audio and visual aids by the creator sets the tone and genre to one that is informative. The Mr. and Mrs. Smith successfully establish an informative tone that is unbiased and uses personal interviews and extensive research to bring to light an event in history that is commonly overlooked.

The creators of the documentary, Between Two Fires use an informative tone as the basis for the film to project an unbiased viewpoint on the subject. The creator is careful to not make appeals that can alter the tone of the film and make an argument that is two-sided or detract from the main focus of the film. To prove that this is the creator’s intent, the filmmaker’s expertise is in history and not the art of producing films. This also adds to Mr. Smith’s credibility since it shows that he means to create an accurate representation of what actually occurred and not include details that maybe embellished. The interviews conducted during the film were emphasized as the main source of emotion which creates a subtle argument for human rights and does not condone the actions of the American guards. The emotional side of the film, backed by solid evidence of the events that occurred give Mr. and Mrs. Smith credibility because it is proven fact. Given the creator’s background as anti-communist and Jewish, the film’s angle of vision still stands as informative be omitting personal appeals on the subject matter and rather keeping the evidence within the context of the event. Through the use of firsthand accounts, archival footage, and the creator’s background in history, the film’s genre is credible and apparent as a source of information rather than a two sided argument.

The film addresses those who maybe uneducated on the subject and for those who may be researching this particular event. For an audience to find this film persuasive, they would have to have an unbiased view on the subject or have an understanding of the events that occurred at Fort Dix. The film does a decent job at suiting its particular audience because it stands as an informative piece which most audiences would find very persuasive because of the emotional appeals in the film brought in through the interviews and actual footage. As an informative piece, the creator successfully uses concrete language and imagery to support the goal of educating people on this subject. The film expresses the emotions of the Russian prisoners facing forced repatriation and possible death upon returning to Russia. Facing the predicament between suicide and possible death upon returning to their homeland, the emotions both sides felt is accurately portrayed and described through the interviews as a classic case of moral ambiguity and politics. The emotions created in the interview help to drive the point home about the tragedies that occurred at Fort Dix and the issues with morality. Using personal interviews, the film creates an unbiased viewpoint as well as the use of archival footage to back up the claims of the interviewees and appeal to a general audience of people of varying levels of knowledge on this topic.

Overall, the film stands as an unbiased film that addresses an issue in our military history that involves horrible crimes being committed and tragedy. It examines the awful and tragic predicament the Russian prisoners faced and the sorrowful Americans that experienced this firsthand. Forced repatriation violated the Geneva Convention and this event is a rare case where the U.S. was in violation of international law. In the face of desperation, the POWs, resented by both nations, faced life changing decisions and they are brought to life in this film. Douglas Smith creates an unbiased and informative based argument on the necessity of basic human rights in this situation through the use of personal interviews and solidified by the use of rare footage documenting the events. This film brings to life, through personal interviews, imagery and descriptive language to create an informative documentary that uses a neutral stance in language to describe the tragedy that happened at Fort Dix.