hey guys first time on the world war 2 forums. i am in awe of the men who died in this campaign to rid the world of evil. just wanted to post about the lack of modern war films featuring british troops i would love to see a band of brothers about the 1st airboune division and Robert Henry Cains VC. but i doubt that will happen but hey boys if i win the lottery this will be my 1st project. anyone else have similar dreams?.
Yup, though I'd rather see something following an 'ordinary' unit than the paras. Maybe something about a company in Burma? Welcome to the board.
I read Peter Whites diary 'With the Jocks'. A good account of what 'ordinary' soldiers experienced. I agree that there has been a lack of new films featuring British units.
I hope this doesn't come off as overly critical. But I couldn't help but think that how can the British even think about making a film glorifying war and killing when their potential leaders are decrying such things as the execution of Saddam, Fox Hunting, the private citizenry owning guns etc..... Things have gone pretty soft over there. Later
JP, I'm afraid it's one of those cases where our cousins from across the pond don't understand the way things are over here. Having said that, I frequently get my oar in when it comes to stuff over there so fair enough. That said, what is there not to decry about Saddam? The government isn't making any effort to restrict gun ownership any more than they already have (and contrary to popular belief, it's pretty easy to own a firearm over here. The only reason I don't is that my landlord isn't happy about me fixing a cabinet to his wall). Fox hunting, well it's an odd one but at the end of the day it is a waste of time, is pretty cruel and frankly done on very dubious grounds. My girlfriend is part of the 'pony set' and the main reason people like hunting is that it means they can ride roughshod over farmers land without asking permission first. Anyhow, who said we have to reflect the beliefs of our government? More to the point, who said it would glorify war?
I think that ultimately there's more ( a lot more.... ) money in Hollywood than at Shepperton or Elstree and therefore anyone wanting to make a 'BofB'-style movie about, say, the KOSB at Arnhem is going to have a tough time persuading a potential backer that it'd be worth doing. ( And no, saying ' Hey, there's at least 20 people on the WWII Forums who'd pay to see it ' probably wouldn't unlock a chequebook.... )
I think the best we can hope to see is a short vid made by re-enactors with dodgy acting, poor plot but loads of fantastic kit
JP, not at all, many have made the same mistake, basically that we are a Liberel with a soft L for the most part society, but as always many have made the mistake of thinking that equates to pacafism... I'm ex army and get a war pension to boot, I decry the way Sadman was executed, I dont agree with killing foxes for the sport of it, although I accept the need for country folk to do something about their number, I dont agree with senseless killing also gun ownership, I decry my leaders as well as yours for the lies they tell to avert our gaze from other matters and wars they fight and support without ever seeing any service themselves...A bit of a leftie you might think..ok, maybe so, but dont think that we are weak or pacifist in nature, I never had any problems with seeing the need to be ready to kill in defence what the people of this country in the main stand for. Occasionally we get our leaderships hijacked, but all returns to normality when the brainless few are found out for what they are, some of come to conclusion about them earlier than others thats all, similare in the States I suppose. But dont mistake our peaceful loving general liberal nature for any weakness..Many have made that mistake through history.
My post was basically a knee-jerk reaction to a British politician's bashing of the Saddam debacle that I had just read somewhere or other. The one who is in line to be PM, can't remember his name. It just was so blatently politically postured/motivated that it sort of miffed me. I hope you understand what I'm saying. Our politicians do the same thing and it just rubbed me the wrong way. I think Martin hit the nail on the head when he stated that only Hollywood has the cash to produce such an endeavor so it's probably highly unlikely that it would ever happen. I really shouldn't be commenting on gun ownership or fox hunting or much else for that matter as I really don't know all that much about your laws on those things. Besides, my comment really was off topic and for that I apologize. I guess just like GW over here, your pols can make statements that have a profound effect on others. Later
This is O/T.... but don't take it too hard, jp. We all tend to say 'The French say this....', 'The Germans say that....' when what we really mean is politicians. It's fair to say that successive UK Governments ( of whatever political party ) seem to get further out of touch with what people actually feel and think. Yes, we're a democracy, but in the last election New Labour only garnered 35% of the total vote, and only 61% of eligible voters actually voted. There is a lot of cynicism - justified or otherwise - about politicians 'over here'.
Ever seen the film "Wag the dog?" After that I sorta believe anything is possible...Göbbels would love this film.... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120885/
