WorldWarIi Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Is John Woo going to work with Tom Cruise again? Quite possibly, and in a World War II setting to boot. Woo has been in a hold pattern over Hollywood ever since Paycheck came out, although he's recently struck gold with both audiences and the box office overseas with Red Cliff, which hits American shores on November 20th. Now he's circling Flying Tigers, a project about the first American volunteer group in the Chinese Air Force during WWII.

We spoke to Woo recently about Red Cliff, and you can read the full interview with him later this week. However, we couldn't resist sneaking in a question about Cruise, and you can read what we got after the break.

A lot of the time, watching a movie, we recoil or start at something in it: That's fake, we say, and dismiss the whole film. On many occasions, that impulse is correct because the film is fake, but on rare occasions, we feel that sensation of dislocated wrongness not because the film is fake but because our world is; we can't wrap our heads around the facts and ugly truths of what we see, can't comprehend how such things are possible, and recoil from them out of refusal to believe, not because they aren't believable. This is one of the challenges Defiance, the newest drama from Edward Zwick (Glory, Blood Diamond) faces as it tells the true story of the Bielski brothers, three Belorussian Jews and outlaw petty criminals who, during World War II's pogroms and purges, protected hundreds of Jews from the Nazis, some surviving and others actively fighting back.

We witness Tuvia Bielski (Daniel Craig) make the decision to kill his horse so it can be eaten, and we cannot imagine such hunger. We watch Zus Bielski (Liev Schrieber) fight alongside Russians who hate him to stop Germans who hate him, and we cannot imagine such a grim choice. We watch Asael Bielski (Jamie Bell) fall in love, or a quick quip between two supporting characters, and we cannot imagine love, or laughter, in such a place. But there must have been such hunger; there must have been such anger; there must have been laughter, and love, in the years of exile. It's hard to imagine, but that doesn't mean it's not true.

After a distinguished career as a stage director, Stephen Daldry debuted as a film director with Billy Elliot; after that film's rave reviews and warm reception, his follow-up was The Hours, an ambitious adaptation of Michael Cunningham's novel that earned Daldry an Oscar nomination for Best Director. Daldry's new film The Reader, adapted from the German novel by Bernhard Schlink, tells the story of Michael Berg (Ralph Fiennes), a lawyer who looks back at his youth (with David Kross playing the young Berg) and his fierce sexual affair with a much older woman, Hanna (Kate Winslet) in post-war Germany and the secrets and truths that come to light years after their affair ends.

Speaking with Cinematical in Los Angeles, Daldry talked about nudity, morality and the perils of adaptation: "We didn't want to make a film that reminded us of Bernhard Schlink's The Reader; we wanted to make a film based on Bernhard Schlink's The Reader. ..."

Cinematical: What was the prime source of appeal for you in adapting The Reader?

Stephen Daldry: The subject. I spent a lot of time, as a schoolboy, in Germany, learning German; as an adult, I spent a lot of time in Berlin when I was running the Royal Court Theater, working with a theater in Berlin. So it's a country that I know well, that for all its contradictions and shadows, always fascinates me. And Berlin has always seemed to be on the fault line of the 20th Century. And how that country has always, from generation to generation, and continues to -- (had) to struggle with the fact that they invented Auschwitz ...it's not just interesting, it's also important.

After hearing from a veteran who was disappointed with Clint Eastwood's white-washed Iwo Jima, Spike Lee decided to head into the realm of historical war movies back in June. The project: an adaptation of Walter McBride's novel, Miracle at St. Anna, which covers a "group of black soldiers caught between enemy lines who come upon a town of partisans -- Italians who fought against Mussolini's Fascists and their Nazi allies -- seeking to find a traitor in their midst." A month later, Italy was giving him a Master of Film Award, and all looked good on the film front.

Things are rarely smooth in the business of translating true stories to the big screen, and now The Hollywood Reporter has posted that a group of former partisan soldiers are ticked over how Lee is depicting it in the film. I'm not sure exactly what about the portrayal has the former soldiers so angry, I imagine it has something to do with the traitor hunt, but they've demanded that part of the film be removed or changed. In a statement, the soldiers say: "It is a false cinematic reconstruction of events that ignores the real story and will leave an inaccurate impression. The term 'cinematic license' should not mean that the truth can be ignored." If my assumption is right, that must be one hell of a traitor story to anger them this much. Or, they don't realize that true-story movies are all always angering people with their truth stretching.

