| Sunday, July 24, 2005 |
| War of the words |
From U.S. News & World Report a few days ago (I won't link to it there, so as to save you from a particularly aggressive and persistent interstitial ad. Here's the Yahoo! News version instead.), the apparent truth about "War of the Worlds" (no, not that Tom Cruise is an alien, we already knew that...)
David Koepp, who wrote the screenplay for War of the Worlds, says the Martian attackers in the film represent the American military, while the Americans being
slaughtered at random represent Iraqi civilians. I see it differently. I think the Martians symbolize normal Americans, while those being attacked are the numbskulls who run Hollywood. Perhaps the normals went a bit too far in this easy-to-understand allegory, but think of the provocation. [John Leo] If that's true, it's a sad commentary on Mr. Koepp's understanding of the United States military. He should probably try having a conversation with an actual soldier, pilot or two and find out just how much they relish the deaths of civilians -- or in fact anyone, even the bad guys -- in wartime. I'm sure he'll come away surprised (and chastened). But Leo goes on to excoriate Hollywood as a whole, for its "eye-popping" anger at George Bush over Iraq, and lists a number of films he deems anti-administration (which curiously, has come to be synonymous for Bush supporters with anti-U.S. troops. Funny, that...).
I'd tend to agree that most Americans not indoctrinated into the Bush Cult dislike this president intensely, Hollywood included. And it's hard to argue that Hollywood is mostly anti-Iraq war (that's Iraq, not Afghanistan). And no, there haven't been any 9/11 movies yet, which is a shame, but probably due more to caution about commercializing the tragedy than a lack of interest in the subject. Leo, the Jawans and others might be as excited as I am about the upcoming F/X series "Over There," which will offer a first look at the war from the soldiers' point of view. Even as someone who opposed invading Iraq (because it was bad strategy and not worth the waste in American or Iraqi lives, not because I'm some sort of lefty peacenick), I for one will be watching the show.
As for Hollywood, let them be Hollywood. If the John Leos of the world want to make a movie glorifying George Bush and declaring him to be the Prince of Peace, they should get right on it, and see if the majority of Americans who have since determined that the Hollywood lefties were right about the Iraq war and occupation (that is, that it wasn't worth it), want to pay their $8 bucks to sing Hail to the Chief. Seems a shame to have to explain the free market to supposed conservatives. |
posted by JReid @ 2:15 PM   |
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