HOLD BACK THE DAWN

This isn't technically a movie review, but since I haven't posted on this blog in a long time I'm going to use the backdrop of the film to provide context for what I actually want to talk about. 

Hold Back the Dawn is a 1941 American romantic drama film in which a Romanian gigolo marries an American woman in Mexico in order to gain entry to the United States, but winds up falling in love with her. It stars Charles Boyer, Olivia de Havilland, Paulette Goddard, Victor Francen, Walter Abel, Curt Bois, Rosemary DeCamp, and an uncredited Veronica Lake. The movie was adapted by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder from the 1940 novel by Ketti Frings. It was directed by Mitchell Leisen. It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Olivia de Havilland), Best Writing, Screenplay, Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture. 

I recently watched it for the first time, and enjoyed it. I like Charles Boyer, and I LOVE anything with Olivia de Havilland, so it worked for me as a film. But what really got my attention was the relevance of it to things that are happening right now. A subplot in the film deals with people having to be inoculated for viruses before entering another country, and having to be isolated in quarantine for a certain amount of time to make sure that a virus isn't introduced for spreading. I know in my own case, any time I've visited another country to do mission work, I always had to get my "shots", and I had to carry a little card with me that verified my vaccinations.

Bottom line, mandatory vaccinations against contagious viruses is not a new thing, and I'm stupefied that being vaccinated for COVID has become a political issue that is causing yet another divide in this country, and is creating a pandemic for the unvaccinated. And now the virus is being given the freedom to mutate among those who refuse to get the (free) shots, and is even infecting those who have been vaccinated. 

Here's the deal, the COVID vaccine is not perfect - no vaccine is - but it's undeniable that when people started getting the shot, the death rate dropped. Yes, it's taking time for the FDA to approve all three of the vaccines, but that's just standard procedure for that organization. It doesn't mean they're not safe and effective. Yes, there are people who have been vaccinated who have still have gotten sick, but for the most part, the only ones dying now are the unvaccinated. 

Seat belts don't always save lives, but we still wear seatbelts. Locked doors don't always keep burglars out, but we still lock our doors at night. Smoke detectors don't always prevent fires from doing destruction, but it's still a good idea to have one. Other diseases in this country have been entirely eradicated by vaccines in the past, but that was because everyone got vaccinated, and saw the disease as the enemy instead of seeing each other that way. 

And for those who say it's a personal freedom issue, I would agree with that concept if the government was talking about forcing cancer patients to have chemotherapy. In something like that, it most certainly is a personal choice. But cancer isn't contagious, and it can't be cured by taking a simple vaccine. Apples and oranges. This is not about you, it's about who you can affect and infect.  The reason you don't have the personal freedom to drive drunk is not because of what could potentially happen to you, but what you could do to someone else.

But please get vaccinated, and stop believing conspiracy theories about it. It's not the Mark of the Beast. It's not a plot of Bill Gates to put a microchip in you. It doesn't magnetize you. It helps keep you alive. 

And if you're vaccinated, you apparently need to start masking up again because of the unvaccinated people around you. 

Please stop fighting about this, and just do it. 

Oh, and see the movie if you can. It's good.

P.S. I don't want to argue with anyone about this. I'm a blocker, not an arguer. Be advised that my block game is strong.