Once he's finished producing Indiana Jones IV (still no official title, sigh), George Lucas will make a movie about the Tuskegee Airmen ... finally. Apparently, he's been talking about doing this since Howard the Duck (according to Harry Knowles' memory), and it was long assumed to be a dead project. While I don't remember anything from twenty years ago, I do recall Lucas and Rick McCallum mentioning this to IGN back in 2005. At the time, the movie, titled Red Tails, was expected to begin production within the year and the producers were meeting with Tuskegee vets. Two years later, Lucas has just now found his screenwriter: John Ridley. Apparently Ridley has written Spike Lee's L.A. Riots script, Lucas got his hands on a copy, and sees Ridley as the best fit to write about African-American pilots in World War II.

Personally, I'd have already pinned Ridley as perfect for the project by imagining a mix between the screenwriter's past work (Three Kings meets Undercover Brother? Yes!). However, it could be a little more serious than we're used to from him. After recently meeting with Tuskegee vets in Texas, he may want to give the survivors a respectable tribute. It may still be awhile before we get to see Red Tails, which will be overseen by Lucas but produced by McCallum and Charles Floyd Johnson (CBS' Navy NCIS), because Ridley is just getting started on his script. The writer also has his directorial debut in the works, an adaptation of James McManus' Positively Fifth Street. Although viewers have already seen the Tuskegee story in a 1995 made-for-HBO feature (The Tuskegee Airmen, starring Laurence Fishburne and Cuba Gooding, Jr.), Lucasfilm's movie sounds to be a lot bigger, with ILM doing the aerial fight sequences. As long as it doesn't look as cartoony as the WWI-set Flyboys, that could be appealing. Almost like the Star Wars space battles, but with planes!

Variety is reporting that two of Hollywood's palest and chilliest stars are joining forces for The Reader. Nicole Kidman and Ralph Fiennes will star in the romance, which is to be based on the international bestselling novel by German writer Bernhard Schlink. IMDb lists Anthony Minghella as director of the film, but it appears that information is inaccurate or has changed. Minghella will produce, along with Sydney Pollack and Scott Rudin. Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot) is now set to direct the movie, and David Hare will write the script. The project is something of a reunion of the team that worked on 2002's The Hours. Daldry directed that film, Hare wrote it, Rudin produced it, and it won Kidman a Best Actress Oscar.

The Reader is set in contemporary Germany, where "a man recounts the story of his erotic awakening in a covert love affair with an older woman in the wake of World War II." I assume Fiennes is playing the man recounting his story and Kidman is playing the older woman here? That might be tricky to pull off, considering Kidman is five years younger than Fiennes. And "erotic awakening?" I thought that term wasn't used outside of Cinemax plot descriptions. I must admit, I have a real problem getting into a lot of these period romance films, they all just sort of run together for me. I'm glad Minghella isn't at the wheel, though. Just writing that guy's name makes my eyelids heavy. The Reader was an Oprah's Book Club selection, and with her massive following, the film adaptation should have a built-in audience. Have any of our readers read The Reader? And can you say that three times fast? And what did you think of the book?

Earlier this month it was reported that Latino groups have been protesting Ken Burns' latest documentary mini-series. The PBS-funded production about WWII, titled The War, apparently ignored the half-million Hispanic soldiers who fought in the war. Well, the Latinos have won. PBS has hired Hispanic documentarian Hector Galan to assist Burns with a revision to the completed film that will now feature Latinos respectfully represented. Galan, who has directed many programs for PBS, most recently made the feature Los Lonely Boys: Cottonfields and Crossroads. He is currently working on a new film about Latin rhythms, which is now on hold until his work with Burns is completed.

Burns, who is one of the most celebrated documentary filmmakers, has to be somewhat upset about being mandated a helper, but of course he isn't displaying any frustration. Following the announcement of Galan's hiring, Burns told reporters that the revision is a win-win solution. Obviously, though, he lost a little bit in the agreement. Considering the 14-hour series took six years to produce, it could take all summer to introduce even a little bit about Hispanic soldiers. The duo will have to work fast if they want to finish in time for the scheduled premiere this September.

