prepare and arrange
The feeling is that any more than that will give them too much time to get organized.Paths of Glory · 1957 — 第 5 / 17 章 · 2'53" · B2
The Night Before the Attack, Explained：as clear as mud
On the eve of the attack, Dax briefs his officers on an operation with no support and a full day of holding ground. Afterward the men argue in the dark about how they would rather die — bayonet or machine gun — turning fear into philosophy. The night ends with a toast and the guns about to open.
あらすじ
Before the attack, Colonel Dax briefs his officers: the first wave clears the wire, then the Second and Third Battalions go over, and they must hold the Anthill all day. Later, huddled in the dark, the soldiers trade grim jokes about which deaths are easier, and Dax's dry comment on their logic is answered only by nervous laughter.
注目の表現
as clear as mudin a funkcome throughtin hat
00:00 / 02:53Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
このシーンの表現
as clear as mud
not clear at all
Someone tangles the fear of pain and death, and a mate answers with this dry irony.
His explanation was as clear as mud.
このシーンの他の表現
- in a funk
in a low, fearful mood
- come through
survive and succeed
- tin hat
a steel helmet
- when it comes to
as far as something is concerned
- on the other hand
looking at the other side
このシーンのメモ一覧
48 行のセリフに 26 件のメモ
be expected to be
What's weather supposed to be like tomorrow, sir?the whole day
The forecast is for sun all day.for how long must we
how long do we have to hold it before we can expect any support?non-defining relative clause: The who-clause adds extra information, with by the way tucked in as a parenthesis.
Well, General Mireau, who, by the way, will be personally observing the attack...which implies
which means, of course, that we'll have to hold all day.survive and succeed
The officer wishes them luck and says the unit will come through as always.
Well, gentlemen, good luck, and I'm sure you'll come through as you always do.fear something
I'm not afraid of dying tomorrow, only of getting killed.Afraid ofdying runs together, with of almost swallowed.
I'm not afraid of dying tomorrow, only of getting killed.not clear at all
Someone tangles the fear of pain and death, and a mate answers with this dry irony.
That's as clear as mud.killed — Slang for killing someone; casual and grim.
Which would you rather be done in by, a bayonet or a machine gun?that is what I mean
- Oh, a machine gun, naturally. - Naturally. That's just my point.In fast speech the t in just drops, giving that's-jus'.
- Oh, a machine gun, naturally. - Naturally. That's just my point.not as painful
Only the machine gun is quicker, cleaner and less painful, isn't it?fearing X more than Y
That proves that most of us are more afraid of getting hurt than of getting killed.comparative of degree: More ... than weighs two fears, and than of echoes the earlier of phrase.
That proves that most of us are more afraid of getting hurt than of getting killed.as far as something is concerned
Using Bernard as an example, he says gas is the one thing that terrifies him.
He panics when it comes to gas, but gas doesn't bother me a bit.a steel helmet — British soldiers' slang for a steel helmet.
But I'll tell you something though — I'd hate like the devil to be without my tin hat.looking at the other side
Having feared a head wound, he flips and says he does not mind a bare tail.
But on the other hand, I don't mind not having a tin hat for my tail.backside — Casual for the backside; milder than ass.
But on the other hand, I don't mind not having a tin hat for my tail.apart from
He asks his mate what he fears most, setting the bayonet aside.
Aside from the bayonet, what are you most afraid of?tear someone apart
Because — Because I know that it can chew you up worse than anything else.the remaining time
If you're really afraid of dying, you'd be living in a funk all the rest of your life...conditional with would: The if-clause with would be living describes an ongoing result of the condition.
If you're really afraid of dying, you'd be living in a funk all the rest of your life...You'd weakens to yud, and be living is light.
If you're really afraid of dying, you'd be living in a funk all the rest of your life...a low, fearful mood — Informal for a low or fearful mood.
