Author Topic: Brits, especially Dowding, will LOVE this movie.. (Read 2968 times)

GRUNHERZ · « **on:** April 17, 2004, 06:20:17 AM »

http://www.westpress.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=127638&command=displayContent&sourceNode=127637&contentPK=9562995

First he saves Japan, now England? Yikes..

deSelys · « **Reply #1 on:** April 17, 2004, 06:35:23 AM »

Hey...with scientology...EVERYTHING is possible!!

Dowding · « **Reply #2 on:** April 17, 2004, 06:58:25 AM »

Hollywood pissing on the graves of dead men and all over the history of nations is nothing new.

7 Americans fought in the BoB. Out of nearly 3000, and 80% of them were British.

GRUNHERZ · « **Reply #3 on:** April 17, 2004, 07:03:42 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by deSelys
Hey...with scientology...EVERYTHING is possible!!

This is shapng up to be another U-571 disgrace, and it all it was a bad movie too....

Dowding · « **Reply #4 on:** April 17, 2004, 07:08:46 AM »

I will probably go see it and give it a chance. As soon as it starts to get a bit 'the US saved your asses', I'll just leave the cinema and go see something more realistic like 'Gothika' or 'Starsky and Hutch'.

Ripsnort · « **Reply #5 on:** April 17, 2004, 07:28:17 AM »

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Originally posted by Dowding
Hollywood pissing on the graves of dead men and all over the history of nations is nothing new.

7 Americans fought in the BoB. Out of nearly 3000, and 80% of them were British.

Actually, 10, but your right, Hollyweird does indeed like to rewrite history at the price of making $$

VOR · « **Reply #6 on:** April 17, 2004, 07:39:38 AM »

Hollywood is so embarrassing sometimes. For my birthday my in-laws bought me the Pearl Harbor gift set because they knew I enjoyed WW2 history and films. I thanked them heartily. Kind and considerate gesture aside, I wish they had given me the reciept as well.

On the other hand, I enjoyed the Last Samurai and thought it was highly entertaining. I know next to nothing about feudal Japan; perhaps this is why I enjoyed it.

Ripsnort · « **Reply #7 on:** April 17, 2004, 07:45:22 AM »

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Originally posted by VOR

On the other hand, I enjoyed the Last Samurai and thought it was highly entertaining. I know next to nothing about feudal Japan; perhaps this is why I enjoyed it.

Yes, and though entertaining, Hollywood had to take what were essentially terrorists and turn them into hero's (the Samauri) in order to make it entertaining and to make a profit.

Japan was at a moment of modernizing its country to keep up with the Western World and make life better for the average Japanese, while "old school" terrorists tried to prevent that from happening. Sounds familiar to what the extremist Muslims of todays world are trying to accomplish on a larger scale.

Progress cannot and will not be impeded.

Note: Whats ironic is, that modernization that the western world gave Japan systematically gave them the ability to wage its war against China and eventually the U.S. decades later.

VOR · « **Reply #8 on:** April 17, 2004, 07:56:05 AM »

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Yes, and though entertaining, Hollywood had to take what were essentially terrorists and turn them into hero's (the Samauri) in order to make it entertaining and to make a profit.

Although your parallel to current events is obvious and perhaps relevent, I didn't watch it with any particular ideas or filters in mind. I watched it, I liked it, I'll buy the DVD. I don't plan on using it as an historical or political reference.

Rip, I'm curious to know what you thought about "Dances With Wolves"? Very similar plot (ie WASP shows up to fight the "savages" but ends up joining them). Was this movie cut from the same mold?

Edit: Not trying to hijack the thread or start a debate about Manifest Destiny.

Ripsnort · « **Reply #9 on:** April 17, 2004, 08:02:20 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by VOR
Although your parallel to current events is obvious and perhaps relevent, I didn't watch it with any particular ideas or filters in mind. I watched it, I liked it, I'll buy the DVD. I don't plan on using it as an historical or political reference.

Rip, I'm curious to know what you thought about "Dances With Wolves"? Very similar plot (ie WASP shows up to fight the "savages" but ends up joining them). Was this movie cut from the same mold?

Edit: Not trying to hijack the thread or start a debate about Manifest Destiny.

I read the book, did not see the movie. From what I've read, they portrayed the typical American Indians life very well, but add in the fact that it was rare for indians and white people to get along after about 1850 as we did begin to treat them badly both financially (taking land) and physically.

deSelys · « **Reply #10 on:** April 17, 2004, 08:07:57 AM »

I know nothing about native american history, but I had a long discussion with a professor from Houston (Tx) University while he was visiting us a couple of years ago, and he told me that the movie was absolutely BS and pure tree-hugger fantasy (hey I love trees too but you know what I mean...)

Then I read a novella by Dan Simmons, certainly one of the living writers I respect most, in which the movie is mentioned.... Basically D. Simmons thought the same.

Honestly I enjoyed the movie the 1st time I saw it. At the light of what I've since learned, I have no desire at all to see it again.

Ripsnort · « **Reply #11 on:** April 17, 2004, 08:12:16 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by deSelys
I know nothing about native american history, but I had a long discussion with a professor from Houston (Tx) University while he was visiting us a couple of years ago, and he told me that the movie was absolutely BS and pure tree-hugger fantasy (hey I love trees too but you know what I mean...)

Yes, thats basically the summary of what I was trying to say.

Curval · « **Reply #12 on:** April 17, 2004, 08:16:09 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Dowding
I will probably go see it and give it a chance. As soon as it starts to get a bit 'the US saved your asses', I'll just leave the cinema and go see something more realistic like 'Gothika' or 'Starsky and Hutch'.

ROFLMAO.

Well said mate.

Pei · « **Reply #13 on:** April 17, 2004, 08:19:59 AM »

I think Vernon Charles "Shorty" Keogh would be a better lead character: he was a proffessional parachute jumper and pilot who went to Europe to fight with the Finns with two other Americans (Andy Marmedorff & Red Tobin) but arrived too late, went to France and ended up escaping on one of the last ships out and ended up in the UK. The three they decided to join the RAF but had difficulty getting in until they bumped into a senior RAF officer in a pub who heard their plight and got them in straight away.

Cruise would be a good physical match for Shorty since he was the shortest officer in the RAF at the time (he needed two cushions to be able to see properly from the cockpit). All three men were assigned to 609 (West Riding) Squadron.

Keogh crashed into the North Sea and was killed while chasing a bomber. He was 29 years old at the time.

Ripsnort · « **Reply #14 on:** April 17, 2004, 08:22:50 AM »

Norm Nelson, my God parent and author of many outdoors articles for several publications in the 60's,70's used to say "If you want documented history, read a history book. If you want historical-revised entertainment, watch a movie thats based on historical events".