Our article is based on the 1995 film “USS Alabama”, “Crimson Tide” in its original version. While every war film is propaganda, this one is a notable exception. It puts into perspective an idea of this highly flourishing activity since the arrival of Homo Sapiens 300’000 years ago: war. This story lays its cards on the table with the risk inherent in any undertaking, but which reaches its climax in its totality, the ultimate pictorial work covering the Earth with corpses and carcasses: nuclear war. This interpretation plays on our two officers, masterfully portrayed by Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington.

Our two heroes are polar opposites in every respect: physically, psychologically and socially. Gene Hackman, the vessel’s commanding officer, an old sea dog with over two decades in the navy and a worn-out marriage under his belt, intends to see orders carried out, even if they were cut off. He is, in his own words, “simple-minded,” the human paradox of a man navigating a maze of technology that would make any simpleton’s head spin, however much he admires marine vessels. Of course, our analysis could go so far as to conjure up this remarkably dual-natured creature, a “seafaring ape,” not quite on par with the high-tech tool he commands as a master mariner, but also not quite a true primate, if only because he is aware of the inherent differences in their nature. But now let’s leave the far extreme of the black-white binary and bring our attention to Executive Officer Denzel Washington: married, father of two, pet dog, the perfect family life. He wants to project calm and, although he passes the commander’s test by not trying to impress him during the dive (the cigar scene), nature comes back to bite him through a phantom porthole. Our executive officer is a thinker who considers all the angles before jumping in, and likes the sound of his own voice. This difference manifests itself during a surreptitious transmitter failure…the order from Headquarters to confirm the launch of a ballistic missile is interrupted. We witness two conflicting interpretations: one is the execution of the missile launch; the other is that it is put on hold until the order is received in full. This is by no means a cosmetic decision but a nuclear potential. Through a series of counter-orders and abuse of power, the crew is held hostage by this interminable wait, only to finally receive the order, true papal bull, to abandon the launch.

The stage is nearly set when suddenly, out of the streaming mess of news, a tantalizing detail catches my eye. Another role-reversed clash from history that this duo seems to mirror: our intellectual is black while our simple-minded one is white, coming as a shock to a viewer used to seeing the opposite since time immemorial. But the climax of the deeper issue comes only at the end of this drama. The commander – the white man – recognizes the leadership ability of his executive officer – the black man – and recommends him to his superiors to take his place. The judges immediately approve this request. Promising…

Having set the interior scene, with no window overlooking the courtyard or view of a bluish horizon, we move on to the main course, a sort of unexpected resurrection.

The years go by. It’s 2008, meltdown, catastrophe, financial crisis for dummies. Suddenly, in a diversion that is both unexpected and long in the making, our intellectual resurfaces after thirteen years, this time without his cigar. From Washington (any resemblance to Denzel being purely coincidental), he holds us captive with endless speeches on the affairs of the world. He expresses feelings, softness, he sheds tears, he is emotion in a suit. And as for the message, I’ll let you be the judge… we could end the comparison there, but then why miss out when the best is yet to come? We just have to follow the title!

It’s 2016, and the tide has turned. Not for our intellectual, whose hair is turning grey with the endless monologues (or maybe the cigar?), because he was in an ejection seat, but for a well-oiled system. But our hero leaves the front steps with a touch of resentment. He would have preferred to kiss Hillary’s hand rather than give a manly shake to the manicured hand of our final character, whose shock of hair, I admit, does little to recall our submarine commander’s. As for his being simple-minded… but make no mistake, reader, I won’t be dragging him through the bloody tide. He won’t get a full critique. I won’t join the howling pack in their opiatic writings, where risk is low and return high, surreptitiously conveying simple-mindedness, moralizing to the point of corruption. Absolutely not. To any readers who came here for that exercise in self-righteousness, you can stop here.

For the others, let’s keep going.

The reversal lies in the chronological order: out with the young, in with the old. Our simple-minded old man, at the pinnacle of his life, doesn’t get the satisfaction of leaving his place to the young man who is on his way out, his future an open road. Not only is he the opposite of his predecessor, highlighting the prophecy of this tragic tide, he also clashes with him, distorting their relationship. Hard to imagine a commander younger than his second-in-command in this antagonistic defector, as the future of the human race hangs in the balance. One thing at a time, please. And the shadow of Barack haunts Donald, as he searches feverishly for an exit, tormented by the perceived machinations of his predecessor. Meanwhile, Barack has traded in his submarine for water sports, enjoying his newly found freedom. Donald won’t be able to do the same… the die is cast. He thinks he needs to act fast to make up for an imagined delay. The best, however, is yet to come – it’s on his doorstep. He just needs to ask for advice from his young colleague, a liberating alternative to a jail locking our simple-minded executive officer-turned-commander in a futile, grotesque tragedy.

Rumors remind us every day: politics and pragmatism go hand-in-hand. The strength of a man lies in his ability to ignore whispering magpies, especially those that come out of nowhere.

But let’s not forget the reason why we invited you. Many things have happened in this world since this text was first written in April 2017. This imaginary yet real couple, who share so few photos in common, confirms this cinematic work, this improbable scenario in this uncluttered 50-room apartment with a centralised kitchen but no view of the sea, yet so close. In fact, the expression “Place your bets. All bets are closed” will never have been so wrong. In this visionary scenario, the situation resembles a black/white duel, just like the two heroes of the story, like a “trompe l’oeil” that the viewer is supposed to thwart by questioning. Because the image, by nature, imposes itself, leaving no room for imagination or critical thinking. Today’s ambient hysteria contrasts with 1995’s firm determination to resolve a seemingly insoluble injustice, a recruitment-coloured bias, through a quality that is being lost and diluted in an ideological miasma: competence.

Auteur: Jean-Marc Pauli