Page 1 of U-571

Mark,

If you doubt how many people would accept the events shown in U-571 as fact, you fail to realise the power of the media to influence public perceptions.

People believe what they are shown. Why shouldn`t they if there is no counter-evidence put forward.

In a country such as the US, the media are an extremely powerful force in molding public opinions and perceptions. I find it likely that many people in the US audience will have accepted as fact the premise of U-571, that of a US mission to recover the German encryption codes in World War II. Why would they find anything to doubt it, after all, why would someone make something like that up?

But this is Hollywood. Here it is necessary to "process" any facts into a form that is digestible by their test audiences and demographic groups. Everything is about perception and acceptability. As I said in my letter, Hollywood lets down the very public it is trying to "serve".

Don`t get me wrong. I`m not into Yank-bashing (as you put it) nor am I bemoaning the "American mutilation of history" either. I happen to have many American friends and have indeed lived in the US myself (although I now live in Germany) and I can assure you that I come across more prejudice and xenophobia in the UK than I have ever seen in the US - witness the "British" approach to the European identity. And I would no more want to see a sanitised British-friendly version of history than any other misrepresentation.

"Braveheart" has become so embedded in scottish history now that the statue of William Wallace in Stirling (where the real battle took place) actually looks like Mel Gibson. Jim Lovell will be remembered as the astronaut character played by Tom Hanks in "Apollo 13".

Hollywood brings history alive using a medium that is the best communicator for most people - the big screen and TV

Hollywood should try harder to get it right.

Gareth Williams
Darmstadt, Germany

Before I ramble on, Mark actually was agreeing with you. Mike is the one you need to shout at. ;-)

I think the bottom line here is Hollywood doesn`t give a rats arse about the truth, it is purely interested in money. Americans love a movie with Brits in as long as it has a well known American lead, or the Brits are the bad guys.

This means you can do an English story such as Robin Hood as long as the lead is an American (with matching accent, despite having never been to the US and recently arriving back from France). Braveheart also fits this rule, since it has a non-British lead (in this case an Australian, but he is a well known Hollywood actor none the less) and the English are the bad guys.

As with every rule there are exceptions, such as Trainspotting or The Full Monty, but these are rare. Even Notting Hill and Four Weddings required a US leading lady to be successful in the US.

I think Saving Private Ryan is a reasonably accurate portrayal, since the US did attack the most heavily defended beach on D-Day, and lost the most lives during the attempt. But I can also see why some find it odd there is not so much as a British soldier on camera, although this is easily explained since the British attacked other points and would not have met up with US troops so quickly.

But U-571 will undoubtedly be taken by the majority of Americans who see it as a false truth. The US audience regularly requires the dumbing down of films to appease it, luckily in the UK we have a history of quirky films which will probably continue, since anything else is competing with a money machine that is Hollywood. Not likely to succeed there are we. ;-)

There is more to be said on this topic, certainly. But I ask, are we any different? Audiences don`t want to see the truth on the screen, they want to be patted on the back. There is as much blatant xenophobia in British film as in American. This is the reality of movie making. And its plain to see, movies do not have a responsibility to what we alledge to be historical truth. The only thing a movie has to be true to, is itself.

But don`t get your knickers in a twist, the Brits are making their very own Enigma movie, so we`ll finally get to see the British version of the truth.

--Mike

This item was edited on Wednesday, 26th July 2000, 00:27

Oops ... should`ve cleaned my glasses first Robert!

Mike (sorry for getting that wrong) is right in that the British film industry isn`t really any better. That we don`t put out as many stinkers like U-571 is more than likely due to the diminutive scale of our film industry when compared to Hollywood.

And I look forward to an alternative film version of the Enigma tale. This will likely be so accurate it hurts - specifically because of the trouble caused by U-571 - but if it is equally as inaccurate, believe me I`ll be first in line to take a pot shot at it.

Regards,

Gareth

This item was edited on Wednesday, 26th July 2000, 13:15

We will get to see the British version of the truth, but I think the original point is the Americans won`t. Although the old addage that history is written by the conqerours is somewhat true, we do live in an age where historians actively seek to question what is accurate, regardless of how controversial it may be.

Our media does a good job of informing us what is going on globally, and our major TV stations at least attempt to educate us some of the time. Having had a few month long holidays in the US, its a shocking contrast.

Their TV channels are 99% geared up for entertainment and advertising, my Aunt+Uncle who live over there have pretty much stopped their kids watching it, not suprisingly.

American culture as a whole is a consumer culture. Its why everything is cheaper over there, but also why everything is geared up to selling you something. Consequently, nearly all TV programs are watered down so their palatable to the largest audience, since bigger audiences means more advertising revenue.

What you end up with is a culture which as a whole is rarely made to think, and therefore begins to accept what it is fed on a daily basis as truth. That leaves a lot of power in the wrong hands.

I think British film has very little xenophobia, and what there is, is nearly always merely a reflection of the people it is portraying. British society on the other hand is a completely different kettle of fish, although luckily I live in London which is more cosmopilitan and accepting of different nationalities than other cities.

Still, even we are subject to being told what to think by papers such as the Daily Mail, which preaches xenophobia, homophobia, and attacks anything else it considers to be against some ignorant blinkered view of patriotism.

Actually, our xenophobia is represented in slightly more sinister ways than in the US, the kitchen sink tokenism of movies like The Full Monty and East is East for example.

And as for consumer culture, that is a trait of every capitalist society around the world. Not just the Americans. There are differences, certainly in the media: just look at the difference between our tabloid news coverage (populist, reactionary) and there`s (sensationalist, Liberal).

And things are cheaper there because we pay s***-loads of tax.

:)

--Mike

BTW, Mel Gibson was born in the US state of New York. He just grew up in Australia.

I only found out the other day myself when I was saying it was odd to have an Australian playing an American patriot.

http://us.imdb.com/Name?Gibson,+Mel (Sorry, Can`t get it to link due to the comma.)

This item was edited on Thursday, 27th July 2000, 18:43

Bah why do the IMDb have to use a comma of all things in their URLs? Be buggered if Im coding that into a regular expression as well. :-)

Just to make your life more fun Rob!

Gareth

They are the spawn of satan if ever there was one.

Fun? Fun? I don`t need my life to be any more fun dammit!

Talking of fun, I`m sitting here typing this away on a 6ft projector fed by my HTPC which has gained a little more hardware in the way of a WinTV card. Already have one for the office, but needed one up here to try out PowerVCR II.

Of course, sods law dictates that I don`t have the right cables in long enough lengths to actually get a bloody aerial to connect into it.

Fun? FUN? I don`t need my life to be any more fun dammit!

Now if you`ll excuse me I`m off to take another thread off topic. ;-)