When it comes to being offended by perceived racism in movies, people can typically only complain. But when it comes to complaining about perceived racism in PBS-funded documentaries, people can go to Washington and expect something to be done about it. The latter is the case with a group of Latinos who are protesting Ken Burns' upcoming doc series The War. The series, which focuses on World War II, apparently features no mention of the Hispanic contribution to the war, and the American GI Forum, a Hispanic veterans group, is trying to get that changed. But Burns' film is not a comprehensive look at the war in the way his The Civil War or PBS' Vietnam: A Television History were. Instead it looks at WWII through the experiences of four American towns -- Waterbury, CT; Luverne, MN; Mobile, AL; and Sacramento, CA -- that perhaps had no Hispanic citizens or soldiers in them.

Because this is a PBS project, the U.S. government may be able to interfere. The American GI Forum is trying to get people to write in complaints to Congress, and last week the group's president met in Washington with other Latino leaders and the head of PBS. The public television organization is expected to make its official response next week. I guess that the most logical solution, if necessary, would be for Burns to add on a fifth town, possibly Corpus Christi, TX, that could feature stories from Latino vets. But then could any other excluded minority make a similar claim and be as justly accommodated? I wonder if Native Americans, for instance, are given ample exposure in Burns' doc. Heck, why not allow every town not chosen as the four featured to protest the injustice of being left out. How long would it take Burns to make a series that caters to every town in America? Surely longer than his 15-year contract with PBS would allow.

PBS has scored big -- they have solidified a 15-year contract with filmmaker Ken Burns. Ultimately, this is a lifetime contract since Burns is no young pup. For those who don't know, Ken Burns is a phenomenal documentary director and producer. He is the creator of the 1990's documentary The Civil War that won many awards including two Emmy's and a Peabody. The film was incredible; my father was a huge fan and I'm glad ... or else I probably wouldn't have seen it. Burns' connection to that period in America's history leads the audience to a fascinating comprehensive look throughout the 680-minute mini series.

Ken Burns decided to continue with his war theme and subsequently made another 14-hour documentary studying World War II. The film is another masterpiece; LA Times reports the PBS network chief Paula Kerger describing it as "his greatest work." And, said "great work" will be aired exclusively on PBS until 2022 when his contract ends.

Would you be content with only having one outlet for you work to be aired? It must have been a huge decision for Ken Burns to make, especially with a brand new documentary that just wrapped and is ready for viewing. PBS believes that Burns' dedication to public broadcasting is what helped him make his decision. To this, I truly applaud. The PBS mission statement is "to enrich the lives of all Americans through quality programs and education services that inform, inspire and delight." It has done just that since 1969.

Burns' World War II documentary will air on PBS this September.

Flags of Our Fathers, the newest film from Clint Eastwood, is a great demonstration of the fact that good intentions don't necessarily mean good moviemaking. James Bradley and Ron Powers' book told the story of the six men who made for one the most memorable human images of World War II -- the famous photo of the raising of the American flag at Iwo Jima -- and contrasted the battle for Mt. Suribachi with the hero-making that came after, as the three surviving soldiers were sent on a colossal bond drive to help finance the war effort. As John Slattery's natty, chatty Treasury man puts it to the servicemen, Marines Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford) and Ira Hayes (Adam Beach) and Navy Corpsman John 'Doc' Bradley (Ryan Phillippe), "You fought for a mountain in the Pacific; now you'll fight for a mountain of cash." War is hell, and so is selling it.

I'm as tired of "The Greatest Generation" hero worship as the next person who isn't Tom Brokaw, but that's not at the heart of why I was so unmoved by Flags of Our Fathers. The problem with this film is not the story of Iwo Jima; Bradley and Powers' book is fascinating and rich. It's not Eastwood's direction, which is as artistically stately and technically accomplished as you might hope. The problem with Flags of Our Fathers -- driven through every moment in the film as decisively and fatally as a stake through the heart -- is the scripting of Paul Haggis. Haggis adapted Million Dollar Baby for Eastwood and then went on to co-write and direct Crash. Haggis has never met a familiar cliché or a rousing 'big moment' he didn't like, and Flags of Our Fathers is dripping with them. As the three men appear at a bond rally in Chicago, flashbulbs lead to flashbacks; as the photo hits the press, newsboys sell papers that come hurled off the back of trucks in bundles; a mother, convinced that her son appears uncredited in the Iwo Jima photo, swats away the suggestion she's mistaken: "Oh, that's Harlon ... I changed his diapers. ..."