Vet. claims Avatar portrays marines as psycho...

Platapus · 01-15-10, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terragon

I never liked Hollywood's portrayal of military men, for the most part.

Enemy Below.

August · 01-15-10, 11:07 PM

Hollywood is by definition all about fantasy but I must admit they have raised the realism bar somewhat in recent years. Not that they could have lowered it any.

Some of my more recent favorites:

We Were Soldiers
Blackhawk Down
When Trumpets Fade
Band of Brothers (the upcoming sequel promises to be as good as the original)
Generation Kill

Catfish · 01-16-10, 06:31 AM

Hello,
only some nitpicking:

" ... Only a few exceptions, like "Platoon", "Das Boot", or even "Full Metal Jacket" I thought were pretty good ..."

I second those were good ones, but "Das Boot" was a german production, NOT Hollywood

"Band of brothers" and "Saving Private Ryan", well while i think those are good entertaining films, there's not too much reality in them. Bit too much propaganda for my taste but entertaining films they are.

Greetings,
Catfish

01-16-10, 09:28 AM

Stalingrad was done fairly well.

Dowly · 01-16-10, 09:30 AM

Ah, Stalingrad was great.

XabbaRus · 01-16-10, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snestorm

Stalingrad was done fairly well.

Stalingrad is a German film too. Only the Germans could make a great film out of a battle where they got wiped out.

nikimcbee · 01-16-10, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XabbaRus

Stalingrad is a German film too. Only the Germans could make a great film out of a battle where they got wiped out.

...and has a typical German ending.

(good film though)

@xabbarus; which Russian warfilms do you like?

Catfish · 01-16-10, 02:42 PM

Hello,
us germans also have some alert levels, from XabbaRus in another post:

"> The Germans also increased their alert state from "Disdainful
> Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also
> have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbour" and "Lose". "

Hehe sad endings have a tradition here, we are always working on perfecting those traditions and what we began. To be german means to do something for the sake of itself

B.t.w. I only meant this "propaganda" to be found in "Private Ryan", not "Band of Brothers" - and prop. is most probably not the right word, but PRyan makes the invasion and the figthing in Normandy look like a cake walk and heroic in a Hollywood way. And is there any real (non Hollywood) evidence that the US army gave a damn about whether one more member of a family died in the war, not mentioning sending out a unit to save him ?

Greetings,
Catfish

XabbaRus · 01-24-10, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

...and has a typical German ending.

(good film though)

@xabbarus; which Russian warfilms do you like?

Just noticed this one.

9th Company is Good. First Russian film that deals with Afghanistan, and in a way that portrays it as a waste of a bunch of young mens' lives.

Zorya Zdes' Tikhaya - OK could be classed as propoganda but it is well filmed, acted and tragic.

72 metres - Not exactly a war film but good anyway.

Admiral - About Kolchak though the TV mini series that the film is created out of is better.

I'll have to look at what else is in my collection.

August · 01-16-10, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catfish

"Band of brothers" and "Saving Private Ryan", well while i think those are good entertaining films, there's not too much reality in them. Bit too much propaganda for my taste but entertaining films they are.

Greetings,
Catfish

Propaganda, in Band of Brothers? Where?

Col. Caldwell · 01-16-10, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by August

Propaganda, in Band of Brothers? Where?

Yeah, I haven't seen any in Band of Brothers. That was a pretty realistic miniseries.

01-16-10, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by August

Propaganda, in Band of Brothers? Where?

Well it's all propaganda to an extent, especially the big productions like BoB and Ryan. I guess people can say that they like a certain production over another but it's all subjective.

Even if you were to take a film camera to a real war and film it would still be a slanted view depending on where in the battlefield you are filming and what you are filming etc.

August · 01-16-10, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneToughHerring

Well it's all propaganda to an extent, especially the big productions like BoB and Ryan. I guess people can say that they like a certain production over another but it's all subjective.

