“ONE YEAR OF WAR: VISUAL IMAGES FROM UKRAINE”

      This past week, TV news bombarded the airways with iconic images commemorating the first anniversary of the Ukrainian-Russian War. A lot were expected, like flying Ukrainian flags and destroyed housing complexes. But the two most memorable ones, in this critic's mind, were notable because they were unexpected: the week's first such image was on Monday, February 20, showing Presidents Biden and Zelenskyy walking side-by-sided along a wide, empty Kyiv street. It will remain a meaningful symbol of solidarity between the two leaders. 

     The second such salient image depicted three young resistant fighters in Kherson, standing in the middle of a barren street, staring straight ahead. It was the last image in the MSNBC documentary, " On Assignment With Richard Eagel: Ukraine's Secret Resistance," broadcast on Friday February 24. Here's why they will be distinctly remembered by yours truly.

     Oddly enough, the two Presidents "walking" recalls scenes from notable films where walking relates to the theme. Consider when the word , "walking," is part of a movie title, like "The Walking Dead," and "Walking Tall."  There are also examples where walking is part of the narrative between two people representing different cultures or countries, and taking place in an urban location. Compare motion pictures like "Midnight Cowboy," "West Side Story," and "Before Sunset," to the tv news coverage. Consider   "Midnight Cowboy," where hustler Jon Voight and homeless Dustin Hoffman are walking together in Time Square; Hoffman stops a car from nearly hitting him with the famous words, "I'm walking here." Think about the final scene in "West Side Story" when the opposing Jets and Sharks walk together to carry Tony from the New York playground.

     Finally, remember the two lovers rambling the streets of Paris for almost the entire film, Richard Linklater's moving camera taking the viewers along with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in  "Before Sunset."

     The TV broadcast reinforces the element of opposition at work, just as these movies do: the appearance of the Presidents ( the tall Biden, wearing a long, blue coat, the smaller Zelenskyy with a brown, short jacket ); their demeanor ( the stately Biden, the relaxed Zelensky ). 

     The second iconic image brought a particularly personal one: the TV documentary showing three of Ukraine's resistance fighters in Kherson. Most people were probably unfamiliar with this city before the war, but the scenes of its liberation became forever embedded in the viewers' minds. Especially my mind. This was the place where my mother had been born and where she and her parents escaped from in 1908, her father carrying her on his shoulders across a river to freedom. This was the same town I had often wondered what had looked like for my whole life. 

     Now I knew.