There are popular wars in Hollywood and unpopular wars. The last popular war was World War II and so you get movies from Hollywood that still portray its goals and objectives as good, such as “Saving Private Ryan” and the one we watched last Saturday, “Windtalkers.” Sure, they show that war is hell, but I wouldn’t expect anything else.
But unpopular wars like Vietnam and now either of the Gulf Wars are unpopular among the cultural elites so they get the full treatment that the war had no objective, that it was pointless, that our soldiers were not motivated, that our conduct of the war was unethical and inhumane and so on.
Brendan Miniter, writing in the Wall Street Journal, examines the latest one of these films, “Jarhead,” based on a book by a Marine who served in the first Gulf War.
“Jarhead” is yet another movie about the depravity and uselessness of war. ... It may surprise a few Hollywood execs that this isn’t an easy sell in a post 9/11 America. In the Brooklyn, N.Y., theater where I saw “Jarhead,” viewers were streaming out of the theater even before the film was over. What the viewers were hoping for was a rousing film portraying U.S. forces as the good guys sacrificing for a worthwhile mission, or at least, a sense of joy in the victory. But it never came. So on her way out, one woman protested for all to hear: “They sold us [the movie] with prompted-up music, but then they gave us this.”
Hollywood *loves* solders, just so long as, a. they’re disillusioned, or b. their fighting for communism. No others need apply.
A good movie – We Were Soldiers (2002) starting Mel Gibson
I was thinking of that movie as I was writing this. An exception to the rule.
A number of Marines have come out and publicly criticized not only the movie but also Swofford. One can sort of understand a bit of artistic license combined with a bit of exaggeration but there are events in this book/movie that simply never happened and to pass this off as fact is a disgrace to the Marine Corps and everyone who fought in the first Gulf War.
Today happens to be the 230 birthday of the United States Marine Corps.
Please keep us in your prayers today and remember all those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Semper fi!
I took my son to see “We Were Soldiers” – he was 7.
I was on a Catholic discussion group at the time and we threw the topic around on whether my son was too young for such a movie.
Most said yes (mostly the women).
I took him to see it to make sure he understands that America isn’t the horrible, spineless monster that the major media or the school systems portray it as.
I also wanted him to grow up with a healthy appreciation for our soldiers.
It’s not like the old days where you could depend on the media and the schools to foster a love of our country and its defenders. These days you have to be “pro-active” on that.
I was considering Jarhead, but didn’t know how the military is portrayed. Now I know. Think I’ll skip that one.
Abe,
Thanks for the reminder on the Marine Corps’ 230th birthday. We celebrate the feast days for our children’s patron saints. Today, we shall remember you, your fellow Marines, and all the brave Marines who have gone before in the service of our country, in prayer, thanksgiving, and celebration. Thank you.
“I was thinking of that movie as I was writing this. An exception to the rule.”
Well, look at who the director was…
My daughter loved his movie, “The Patriot” too about the Revolutionary War.