Even if you were to take a film camera to a real war and film it would still be a slanted view depending on where in the battlefield you are filming and what you are filming etc.

OTH, people can point at a pig and call it a duck but that don't make it an accurate identification.

The word "propaganda" implies government involvement and direction with the writing and production, and not just with technical details like what rifle or uniform is correct for the time period being portrayed but rather controlling the storyline itself to generate a particular impression on the countries involved. This does not happen in BoB. The government did not tell Ambrose what to write or Spielberg what to film.

01-16-10, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by August

OTH, people can point at a pig and call it a duck but that don't make it an accurate identification.

The word "propaganda" implies government involvement and direction with the writing and production, and not just with technical details like what rifle or uniform is correct for the time period being portrayed but rather controlling the storyline itself to generate a particular impression on the countries involved. This does not happen in BoB. The government did not tell Ambrose what to write or Spielberg what to film.

So what you're saying is that it's 'mild' propaganda? They do have an agenda, the producers and financiers of present day Hollywood movies, just follow the money and you may find it.

nikimcbee · 01-16-10, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catfish

Hello,
only some nitpicking:

" ... Only a few exceptions, like "Platoon", "Das Boot", or even "Full Metal Jacket" I thought were pretty good ..."

I second those were good ones, but "Das Boot" was a german production, NOT Hollywood

"Band of brothers" and "Saving Private Ryan", well while i think those are good entertaining films, there's not too much reality in them. Bit too much propaganda for my taste but entertaining films they are.

Greetings,
Catfish

..to nit-pick your nit-picking

I totally agree with your opinion of Ryan, not much reality there except for the violence, but I disagree on BoB. I have met personally several of the actual men and got to talk to them

. There are parts of the show that are totally realistic (the history behind it). The directors changed weird things from the actual events. example: the nazi american guy from oregon. He was from Portland and not Eugene (as the show said.)

01-15-10, 11:07 PM	#2
August Wayfaring Stranger Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 23,221 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Hollywood is by definition all about fantasy but I must admit they have raised the realism bar somewhat in recent years. Not that they could have lowered it any. Some of my more recent favorites: We Were Soldiers Blackhawk Down When Trumpets Fade Band of Brothers (the upcoming sequel promises to be as good as the original) Generation Kill __________________ Flanked by life and the funeral pyre. Putting on a show for you to see.

01-16-10, 06:31 AM	#3
Catfish Dipped Squirrel Operative Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: ..where the ocean meets the sky Posts: 17,799 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	Hello, only some nitpicking: " ... Only a few exceptions, like "Platoon", "Das Boot", or even "Full Metal Jacket" I thought were pretty good ..." I second those were good ones, but "Das Boot" was a german production, NOT Hollywood "Band of brothers" and "Saving Private Ryan", well while i think those are good entertaining films, there's not too much reality in them. Bit too much propaganda for my taste but entertaining films they are. Greetings, Catfish

01-16-10, 09:28 AM	#4
Snestorm Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	Stalingrad was done fairly well.

01-16-10, 09:30 AM	#5
Dowly Lucky Jack Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Finland Posts: 25,055 Downloads: 32 Uploads: 0	Ah, Stalingrad was great.

01-16-10, 02:42 PM	#8
Catfish Dipped Squirrel Operative Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: ..where the ocean meets the sky Posts: 17,799 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	Hello, us germans also have some alert levels, from XabbaRus in another post: "> The Germans also increased their alert state from "Disdainful > Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also > have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbour" and "Lose". " Hehe sad endings have a tradition here, we are always working on perfecting those traditions and what we began. To be german means to do something for the sake of itself B.t.w. I only meant this "propaganda" to be found in "Private Ryan", not "Band of Brothers" - and prop. is most probably not the right word, but PRyan makes the invasion and the figthing in Normandy look like a cake walk and heroic in a Hollywood way. And is there any real (non Hollywood) evidence that the US army gave a damn about whether one more member of a family died in the war, not mentioning sending out a unit to save him ? Greetings, Catfish