09-15-2003, 01:42 PM
09-15-2003, 02:42 PM
BRITISH HISTORY RE-WRITTEN
Tom Cruise is set to star in a movie re-run of the Battle of Britain that suggests an American had a lot to do with winning it.
Cruise will play US airman Billy Fiske in the new film, which, to the fury of RAF veterans, bears the provisional title of The Few.
The script has him lead the Allies to victory over the Luftwaffe, despite the fact that the real Fiske only ever flew three combat missions.
One of just 12 Americans involved in the World War II battle, Fiske never downed a German plane and was killed when he crash-landed his aircraft.
An industry insider told the Daily Star the film would never sell if a Briton had the starring role.
"The hero must be American. The public wouldn't have it any other way. To get bums on seats the writers twist the facts."
Hollywood has been making a habit of rewriting history in favour of the Americans.
Saving Private Ryan scarcely mentioned the British and Canadian contribution to D-Day and U-571 had the US - not the Royal - navy capture the Nazis' Enigma codebook.
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I'm waiting for the Guy Fawkes movie where a valiant FBI agent manages to save Parliament from the evil Iraqi Guy Al-Faques, myself... roll
Tom Cruise is set to star in a movie re-run of the Battle of Britain that suggests an American had a lot to do with winning it.
Cruise will play US airman Billy Fiske in the new film, which, to the fury of RAF veterans, bears the provisional title of The Few.
The script has him lead the Allies to victory over the Luftwaffe, despite the fact that the real Fiske only ever flew three combat missions.
One of just 12 Americans involved in the World War II battle, Fiske never downed a German plane and was killed when he crash-landed his aircraft.
An industry insider told the Daily Star the film would never sell if a Briton had the starring role.
"The hero must be American. The public wouldn't have it any other way. To get bums on seats the writers twist the facts."
Hollywood has been making a habit of rewriting history in favour of the Americans.
Saving Private Ryan scarcely mentioned the British and Canadian contribution to D-Day and U-571 had the US - not the Royal - navy capture the Nazis' Enigma codebook.
----
I'm waiting for the Guy Fawkes movie where a valiant FBI agent manages to save Parliament from the evil Iraqi Guy Al-Faques, myself... roll
09-15-2003, 03:12 PM
That sucks. Because we know that's what American kids will be learning in their history lessons in a year or two.....
09-15-2003, 03:17 PM
( Sick to death of 'we bailed you out' and 'Really? The British fought in the war?'. Makes me frickin mad...
09-15-2003, 03:34 PM
Oh ok.
I thought Ben Affleck won the "Battle of Britain" single-handedly already, as depicted in "Pearl Harbor" when he runs away to join the American Eagle Squadron in Britain. roll
I suppose if us Brits don't like Hollywood using our history to base their blockbusters on, we should make our own.
Channel Four are currently filming a mini-series, set in the Channel Islands during the German occupation in WW2, that is using authentic German equipment but no doubt stretches reality a little, as they all do. Don't know the title as it is all a bit hush-hush but sounded pretty interesting to me.
I'd rather that than have them not make a film about this fascinating period at all.
I thought Ben Affleck won the "Battle of Britain" single-handedly already, as depicted in "Pearl Harbor" when he runs away to join the American Eagle Squadron in Britain. roll
I suppose if us Brits don't like Hollywood using our history to base their blockbusters on, we should make our own.
Channel Four are currently filming a mini-series, set in the Channel Islands during the German occupation in WW2, that is using authentic German equipment but no doubt stretches reality a little, as they all do. Don't know the title as it is all a bit hush-hush but sounded pretty interesting to me.
I'd rather that than have them not make a film about this fascinating period at all.
09-15-2003, 07:00 PM
If Ben Affleck won the Battle of Britain I didn't notice. mind, I have noticed he cries in almost every movie he's made! lol
09-15-2003, 10:18 PM
We should remake "The Magnificent Seven" and have the villagers saved by Bungle, Manc, MacZippy, Pilgrim, Monster, Hartley and Elaine... that would really really annoy them wink
09-16-2003, 07:02 AM
I'm up for that!
Actually I havea book at home that basically looks at all the very dodgy history in virtually every historical movie ever made. And I was surprised to find it wasnt just Oliver Stone movies and Braveheart that were factually inaccurate!
My favorite "The Americans Did It" is The Great Escape - fantastic movie and yes James Garner and Steve McQueen are cool as cucumbers but complete bollocks that either of them played any part in it at all. I think Eddie Izzard points out the reason with stuff like Four Weddings - posh English nonces arent worth watching but "oh there's an American in it lets go watch." And he also summised the point of it in things like The Great Escape when Steve Mcqueen is the cool guy who escapes on a motorbike and escapes to Switzerland before being taken back to the prison, whilst all the Biritish are captured about a mile away and shot.
Actually I havea book at home that basically looks at all the very dodgy history in virtually every historical movie ever made. And I was surprised to find it wasnt just Oliver Stone movies and Braveheart that were factually inaccurate!
My favorite "The Americans Did It" is The Great Escape - fantastic movie and yes James Garner and Steve McQueen are cool as cucumbers but complete bollocks that either of them played any part in it at all. I think Eddie Izzard points out the reason with stuff like Four Weddings - posh English nonces arent worth watching but "oh there's an American in it lets go watch." And he also summised the point of it in things like The Great Escape when Steve Mcqueen is the cool guy who escapes on a motorbike and escapes to Switzerland before being taken back to the prison, whilst all the Biritish are captured about a mile away and shot.
09-16-2003, 10:40 AM
mrbungle2103 Wrote:
And he also summised the point of it in things like The Great Escape when Steve Mcqueen is the cool guy who escapes on a motorbike and escapes to Switzerland before being taken back to the prison, whilst all the Biritish are captured about a mile away and shot.
Well, a little further than a mile!
"The Great Escape" wasn't that bad. Most of the events are composites of life in a POW camp, particularly Stalag Luft III and James Clavell (Shogun, Tai-Pan etc.) wrote the screenplay and had been a POW in a Japanese camp in the war.
A lot of characters were composites but you expect that in Hollywood when they have less than three hours to compress a story. The "stooges" and tunnelling were portrayed very accurately though.
McQueen's character was based on Jerry Sage and Barry Mahon, both Americans and both in that camp. Mahon really was called "the cooler King" and actually drew a straw to escape down the tunnel first but for some reason changed his mind prior to the escape and this probably saved his life. Mahon was an advisor for the movie and it was McQueen's idea to include some of his true-life actions during the war into his character of Hilts.
"Black Hawk Down" is full of composite characters and also leaves out the fact that it was four helicopters shot down that day, not just the two you see in the movie. One crash landed on the way back to the airport and one made it back to the airport where it crashed.