Maybe we should have a Rule associated with postings by her!
Posted on 11/01/2007 5:03:49 AM PDT by StatenIsland
If Tokyo Rose were alive today, she wouldn't get jail time - she'd get a three-picture deal.
Throwing all caution and fiscal sanity to the winds, the Hollywood establishment is releasing a slate of anti-war films that do violence to the cause of American victory - and to the art form of film.
Art is best served by an open competition of ideas. When only the anti-war left is allowed to make films in Hollywood and pro-American voices are excluded, the result is movies that are ideologically rigid, morally shallow and creatively sterile. Is it any wonder that recent anti-war films like "Rendition" and "In the Valley of Elah" have bombed at the box office?
Hollywood's enforced ideological conformity is obvious: "Elah," the Tommy Lee Jones vehicle now in theaters, and "Redacted," directed by Brian DePalma and set for release later this month, both depict American troops in Iraq as murderers and psychopaths. "Rendition," released last month, asserts that the American government allows innocent Muslim civilians to be tortured. "Lions for Lambs," featuring Robert Redford and Tom Cruise, depicts a venal Republican senator risking the lives of American troops in order to advance his political career. "Stop Loss," starring Ryan Phillippe, posits that the only noble American soldier is the one who refuses to serve.
Even the relatively tame "The Kingdom" concludes with a coda that draws a moral equivalency between American CIA agents and Saudi terrorists.
These films and others are the crescendo of three years' worth of anti-war films. Even our sacred memories of World War II have been tarnished in recent years by films like "The Good German" (a ghastly, morally confused remake of "Casablanca").
This proliferation of anti-war cinema in the midst of a war is unprecedented. In World Wars I and II, Hollywood filmmakers - both conservative and liberal - rushed to support the war effort regardless of which administration was leading it.
During the Great War, conservative stars like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks worked with liberals like Charlie Chaplin to raise millions of dollars through Liberty Loan drives.
During the Second World War, Hollywood's Republican studio heads - patriots like Louis B. Mayer, Jack Warner and Darryl F. Zanuck - did not hesitate to make films supporting the war effort when Democrat Franklin Roosevelt asked for their help. Great pro-war films like "Casablanca," "To Have and Have Not," "Sergeant York" and the "Why We Fight" series were the result.
Hollywood's support for American military efforts continued during the Korean War and into the early Vietnam era. Despite growing anti-war sentiment, the studios made not a single major anti-Vietnam War movie while our troops were still on the ground fighting. The only notable Vietnam movie made during the war, John Wayne's "The Green Berets," was ardently pro-American.
That all changed when the Baby Boomers took over Hollywood in the 1970s and weaved a new cinematic narrative of anti-American self-loathing. This narrative is now being applied to the post-9/11 world - and dissenting conservative voices are being systematically excluded.
Talented filmmakers like Cyrus Nowrasteh (ABC's "The Path to 9/11"), Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Robert Avrech ("Body Double"), novelist and screenwriter Andrew Klavan (Clint Eastwood's "True Crime") and actor Robert Davi ("Profiler") have all tried to get pro-war projects made these past three years, and have all been turned down by the Hollywood system.
Even superstar Bruce Willis has tried to get a film made about the famed "Deuce Four" battalion serving in Iraq - but has gotten nowhere with the studios.
The resulting ideological conformity is a disaster both for America and for the art form of film. Art must serve truth if it is to be compelling. When Hollywood systematically muddies distinctions between freedom-loving Americans and terrorists, it's no wonder the resulting films resemble the tedious "Rendition" - instead of enthralling classics like "Casablanca."
It's hard to tell good stories when you equivocate about tyranny - and even harder to get the public to go along with it.
We could use more of that.
I am really looking forward to seeing the opening number for Lions for Lambs. This thing is getting heavy promotion, and has Streep/Cruise/Redford. When this turkey tanks, it will be obvious to everyone that anti-war movies are box office poison.
Good article!
BTW, I thought the ending of The Kingdom was less about moral equivalency than about the fact that the enemy (Islam) doesn’t plan to give up - and neither do we. There can be only one winner, and the battle is going to go on until the other side is wiped out.
