Compulsion“The military and film studios have colluded for more than fifty years. Any time a filmmaker wants military assets, ships or tanks or planes, they have to give the Pentagon five copies of their script and if there’s anything in the script that’s negative, the Pentagon wants them to take it out. So they negotiate and take out any war crimes or foul language or drinking or anything that would make the military look bad. Then, after the agreement is made, the military sends a minder onto the set when the film is being shot to make sure it’s shot just the way they agreed and then once the film is completed it has to be shown to the Pentagon Admirals and Generals before it’s shown to the public. Dozens of films have not been made because they couldn’t get military assistance, so people have no idea what they’re not seeing. Jack Valenti (former President of MPAA) knew what was going on, he was complicit in it, he was part of it. You know, it’s just a subtle form of brainwashing. I believe that the fifty years of the constant drum beat of military is good, American soldiers are heroic and valiant, I think has made the American people more war-like over the last fifty years.”—
David L. Robb, author of Operation Hollywood, speaking in the documentary film This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006).
This is of course entirely reasonable. If you want to borrow a tank, or a warship or a plane, then of course the military have every right to want to see the script and make sure it doesn’t paint them in a negative light. If you want to make a film criticizing the military, then you have that right. Just don’t expect the military to lend you the tanks and jets to use as props and vehicles.
Thank you, you just proved Robb’s point exactly. The saturation of Western culture with positive images of the American military has led the public to trust processes such as these, unquestioningly.
The point that this quote is making is not that we should be shocked that the military will try to exert its control where it can to protect it’s image (this is what the military does, right?) but that this little known reality is allowing the military to control what the public sees, thinks and feels about the military. ‘You have the right’ to criticize the military? How many successful war movies can you think of that didn’t make use of the military? The blockbusters that are getting out there, that people love and remember, that people associate with the military, have gone through this filter. That is highly problematic. You can’t see that?!
This is a nice little argument going on here, but I can’t help but laugh at Nelson being labelled as part of ‘the public to trust processes such as these’. YOU’RE JUST LIKE THE REST OF THEM NELSON.
