Director: Americans Just Don't Get 'Jarhead'

World Entertainment News Network ^ | 1/4/2006 | Unknown

[cwiz24]

Oscar-winning film director Sam Mendes claims American viewers don't understand his new movie Jarhead as well as Europeans - because they expect war films to be one-sided. The movie based on the novel Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles by Anthony Swofford, and focuses on the frivolousness of war, rather than the glory - something Mendes feels Americans don't grasp. Mendes says, "I feel they've understood in Europe. In America, it's like talking about a different movie. "Fundamentally, Jarhead disobeys all the laws of American movies, and not just the political laws of American movies right now which demand on some level to tell us which side they're on. "In Europe, there's a sense this film comes from the tradition of absurdist war movies about the futility of conflict. "It has more in common with Beckett, Sartre and Banuel than it does with Oliver Stone. "In America, they assumed I was trying to make an Oliver Stone movie and that I'd failed."

[cwiz24]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but did this guy just compare himself to Sartre? Hollywood needs to get over itself.

[Rummyfan]

"In America, they assumed I was trying to make an Oliver Stone movie and that I'd failed."

What could possibly be worse than a failed attempt at an Oliver Stone movie, which by definition is a failure itself?

Speaking of Stone, didn't he say something to the same effect concerning ALEXANDER and why it was such a flop?

[oblomov]

Another loser blaming his failures on his customers.

And how can he claim that a movie that depicts "the frivolousness of war" does not declare what side it's on?

[Mr. K]

lets see if we can figure this out: Mel Gibsons' "The Passion of the Christ" - half a billion dollars in sales (or more)

gay cowboy movie- around a million (maybe) so far and they are STILL trying to convince us what a great success that is.

let me think here...

[elli1]

"Fundamentally, Jarhead disobeys all the laws of American movies,...

Starting with the 'Know your audience' law, apparently.

[Niteranger68]

Oscar-winning film director Sam Mendes claims American viewers don't understand his new movie Jarhead as well as Europeans

Translation? Stupid Americans!

[R. Scott]

gay cowboy movie- around a million (maybe) so far and they are STILL trying to convince us what a great success that is.

let me think here...

Tell a big enough lie often enough …

[cwiz24]

The movie based on the novel Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles by Anthony Swofford, and focuses on the frivolousness of war, rather than the glory - something Mendes feels Americans don't grasp.

Yeah right. Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, and Platoon were all about the 'glory' of war.

[ToddBush]

It's amazing how when a liberal goes to war, like Swofford, they write about how horrible it is and how horrible the military is, and they are praised as couragous. But when someone writes as an objective (and proud) former member of the military, like Nathaniel Fick did in One Bullet Away, that book just disappears.

Fick's book doesn't glorify war at all, in fact he describes it as something you don't want any part of, if at all possible. But Fick is obviously proud to have served in the Marines. Swofford isn't and of course Hollywood latches on...

[Fenris6]

Former Marine here who refuses to see Jarhead b/c its just more propaganda to demean our soldiers. Screw him and his stupid movie.

[A.A. Cunningham]

A concept Mendes doesn't grasp - direct-to-video

[Restorer]

Brokeback Mountain is up to $15M. Doing better than The Producers.

[Pro-Bush]

i saw this movie on HBO last night and it was a piece of shit movie. Don't watch it, it will disgust you. Liberal views were the only views expressed. Pissed me off bigtime.