Posted on 09/19/2002 8:22:53 AM PDT by Kevin Kelley
As reported by Fox News, director Ron Howard is backing out of filming a new movie about the Alamo, clearly one of the seminal moments in American history and the settling of the west. According to reporter Roger Friedman, Disney balked at being involved in a project that would garner anything above a PG rating--effectively informing Howard that they wanted to tone down the violence--a problem given that the story of the Alamo is an inherantly violent one of military siege in which the Americans were greatly outnumbered and were eventually massacred by their attackers.
"I wanted to do a gritty, no holds-barred film about the wild gang at the Alamo. It would not have been the Cocoon version. It was going to be very graphic--and Disney said no. They wanted a PG movie. They didn't want an R movie with controversy, so it became this battle that was brewing. Did I want to take this huge project knowing what I was up against? Because what they were going to do was say, 'Okay, go ahead, get going,' and then somewhere down the line think they were going to soften me into cutting the film into what they wanted. And even [though] I have final cut on my films, it didn't seem worth it, to know that fight was going to be constant. With a movie like that, everyone has to be working together with the same goals -- and there are other directors who I'm sure started out wanting to make one kind of film and wound up making another."There are two issues that come to mind for me. The first is that Disney is the embodiment of modern political correctness, and as such, their position should come as no surprise. Howard obviously sensed this and surely knew that pressure would mount to placate the Hispanic community and tone down any level of patriotism. Disney would not be happy until "both sides" were equally represented.....with the resulting dilution of the conflict leading to a story that had no story....just a bunch of guys who mistakenly started fighting and then one side killed all the others and they were friends after that and everybody was happy.
Having said that, I would note that last week I heard on the radio that the fall network lineups include reduced numbers of minority actors in lead and secondary roles, and there was much adieu about the decline. However, the problem is that the groups that feed at the protesting trough in Hollywood have cut the legs out from under the actors by way of protesting everything. In the case of shows like The Shield and The Wire, they protest that the shows depict Blacks and Hispanics as being stereotypically violent and crime-prone, while in the case of The Cosbys they protested that the show cast Blacks as being too "white". Effectively, they have created a situation where it is actually safer to not cast Blacks or Hispanics at all.
It's a tough call, but by allowing victim groups to have a place at the table, you actually give them power and encourage them use it toward their own ends--they become de facto censors, looking to propagandize for their own interests. Maybe there is a place for a company like Disney that has developed a fuzzy feel-good formula for success, and perhaps Ron Howard is just pitching his project to the wrong people, but by altering history (as was done for the Japanese release of Pearl Harbor), we do a disservice to our kids who grow up with a distorted view of how the country was founded and the heavy price that was paid by so many.
Kevin Kelley
I wish Disney would just get lost. They do nothing good anymore, IMO. The Disney movies of old are incredible to look at, but these new ones rely too much on computer animation, and anything else they stick their nose into is just not worth viewing.
It is highly unlikely that this had anything at all to do with Ron Howard's thinking.
He means "ado", right? I can't believe he means there was much French goodbyes.....
It'd sure be a distortion of truth is that were to happen. However the thought of both sides being equally represented in the actual fight has appeal; ie: the outcome sure would have been different!
Thanks for the link. Excellent letter. The above quote is lifted from the link and holds true today as much as it did then.
I also think it's possible that since Eisner is flailing for his corporate life right now, that Disney just started throwing conditions into the movie to try and kill it. Eisner does not want ANY controversy at this time. Let's face it, no matter how a movie about the Alamo is made, SOMEBODY is going to protest it.
Unless he's right, and it's all about "PC". But not Eisner. He's not all about PC. No way.
"I also think it's possible that since Eisner is flailing for his corporate life right now, that Disney just started throwing conditions into the movie to try and kill it. Eisner does not want ANY controversy at this time. Let's face it, no matter how a movie about the Alamo is made, SOMEBODY is going to protest it."
Ron Howard forgets about "The Alamo"
Also:
Gaghan Drives to 'Alamo' Gig
Fri Jun 28, 5:07 AM ET
By Cathy Dunkley and Claude BrodesserHOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Remember the Alamo?
You probably don't, but Academy Award-winning "Traffic" screenwriter Stephen Gaghan wants to change all that. He has signed on to rewrite Ron Howard's upcoming period picture, "The Alamo," which was originally written by John Sayles.
The Disney picture, expected to be Howard's next, would reteam the Oscar-heavy team behind "A Beautiful Mind" -- Howard, his Imagine Entertainment producing partner Brian Grazer and Russell Crowe, who will be one of the ensemble cast of "Alamo." Though neither Grazer, Howard nor Crowe's deals are closed, all three parties are negotiating with Disney for a potential December start to shoot on location in Texas.
"Alamo" was at one time aiming for as early as a September start, though script delays and actor availability are understood to have played some role in the date change.
"Alamo" is expected to deal with many of the historical complexities -- including the Mexican point of view -- that were glossed over in John Wayne's 1960 film. Alamo heroes William Barret Travis' serial marital infidelities, Jim Bowie's slave trading and Davy Crockett's overall political incorrectness will also be addressed.
Gaghan recently made his directorial debut for Paramount Pictures on the Katie Holmes' starrer "Abandon," which will be released in September via Paramount.
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