There really should be a modern movie made about the Indianapolis. The fact that it carried the atomic bombs to Tinian than was sunk and ensuing ordeal of the survivors make this story very much "sellable" to the general public. I wonder why no one has made it yet? Hell, Spielberg references it in "Jaws".
I think there have been a couple of them. One that springs to mind has Stacey Keech portraying Cpt. McVeigh: Mission of the Shark
Good film, although since it was made for television, the production value was a lot less than what Hollywood could put out. I noticed while watching that some of the sinking scenes were lifted from War and Remembrance, specifically when the "Northampton" was sunk at Tassafaronga. There was also a TV doc that aired in 2001(?) about an expedition to find the wreck site, but it was a bust.
I would only hope that if they made the movie they wouldn't butcher history like they did with Pearl Harbor. That was a tragedy. I don't understand the need to corrupt history with a stupid romantic twist. There is enough suspence and intrigue in the original facts to keep your attention. After I saw Pearl Harbor I wanted to make a movie called "The Actual Events of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, and What Hollywood did in the Last Film to Falsify History and Misrepresent Brave Men Who Sacrificed All for the Freedom of These Idiots to do What They Please Under the Pretense of Creative Lisence". The title was too long for most IPod screen movie listings so I don't think it would ever sell.
Just watch Tora, Tora, Tora instead. A movie about the Indianapolis would be right up there with Schindler's List for misery and shock. Not sure it would do well financially at all.
The Stacey Keech made for TV movie was ok for that genre actually, and just as a sort of tid-bit of information, the Indianapolis only carried a part of the gun type uranium bomb. The other key components were carried on cargo planes. I think the Indy carried the U-235 target and initiator, while the two cargo planes carried the U-235 projectile in one and another initiator in the other. This was in case any one of them was intercepted and destroyed enroute, it wouldn't be impossible to replace the parts lost. But that said, I agree that a new version of the story could be made and as long as they didn't stray too far away from reality should be a good film. Hollywood certainly didn't do Pearl any justice, I wish the film industry could come up with "new stories", but apparently the art of the writing has been banned from the town. They seem to be completely satisfied with making re-makes of old stories anymore, the only original ones they come up with seem pretty lame to be honest.
Thats oen of two I know and the Stacy Keach/Richard Thomas movie was a made for TV movie and was pretty accurate as far as I can tell. BTW, its now out on DvD and I plan to get it sometime soon.
I dont remember that footage in War and Remembrance so-ill just have to be forced into watching it again ;-)) Also, as for borrowed scenes from other movies, The Winds of War and War and Remembrance both, borrowed battle scenes from: Cross of Iron.
