Should Hollywood History Be Allowed?

[Plotinus]

Oh come now be fair, he did use a computer of sorts on that flight over Iraq to describe one of the ancient battles there

Did you happen to catch his series on the Conquistadores by any chance?

Ah, must have forgotten that computer bit. Damn!

I think I saw a little bit of one of the Conquistadores programmes and it seemed pretty interesting. But I missed the rest. I only saw one of his recent series on the stories behind great myths (the first one, on the Queen of Sheba) and that was really good too - though still I think Alexander was probably better. Unfortunately I don't really have time to watch TV these days.

 

[PrinceOfLeigh]

That being said I do find that T.V documentaries are alot better at sticking to history than films

 

[Vrylakas]

While conceding that historical films - wherever they are made - tend to be crapola, still, I am for any medium that provokes any level of historical debate and discussion, and definitely very apprehensive about the concept of a government, state or any group having sole control over "official history". So Hollywood, Bollywood or whoever makes a historical flick like The Patriot or Mulan; instead of trying to get them banned, why not write a letter and try to get your own views on why the film is historically distorted or inaccurate out there? the topic gets some exposure, and people get exposed to other points of view.

 

[PrinceOfLeigh]

While conceding that historical films - wherever they are made - tend to be crapola, still, I am for any medium that provokes any level of historical debate and discussion, and definitely very apprehensive about the concept of a government, state or any group having sole control over "official history". So Hollywood, Bollywood or whoever makes a historical flick like The Patriot or Mulan; instead of trying to get them banned, why not write a letter and try to get your own views on why the film is historically distorted or inaccurate out there? the topic gets some exposure, and people get exposed to other points of view.

Good Point

 

[Esckey]

I tend to watch alot of TV docs, one seires of them Battlefield on one of the PBS is okay. The problem with that series is that in one show it'll be go about how the sherman could take almost anything the germans threw at it, then the next show it'll tell ya the Shermans were crap that burst into flames even when it gets a glancing blow




I am seriously, absolutly dreading "The Few" I think thats what its called. The Tom Cruise film about an american flying for the RAF during the Battle of Britian.

 

[PrinceOfLeigh]

I am seriously, absolutly dreading "The Few" I think thats what its called. The Tom Cruise film about an american flying for the RAF during the Battle of Britian.

I heard about that a few years ago but I thought it was a myth because it hadn't come out. I'm pretty confident that there will be outrage over here when that happens.

I know that whoever pays the piper calls the tune, but don't you, especailly as a Canadian get upset by the complete lack of any other nation being mentioned in Private Ryan other than US and Germany?

 

[privatehudson]

That's not true, they mention Monty just long enough to insult him

 

[PrinceOfLeigh]

That's not true, they mention Monty just long enough to insult him

Ahh yes, sorry forgot that bit

 

[MattII]

One other thing I see as a failing in the Hollywood history section is the addition of a central love story where one usually doesn't exist, or it is much less significant.

 

[MattII]

One other thing I see as a failing in the Hollywood history section is the addition of a central love story where one usually doesn't exist, or it is much less significant.

 

[pawpaw]

I know that whoever pays the piper calls the tune, but don't you, especailly as a Canadian get upset by the complete lack of any other nation being mentioned in Private Ryan other than US and Germany?

This gets mention a lot--why? Is it strange that a movie about a U.S. soldier doesn't mention every other nation? The movie IS NOT about D-day, its about private ryan--an america. Should I get upset if a movie about the battle of Stalingrad fails to mention america?

 

[PrinceOfLeigh]

Should I get upset if a movie about the battle of Stalingrad fails to mention america?

No because no Americans were there (Unless you count Ed Harris in 'Enemy at the Gates!).

There were however, Canadians and British landing in Normandy and although I know they were on seperate beachheads, surely as Tom Hanks leads his merry men through France he might come across a Brit, a Canadian or even the odd Frenchman too.

 

[privatehudson]

This gets mention a lot--why? Is it strange that a movie about a U.S. soldier doesn't mention every other nation? The movie IS NOT about D-day, its about private ryan--an america

That's my usual defence for the whole attitude the soldiers in the movie express about the British. In 1944 the unspoken rivalry between the American and British armies would make it very likely that soldiers in each would be blaming the other for the various allied failings. Let's face it, infantrymen of any army never have a problem insulting their generals either, even more if it's a foreign one.

There were however, Canadians and British landing in Normandy and although I know they were on seperate beachheads, surely as Tom Hanks leads his merry men through France he might come across a Brit, a Canadian or even the odd Frenchman too.

As far as I understand the movie the route Hanks and co use to reach Ryan takes them directly away from the nearby British Gold Beach. The Canadians and French (well French troops) were even further away than that. I'd find it highly unlikely that he'd see troops from any of those armies on the way.

 

[Volum]

Pearl Harbor should be banned

A girl in my class talked about how much she lowed it and next thing i now im raving about how inacurate it is and that it was nothing like that.

 

[Gangor]

I am seriously, absolutly dreading "The Few" I think thats what its called. The Tom Cruise film about an american flying for the RAF during the Battle of Britian.

There were Americans who served in the RAF during the Battle of Britain...they even had their own squadren. Ya gotta give them some credit...

 

[pawpaw]

There were Americans who served in the RAF during the Battle of Britain...they even had their own squadren. Ya gotta give them some credit...

he plays a pilot named fiske--shot down 0 planes ( real person )

 

[Esckey]

And not to bad mouth the americans that fought in BoB, they did join a war their country didn't want to be apart of so they had balls, but offically there weren't that many of them and they didn't make much of a dent. Real credit(other the the Brits themselfs) should go to the free Polish pilots. If the movie has no mention of them I'm throwing popcorn at the movie screen


I understood what beach Saving Private Ryan took place at so I knew they probably didn't meet any brits or canucks, no prob there. I do wish they were more accuarte in the movie though(I understand they couldn't in some places. The Omaha beach landings were much worse in real life then what they show in the movie), and the usual German army ineptitude that Hollywood puts in. They take it to such extremes you would think a 5 year could sneez on them and the whole german army would collapse.

 

[privatehudson]

The Omaha beach landings were much worse in real life then what they show in the movie), and the usual German army ineptitude that Hollywood puts in. They take it to such extremes you would think a 5 year could sneez on them and the whole german army would collapse.

I wrote a piece recently which argued that SPRs portrayal of the Germans was not terribly innacurate. I certainly don't believe the portrayal of them was that bad either.

 

[nonconformist]

I wrote a piece recently which argued that SPRs portrayal of the Germans was not terribly innacurate. I certainly don't believe the portrayal of them was that bad either.

Apart from the officer going:

"Ah, ze town ist held by ze Amerkanen. Zey ar elikely to be armed with ze bazooka-type-fausts, ya, und der grenades, and zey vill not give up easily.
So ve will send unsere tanks through cramped French streets mit tall houses on eizer side, mit minimal infantrie support.
Ich will get der Iron Cross fur zis!"

 

[Esckey]

I wrote a piece recently which argued that SPRs portrayal of the Germans was not terribly innacurate. I certainly don't believe the portrayal of them was that bad either.

I sorta have a problem with it cause everytime I see a documentry on the landings they always go on about how the American's face the 352nd a semi-elite(I say Semi cause I'm not sure how many of the orginal troops are still alive come this point, they were on R&R at this point) anyways, a group of combat hardend troops that provided the biggest resistance(Other then that tank force that made it to the beach) for the entire D-Day Op. And in the movie they're pushovers