Pvt. Ravel's Bolero

Pvt. Ravel's Bolero is a unique anti-war film blending historical documentary, visual poetry, and the haunting music of Maurice Ravel. Based on the poem by JZ Murdock, the film delves into Ravel's time as a truck driver in World War I, reflecting on the profound impact of his music and the devastating effects of war.

The narrative follows the internal journey of a soldier, a musician, and a man haunted by the conflict around him. As Ravel embarks on his wartime service, the film imagines him composing his most famous piece, Bolero, amidst the chaos and tragedy of the trenches. What if Bolero had been written during those horrific years? The film explores the fantasy of Ravel creating the piece in response to his experiences in "The Great War"—a war that was once thought to be the only world war.

More than just a historical exploration, Pvt. Ravel's Bolero serves as an immersive experience, reflecting how war shapes and distorts the human soul. The film’s fast-paced, almost overwhelming presentation challenges viewers, offering a raw, unfiltered portrayal of the brutality of war. It defies the polished, pristine nature of typical documentaries by presenting real, unembellished images—some never seen by the public before—capturing the ugliness and human cost of conflict, not for shock value, but to capture the truth behind war’s impact.

I'd like to share something...
Among festivals submitted to was Symbiotic Film Festival in a Ukraine. A Russian Film Festival (name withheld to protect the innocent. It just happened that way.
The day Russia began its illegal invasion of Ukraine (2/23/2022) Symbiotic notified me of my Official Selection for our film, "Gumdrop" a short horror.
It was bittersweet. I responded thanking them and wishing them to be safe. They briefly responded: "Thank you for your kind words..."
Four days later on 2/26/2022, the Russian festival notified me they chose "Pvt. Ravel's Bolero" as an Official Selection.
They then nominated it as, "Best War Film".
As it's an antiwar film, I took that all as sign of potential dissent to their government's invasion of Ukraine.
I notified Symbiotic Fest of this the same day, hoping to share some support from a Russian festival.
It was expected, but chilling...that I did not hear back from them.

Thank you.

A companion Outtakes reel (as noted at top of the end credits at film's end) are available here:
https://filmfreeway.com/projects/2376181

Combined film with Outtakes reel are available here:
https://filmfreeway.com/projects/2377129

Outtake of after credits, impactful list of all, "Wars on Earth" - 90 seconds:
https://youtu.be/1Uz3m_Jm2uw