Even superstar Bruce Willis has tried to get a film made about the famed "Deuce Four" battalion serving in Iraq - but has gotten nowhere with the studios.
Mel Gibson, when he tried to make "The Passion" had the same story. Then he put up his OWN money and made the 4th biggest blockbuster movie of all time...
I am escaping the world...
Watching old flicks from the 1930’s..
Try it you might like it.
The propaganda war can be as important as the shooting war.
That was why the communists sought to take over Hollywood back in the late 40s/early 50s.
Funny thing is, those anti military films...bomb, no one pays to see that crapola, yet like the dinosaur media, they keep on losing money hand over fist, like a bucket with a hole at the bottom and they (Hollyweird) doesn’t seem to care that they are losing their shareholders money.
It’s the only business that I know of that losses are not only encouraged, but subsidized, that film released last month lost to a re-release of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Nightmare” opened on far fewer screens!
There is currently a 3 million dollar movie, made by unknows and with a pro life message getting very good review and attendance the movie called Bella.
Mel Gibson on his own and with his own money put together a blockbuster that according to Hollywood would bomb, it did not and the Passion of the Christ made him much richer.
Movies can be made minus Hollywood.
You're right. If Willis wants to make this movie, he should be able to do it on his own, like Mel Gibson did.
They managed to do it, Joe was right.
The second area they managed to take over is our educational system (public)
“Even the relatively tame “The Kingdom” concludes with a coda that draws a moral equivalency between American CIA agents and Saudi terrorists.”
It’s only moral equivalency if you are a pacifist i.e all violent actions are equally wrong.
Of course, these movies will make millions in sales overseas and in Muslim countries where they’ll be cited as proof of American atrocities.
Most people here will continue to support these anti American rants with their dollars by going to see other movies at the box office.
Those movies pay for these ones.
Think of it all as one big pool of money - which it is - that the hollywood left pulls on to cover the loses inherent in these movies.
They are doing their best to advance the cause of Socialism and Communism and all who pay to see any movies whatsoever are supporting them in the finest Stalinist tradition.- we will hang capitalism. where will we get the rope? they will sell it to us.
Don’t spend your money on these anti-USA films. Let Follywood eat some big losses on these projects featuring geriatric liberals.
Maybe it's time to form a new studio (or go the indie route). There's no reason to cede total control of American cinema to the hands of a few ideological-straitjacketed people.
“I am escaping the world...Watching old flicks from the 1930’s...Try it you might like it.”
LOL, I do it ALL the time. It’s most of what I watch on TV. BTW, I’m 56, so most of the 30,40’s flix are a revelation to me.
I’m glad I saw “The Kingdom” because I thought it was a profoundly pro-American and anti-Jihadist film. So in general yes I agree with you but I think conservatives should support good films or they’ll cease to be made.
I'm watching the real war with no media filter.
It's a much more positive and uplifting version than what Hollywood puts out.
These new war movies will be bigger bombs that the ones dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It took 'em a while, but they have succeeded.
Maybe we should have a Rule associated with postings by her!
Truth be told, they are not anti war, only anti America at war.
Where do you find them?
I would love to see a movie like that. It would be a guaranteed hit.
Ummm . . . . sorry Govindini, but Hollyweird films haven't qualified as "art" for decades!! Ever since they got away from telling stories and substituted story lines with explosions and terrorist acts of violence.
I have and I do. I also range (generally) up through the 60s. After that, I start to get VERY selective about what I watch and by the time we get to contemporary films, I generally limit my selection to family or kids films (like Harry Potter) and some of the recent animated features.
Most Hollyweird films today are little more than garbage with a little air freshener applied to keep the smell from preventing you from buying the ticket, but it isn't strong enough to keep you from walking out after the film begins.
I have no doubt that we are now reaping the bitter harvest sown in the sixties; so to a certain extent, the Communists have not yet lost the cold war. In fact, they may yet prove victorious, with Hillary being proof of that.
Remember, the baby-boomer generation started at about the same time as the cold war, and spawned the anti-establishment (read that as anti-American) hippie movement. They have now infiltrated three enormously important aspects of American life:
1) an entire major political party;
2) academia;
3) Hollywood.
