U.S. Navy, Marines Plan Movietone-Like War Films

Reuters via Yahoo! News ^ | 12 March 2003 | Bob Tourtellotte

[AgentEcho]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lights, camera, action! ... a helmet and flak jacket would be very useful, too.

If a war breaks out in Iraq (news - web sites), the U.S. Navy (news - web sites) and Marine Corps plan to film soldiers on the front lines of battle and bring their stories to movie audiences in video spots similar to the old Movietone film reels made during World War II, people involved with the effort said on Wednesday.

The idea, explained Marine Lt. Colonel James Kuhn, is to show people the real images of war and put a human face on the men and women fighting it.

"It's intended to fulfill the Navy and Marine Corps obligation to maintain a strong tie to the public, to let them know what we're doing," Kuhn said. "It's an opportunity for people to hear how the soldiers feel about what they do."

The reels, too, will give audiences the chance to see what actually happens in battle as it happens -- bullets flying, bombs blasting and people being put in harm's way.

The effort stems from a roughly five-minute short film the Navy and Marines made after the Sept. 11 attacks and the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan (news - web sites) called "Enduring Freedom -- The Opening Chapter."

[AgentEcho]

It's a great read...

[Thane_Banquo]

Semper Fi!

[OXENinFLA]

I seen I clip on FNC this morning they showed some of the insides, TV's, press room, ect...$250,000 for it I think they said.

[adam_az]

Can't wait to see this in the theatre... and show support by CHEERING REAL, REAL LOUD!

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

They should put clips on the internet.

[LibWhacker]

I'd love it. Ought to drive the traitorous acting students of Hollywood nuts, though, knowing that their every appearance in theaters across America would be preceeded by a little something to whip up patriotic fervor in movie-going audiences.

[ErnBatavia]

You do realize, don't you, that the thread title will cause that "glazed look" by anyone under 50??

[Poohbah]

They did with the Enduring Freedom video. Made me say "OOH-RAH!" to see my Marine Corps in action.

[tazman3]

Cool. I loved those old Black and White news reels. That was also the latest news to the public. :)

How are they going to air them BEFORE the same events hit the major news media in living color?

[catherine of alexandria]

It didn't give this youngun' a glazed look.

More like wide eyed and happy. :)

[LayoutGuru2]

Movietone

[TADSLOS]

WOO HOO! Cool!

[visualops]

Dang I never realized you can download the Operation Enduring Freedom - The Opening Chapter video.
They have it in several formats & sizes. yah!
I don't get to the theatre much and never saw it.

http://www.nuwc.navy.mil/hq/video/enduringfreedom/video.html

[tubebender]

I was 8 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and 9 when my two brothers were drafted and went to Europe. One sister inlisted in the Wacs and serves stateside.The Movietone news, Life Magazine and the Fresno Bee was our link to any news at all about the War. My mother would not go to the movies for fear of seeing her sons in battle. I remember the Maps in the paper showing the various "fronts". I don't know how factual they were.

It turned out my sisters married veterans also so 5 members of our family served, four of them in combat.

[An Old Man]

Kuhn said. "It's an opportunity for people to hear how the soldiers feel about what they do."

I cannot believe a Marine Lt Col. actually said that! The correct term should have been

Marines

(with a capital M!)

Semper Fi

[tet68]

The marines did this after Tarawa, enlistments dropped 30%.

Ida Lupino’s first husband, Louis Hayward, had famously shot footage of the Marines’ assault on Tarawa in 1943.
He lead the camera teams, no mean feat in itself!

[Destro]

movietone staged most of it's footage.

[Destro]

Under 30 and I know movietone--loves history

[sam_paine]

You do realize, don't you, that the thread title will cause that "glazed look" by anyone under 50??

NOT TRUE!!! I'm under 50, and I've seen em!! (On the intro to reruns of Ba-Ba-Black Sheep on cable.... :)

[RummyChick]

how is this going to work when the war is only suppose to last a week...by the time they get the production done on these movie films and get them distributed the war will be over