Examples Of Sacrifice

The theme of sacrifice can be seen in countless examples throughout film. Many films that contain death could be considered a form of sacrifice (Paul, 465). Some examples of sacrifice seen in early cinema could be Ben Hur, and a more recent film would be l Million-Dollar Baby. This week I chose to watch Sophie’s Choice, directed by Alan Pakula in 1982. In this essay I’m going to be looking at sacrifice and its influence on cinematic culture. In this essay I’ll look into the different identification methods when looking at sacrifice, and the two different sacrificial paths one can take.
Early on in the text it lists the four key elements used to identify sacrifice. The first element is, the selection of a victim. In Sophie’s Choice (1982), Sophie

immediately chose herself as the one to be offered as a sacrifice. It was either her own life, or her child’s. The second element used to identify sacrifice wold be substitution of victim for large group or individual. In the movie I watched this week Sophie offers herself up in her son’s place in order for him to be released from the camp. This is an example of Sophie’s physical self-sacrifice. Now the third point given to us is where the victim gives up. This is the point where the victim finally gives up due to any number or reason such as burning, or killing. I think that in Sophie’s Choice (1982), Sophie finally sacrificed herself at the end of the movie when she took her own life as she was filled with overwhelming guilt and grief. The last element used to identify sacrifice would be the ability to identify with the victim and/or associate with some of their emotion.

Throughout the movie I watched this week you could feel Sophie’s heartbreak, especially when it flashbacks to her life before and during the war (Lyden, 465).
Many Scholars have a hard time defining sacrifice is, and claim it to be a broad term (Lyden,465).

I believe that this is because much of it is based on your own personal interpretation of the word. It may also depend on the audience watching the movie, and their own perception of what sacrifice means. The audience watching Sophie’s Choice (1982), could be varying. They most likely will be individuals who enjoy historical movies as well as those who enjoy the genre of drama. This movie does a great job of blending these two genres together while remaining serious in the essence of the story/history. This time in history (WW2) was very dark. It was a point in history filled with great agony and despair. The main themes that I felt I saw through this movie would be friendship and love. These are very simple, yet can mean a great deal. Throughout the movie we see these three best friends who are inseparable. Their immense love for each other is unfathomable. We also see the theme of love between Sophie and her children, or between Nick and Sophie. I was able to see these themes constantly throughout the movie and it helped make it feel more warm that way.
In the chapter read this week, it explains two broad sacrificial paths. The first being Critique sacrifice. It’s considered to be a sacrifice with unnecessary or tragic violence. An example of this in Sophie’s Choice (1982), would be when both Sophie and Nick commit suicide at the end of the movie. For myself personally I would

consider suicide to be a form of unnecessary or tragic violence. I don’t believe that they had to do this to themselves, and no one was forcing them to do it. They did this by pure choice. The second sacrificial path would be

recommended sacrifice. This would be a sacrifice that is essential in holding social order together. I had a hard time choosing an example from the movie that represented recommended sacrifice. Yet, I could clearly think of an example we all, if not most have heard of. The death of Jesus Christ for our sins. The Christian religious belief that Jesus had to die on the cross in order for social order to take place, in order for us to live (Lyden,466 ).
I believe that all sacrifices hold their significance in different ways. Sacrifices are reflected in many cinematic movies but also many religious beliefs. Such as: Christianity, Judaism, Catholicism, and Hinduism. These religious beliefs are reflected in many cinematic movies such a Narnia, or Lord of the Rings. They are easily put together in order to portray a message or story that the writer/director would like to portray. Through this essay we looked at the four key elements used to identify sacrifice. In addition, we also looked into the two sacrificial paths one can take: sacrificial critique, and recommended sacrifice. Further, we also looked at the different questions we ask when studying a movie, such as: time period, who the audience is, or the themes reflected. Sacrifice is a theme that can be seen all throughout cinematic history, and I believe will continue to be portrayed into the future.