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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNot even trying to disguise it anymore: New movie uses real life Navy SEALS
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/movies/act-of-valor-film-with-active-duty-members-of-navy-seals.htmlBy now, many of us have probably seen the trailers for the upcoming movie, Act of Valor. What makes this
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Rear Adm. Denny Moynihan, of the Navy Office of Information in Washington, explained that every four years the Defense Department looks at itself and says, What is it that you need to be moving forward, and where do you think you are? He added, For the Navy and the SEAL community it was, Hey, you need 500 more SEALs and that launched a series of initiatives to try to attract more people. This film was one of those initiatives.
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They're not even trying to disguise it anymore. Basically it's a feature-length recruitment tool.
Systematic Chaos
(8,601 posts)n/t
surfdog
(624 posts)For the Pentagon to use propaganda against the American people
But here we are
NutmegYankee
(16,177 posts)Erose999
(5,624 posts)Richardo
(38,391 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)Dreamer Tatum
(10,926 posts)lunatica
(53,410 posts)The military recruiting young people is perfectly legal. What do you think these are:
And then, of course, sex sells:
Dreamer Tatum
(10,926 posts)Do the arithmetic. Obama approved this, explicitly or implicitly.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)And why he should given the military industrial complex and attitude this country has.
I truly doubt they even asked him.
Hugabear
(10,340 posts)Especially when the movie is packaged and presented as entertainment.
I also have just as big of a problem - perhaps even bigger - with Pentagon involvement in producing military-themed videogames geared towards young people.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)If you don't think the military took photos and video for war propaganda then you've never seen the newsreels they used to show people who had gone to see movies.
And the Nazis also made films
This is not new nor will it go away no matter how much we don't like it.
This is how they get young people to sign up. By glorifying war and killing.
And John Wayne movies worked to recruit soldiers too and they were considered 'entertainment'.
Occulus
(20,599 posts)DCKit
(18,541 posts)2ndAmForComputers
(3,527 posts)In fact, he personally ordered that the Post Office delay that bill you paid last month just to screw with you.
WilliamPitt
(58,179 posts)Dreamer Tatum
(10,926 posts)Ummmmm....OK.
Gee, what else happens at a Cabinet level that he doesn't know about?
Angleae
(4,469 posts)It's even possible that SecNav & the CNO didn't. The highest ranking person that would have to be notified would likely be a two star (commander of navy recruitment or chief of naval information). He, or his flunkies gets with JAG and asks if it's legal, then asks public affairs about possible political fallout then orders it done.
raouldukelives
(5,178 posts)zbdent
(35,392 posts)I mean, aren't they turning away overwhelming numbers of young Republican/TEAParty/Conservative types who are eager to rush into combat and have their asses shot at and possibly killed or horribly maimed in the defense of oil companies ...
oh, never mind. I just answered my own question ... the would actually have to put their money where their mouths are when it came to supporting the military ...
jeff47
(26,549 posts)If you start from the assumption that a military movie is going to be made, and they have been since movies were invented, might as well pay SEALs instead of actors.
Hugabear
(10,340 posts)Just don't use actors.
RZM
(8,556 posts)I don't know about that. I have no inside information, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did get them.
jeff47
(26,549 posts)Response to Hugabear (Original post)
Marblehead This message was self-deleted by its author.
graywarrior
(59,440 posts)One of my favorite actors is in it.
DCKit
(18,541 posts)when the NeoCons are in power, in tandem with the war propaganda released by Hollywood.
Just an observation.
Hugabear
(10,340 posts)Military-themed videogames (ie Call of Duty, Battlefield) absolutely skyrocketed while Bush was in office. Not coincidentally, most of these videogames take place in the Middle East, allowing boys and young men to shoot up brown-skinned folks to their little hearts delight.
Muskypundit
(717 posts)But, yeah sure, we play video games because we are all racist mother fuckers who want nothing more than to kill people different than us. Shit. That must be why everyone joins the military too. This level of ignorance is not ignorance... It's a fucking art, isn't it.
RZM
(8,556 posts)Westerns were quite popular on radio, television and in theaters for a long time. It's nothing new.
DCKit
(18,541 posts)There was almost always a component of morality to westerns, even their depiction as "Noble Savages". It's no-holds-barred when it's Muslims (or hookers and drug dealers).
None of our famous western stars would have got any traction slaughtering women and children, even as collateral damage.
RZM
(8,556 posts)I'm not aware of any mainstream Hollywood films where Americans killing women and children is portrayed positively.
Granted I'm not an action fan, but I can't name any film that portrays civilian deaths that way. Can you?
In fact, I can't even think of a recent WWII movie that does that, despite the fact that the US was responsible for quite a few civilian deaths in that war. Remember 'Memphis Belle?' I recall a scene where one crew member wants to just forget about the target and unload the bombs over a German city so they can get the hell out of there. He's overruled because other crew members argue that it would be immoral to do that to the civilian population.
And 'The Pacific' emphasized the suffering of Okinawan civilians and made sure it greatly affected the main character.
Johnny Rico
(1,438 posts)1927:
1942:
1955:
1968:
1986:
2001:
All made with extensive support from the US armed forces. This is nothing new...
Hugabear
(10,340 posts)I know there has been heavy military involvement with Hollywood films over the years. The point is, this new movie takes that involvement to a whole new level. For example, in "Top Gun" - the main actors are still Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer - not active duty pilots. Sure, you might see stock footage of real Air Force jets - but the film doesn't feature those active duty pilots.
Johnny Rico
(1,438 posts)He was active in the Air Force Reserve during the '50s and '60s, and actually flew as an observer on a B-52 bombing mission in the Vietnam War. To be fair, I can't think of any beyond that...while WW2 films may featured active duty soldiers, I can't think of any that had them as leading actors.
Sure, you might see stock footage of real Air Force jets - but the film doesn't feature those active duty pilots.
In some films, it went way beyond stock footage. In the film "The Final Countdown", most of the film was shot on the Nimitz with full cooperation from the Navy. Many of the crew members were used as extras, a few with speaking parts. What's more, the footage of F-14s vs Japanese Zeros was not stock footage, and while shooting one scene an F-14 almost crashed.
RZM
(8,556 posts)You're right, it's nothing new at all. If anything, I'd say it's an improvement to actually use real soldiers on camera and not just as behind-the-scenes advisers.
I say who cares. Action movies have been around for a long time and will be for some time to come. This is just another one with a new shtick.
Maybe now at least now the characters won't endure hours of combat with their hair looking perfect the whole time
Noodleboy13
(422 posts)A powerful documentary that shows what combat does to young men.
I needed a quiet walk around the lake after watching that one.
peace,
Noodleboy