If you're really afraid of dying, you'd be living in a funk all the rest of your life...「The Night Before the Attack」を読み解く
What's really going on
The scene runs on the contrast between headquarters and the mud. At the briefing, Dax asks the practical question — how long must they hold the ground? — and the only answer is that the general will be watching, so they need to hold all day: 'that we'll have to hold all day.' Nothing is offered to help. Then the film cuts to the soldiers, who have turned fear into an argument, testing which weapon they would rather be killed by. Their grim logic ends in a line that sounds like a joke and isn't: 'That proves that most of us are more afraid of getting hurt than of getting killed.' The officers drink cognac and toast France; the men wait to go over the top.
Theme
CourageThe soldiers turn the fear of death into a debate, finding dark comfort in deciding which death they would prefer.
DutyDax cannot promise support or rest, only that his men must hold all day, and he sends them anyway.
このチャプターで学べること
- Soldiers joke about fear to keep it at arm's length.
- They fear pain more than death, and say so plainly.
- An ironic 'clear as mud' shuts down a vague answer.
- The toast to France lands after all the arguing.
発音のポイント
- afraid of dying — Afraid ofdying runs together, with of almost swallowed.
- That's just — In fast speech the t in just drops, giving that's-jus'.
- you'd be living — You'd weakens to yud, and be living is light.
I'm not afraid of dying tomorrow, only of getting killed.The paradox the soldiers play with: accepting death in the abstract is easy, but the violent act of being killed is what they dread.
That proves that most of us are more afraid of getting hurt than of getting killed.Their conclusion from comparing weapons: the terror is not death itself but pain, which is why the faster, cleaner weapon feels preferable.
why should you care about what it is that kills you?The logical end of the argument: if death is the real fear, then the instrument that causes it should not matter at all.
Ah, you're too smart for me, Professor. All I know is nobody wants to die.The other soldier concedes the argument but falls back on plain feeling — cleverness aside, no one wants to die.
If you're really afraid of dying, you'd be living in a funk all the rest of your life...His point that constant fear of death would poison every remaining day, so choosing how to die is a way of managing an unavoidable fact.
The tail is just meat, but the head — ah, the head is all bone.A grim joke about which wounds hurt more: soft flesh against bone, used to explain why the head is the worst place to be hit.
このシーンについての質問
Why does Dax ask how long they must hold the Anthill?
He is trying to find out whether help will come after the attack. The reply is that the general will be watching, so they must hold the position all day.
Why do the soldiers argue about how they would rather die?
They are facing the attack the next morning. Comparing weapons is their way of making an unbearable fear into something they can talk and joke about.
What does the soldiers' argument actually conclude?
That they fear pain more than death, since the quicker, cleaner weapon seems easier. It is a conclusion that unsettles rather than comforts them.
How do the officers spend the night?
After the briefing they are served cognac by the general and drink a toast to France, while the men wait in the dark for zero hour.
What does 'as clear as mud' mean?
It is a sarcastic way of saying something is not clear at all. Dax uses it after the briefing's vague talk about support and holding the line.
突撃 · 全 17 章
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次のチャプター · 第 6 章take responsibility forMireau Orders Fire on His Own Men
第 1 章out of the questionBroulard Pitches the Anthill Offensive
第 2 章armchair officerBroulard Visits Dax at the Front
第 3 章the last refuge of a scoundrelMireau Orders Dax to Take the Anthill
第 4 章my word against yoursParis Accuses Roget After the Patrol
再生中 · 第 5 章as clear as mudThe Night Before the Attack
第 6 章take responsibility forMireau Orders Fire on His Own Men
第 7 章set an exampleGenerals Choose Three Scapegoats
第 8 章draw lotsDax Prepares the Accused Soldiers
第 9 章no-man's-landFerol Testifies at the Court-Martial
第 10 章you mean to tell meArnaud Testifies at His Court-Martial
第 11 章a stain on somethingDax's Final Plea at the Court-Martial
第 12 章prepare for the worstThe Condemned Men Eat Their Last Meal
第 13 章harden your heartFather Dupree Visits the Condemned
第 14 章nothing to itDax Makes Roget Command the Firing Squad
第 15 章a perfect tonicDax Bargains for the Condemned Men
第 16 章brace yourselfThe Priest Comforts the Condemned Men
第 17 章make me the goatBroulard Makes Mireau the Goat第 5 / 17 章 · 残り約 39 分