With those three institutions buried so deep in their pockets, is it any wonder that we, here at FR, sometimes feel like our heads are going to explode at the illogic of it all? Well, as Francisco D’Anconia so aptly stated: “Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong”.
So understand that there is no contradiction; they DO NOT want this country to exist as it’s founders did. They DO NOT want the free and independent exchange of ideas. They hate capitalism and free markets. In short, while we fight desperately for America to remain what it was, they fight to commit national suicide. And because the young are taught it in the schools, are indoctrinated by the silver screen and given legitimacy by a major political party - they are insuring their movement for the foreseeable future.
It is death by a thousands cuts, a/k/a “creeping incrementalism.” Slowly and inexorably, the political spectrum in the United States shifts left. Republicans are labeled Conservatives, Conservatives are labeled extremists. The moderately religious are merely tolerated; the devout, mocked and shunned.
The concept of “separation of church and state” has taken on a new and distorted meaning, never expressed or implied by the founders, who knew the importance of keeping a strong religious faith woven into the fabric of our society. It has now been twisted into a battle-cry for atheism.
I don’t know that we can recover from this; I pray we can. We can’t count on little help from the younger generations, as prone as they are to peer pressure and brainwashing from Hollywood and academia.
But perhaps we can, if we all do our part.
Great point.
I've always thought of a medical analogy, when considering this subject. Why would anyone openly invite a cancer into their body? The PC crowd has everyone convinced that diversity is a good thing however, and that just as food, water, and exercise are good things, you should also celebrate (and invite) deadly diseases in as well.
Look on TCM or FMC on cable or sat for old flix.
It's anti-war leftist moonbat theme will ensure that I won't even rent it, even if free.
I think Tom Cruise’s day as a Box Office draw are over. Now people just slow down to look at him, like a bad accident on the highway.
Well they got it now! But these are greedy communists, they can only pat themselves on the back and award themselves Emy's for garbage for so long. Eventually they'll need more money.
It’s the Fall of the Hollywood Traitor movies.
I do it all the time too - vintage cartoons, old movies.
Sadly, I don't think so. The people who make these types of films believe their message is a valid one, they are so delusional. They feel it is their duty to put out anti American propaganda and will do so until they die---as long as they break even. And they always do, due in large part to marketing their "stories" abroad.
The guy is truly bent. He should avoid media interviews like the plague. He'll get himself committed, LoL!
It won't matter if it loses money. They'll reward themselves with an Oscar or two and throw around words like 'courage' and 'bravery' for having the guts to stand up to the evil Republican Administration...
Conservative themed movies always seem to sell, but they refuse to make them in Hollywood. Obviously money isn't their prime motivation....
thanks for ping.. good thread, will come back to chew on it a bit when I get time..
Mel Gibson, when he tried to make "The Passion" had the same story. Then he put up his OWN money and made the 4th biggest blockbuster movie of all time..."
COME ON BRUCE - IF YOU MAKE IT...WE WILL COME!" 55'ers RULE!
A very good point. If there was no Iraq war going on, the studios would still be cranking out anti-American films like "American Beauty". Not only do modern filmmakers not make pro-war movies, they also do not make pro-American movies. The overriding urge of modern moviemakers is to smear their own country as racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, you name it. They think of the average American in the worst possible terms. Modern libs don't just hate the war, they hate America too. In all it's respects.
Just in case folks are unfamiliar with the lady that wrote the article,
see link below.
I was lucky to attend the Liberty Film Festival that she and
Jason Arpuzzo (sp?) hosted in Hollywood a few years ago.
http://www.libertyfilmfestival.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=30
Commies in Hollywood supported to WWII war effort, because Hitler invaded their beloved Soviet Union.
These recent films are not anti-war films, but anti-American films, big difference.
TCM.
Watched a old one last night and was atonished at seeing statues of Saints in the living quarters of a wheelchair bound man.
He had cool rims for such an old WC.
The scripts are great and pertinant to daily living.
They don’t come close to writing movies anymore.
I watched the old movie “the window” (not sure on the title) and it was so different from when Chris Reeves did the remake from his WC.
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