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Dam Busters remake; Historical accuracy vs. PC
Topic Started: Jan 18 2006, 08:54 PM (227 Views)
Cobdenia
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The Thinking Woman's Crumpet
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Will historical accuracy triumph over political correctness? Unlikely

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Recently, the veteran interviewer Sir David Frost has purchased the rights of the classic 1954 British war film “The Dam Busters”. While there is a tendency to decry remakes amongst the public, especially when it comes to remakes of British films, I welcome this decision as I feel that it would give a whole new generation an insight into the supreme courage performed by the gallant airmen who participated in the raids against the Moehne, Eder and the Sorpe dams, code named “Operation Chastise” as well as celebrating Barnes-Wallis’ ingenuity and persistence (assuming, that is, they don’t do a “U-571” and replace the Royal Air Force airmen with those of the United States Army Air Force!).

However, I have one overriding fear for this remake, and that is that it will almost certainly suffer from the unstoppable plague that continues to sweep across this isle: Political Correctness. After all, in the original movie, the books, and in real life, Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC, DSO, DFC, RAF, the officer in charge of Operation Chastise, was the proud owner of a black Labrador dog, who plays an important role in the original film and for whom the code word for successful completion of Operation Chastise was named, with a name seemingly designed to provoke ire in those on the left: "Nigger".

Now, one has to remember that this was his dog, and not a person, and as such I feel that this is in no way racist, or at least not intended to be, and I doubt any thinking person would ever dream of calling Wing Commander Gibson (who was born in India) a racist. Yet, because the term is so popularly decried in the modern world (and, I hasten to add, rightly so), it seems there is a belief nowadays that we need to transfer this modern, more enlightened, way of thinking to a more innocent era. I for one feel this notion is wholly inappropriate.

Unfortunately, Sir David seems to be of the view that the name of the Labrador needs to be changed at the expense of historical accuracy. He is quoted in one newspaper as saying, “We've not yet decided to do about the dog... Perhaps your readers could suggest a new name!” As this quote appeared in the Guardian, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the dog is renamed “Trotsky”!



Thoughts?
Norbert

But my name is Steve!

No no no, it's spelled, "Steve," but it's pronounced, "Norbert ".

You Lie!

It's Mr June

Rejection

Wait, so now my name is Norbert June?
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Gruenberg
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What a pile of crap.

(That said, an acceptable solution would be just not to make the film in the first place.)

EDIT: My objection, I should probably make, clear, is to those nervous about the use of the word. It's a film about us blowing the shit out of thousands of civilians...and that's what they're worried about?
[size0]Everything that can be done visibly in this world can be done by demons.

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TBlack
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It's just something that's not acceptable today. And I don't think it should be. I'm not going to take a marker to my Poe or Waugh books but if I was to adapt them (please NED, one day) for television I wouldn't leave it in. And that's all this is. An adaptation of history.

As long as they don't claim to be accurate.
"You would think it obvious to anyone, with a grain of intelligence, that there are far too many people born in England."
.:I'm melting!: http://alwaysautumn.etsy.com :.
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Cobdenia
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Yes, but if you are making a film about a real life event, people expect it or assume it to be accurate. The name of a dog may seem like a little thing to worry about, but in the story it is pretty central. Niggers death is taken by Gibson to be an omen, and expected that he wouldn't survive. It also was an important code word (which has become pretty famous).

PS. One of the reasons why this story was made was because it was probably the only story of bomber pilots where they didn't kill thousands of civilians. They hit a manufacturing area (which the Germans seperated from their residential areas, unlike the Japanese) at night, when they were largely unoccupied.
Norbert

But my name is Steve!

No no no, it's spelled, "Steve," but it's pronounced, "Norbert ".

You Lie!

It's Mr June

Rejection

Wait, so now my name is Norbert June?
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Gruenberg
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Hmm...not sure I really buy it as being essential to the plot line. But I don't think that's a reason not to use it.
[size0]Everything that can be done visibly in this world can be done by demons.

For an organisation that likes to think of itself as elite, [UNOG] doesn't have the highest of standards when it comes to membership. -- Cluichstan
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TBlack
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Cobdenia,Jan 18 2006
09:09 PM
Yes, but if you are making a film about a real life event, people expect it or assume it to be accurate.

Not the fault of the film maker. It's often necessary to edit storeys, for taste and decency, political reasons, to make it interesting. People should be aware of this and critical of it.
"You would think it obvious to anyone, with a grain of intelligence, that there are far too many people born in England."
.:I'm melting!: http://alwaysautumn.etsy.com :.
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TBlack
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The baby killer
Grumpy Old Men
Cobdenia,Jan 18 2006
09:09 PM
PS. One of the reasons why this story was made was because it was probably the only story of bomber pilots where they didn't kill thousands of civilians. They hit a manufacturing area (which the Germans seperated from their residential areas, unlike the Japanese) at night, when they were largely unoccupied.

Yes, it is often more rallying when it is sanitary.
"You would think it obvious to anyone, with a grain of intelligence, that there are far too many people born in England."
.:I'm melting!: http://alwaysautumn.etsy.com :.
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Fonzoland
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Yeah, I guess I am one of those who always decries remakes. (Not to be confused with different films based on the same book.) I cannot remember any remake that added something to the original.

Having said that, I couldn't care less about historical accuracy or PC when seeing a movie, I just care about how well the story is told. Even something with a heavy political agenda behind can be a good movie. I love Battleship Potemkin, that doesn't make me a communist. :unsure: (does it?)
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I met God the other day, but all I got was this lousy quote:
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Cluichstan
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Wah-wah, boo-hoo. It's a word. Get over it. Words don't hurt people. Bombs do.
Bite me.
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Fonzoland
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Cluichstan,Jan 18 2006
09:26 PM
Wah-wah, boo-hoo. It's a word. Get over it. Words don't hurt people. Bombs do.

Bombs don't hurt people. Words ordering pilots to drop bombs do. :P
Posted ImagePosted Image
I met God the other day, but all I got was this lousy quote:
"He's too feminine for his shirt...too feminine for his shirt...oh so feminine it hurts..."
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Gruenberg
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Words ordering pilots don't hurt people. People [who say the words to the pilots] hurt people.
[size0]Everything that can be done visibly in this world can be done by demons.

For an organisation that likes to think of itself as elite, [UNOG] doesn't have the highest of standards when it comes to membership. -- Cluichstan
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Cluichstan
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Smartasses :P
Bite me.
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Cobdenia
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Bombs don't hurt people. The huge explosion that follows their detonation does.
Norbert

But my name is Steve!

No no no, it's spelled, "Steve," but it's pronounced, "Norbert ".

You Lie!

It's Mr June

Rejection

Wait, so now my name is Norbert June?
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Cobdenia
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The Thinking Woman's Crumpet
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TBlack,Jan 18 2006
09:15 PM
Cobdenia,Jan 18 2006
09:09 PM
PS. One of the reasons why this story was made was because it was probably the only story of bomber pilots where they didn't kill thousands of civilians. They hit a manufacturing area (which the Germans seperated from their residential areas, unlike the Japanese) at night, when they were largely unoccupied.

Yes, it is often more rallying when it is sanitary.

Like when they rename dogs? :P
Norbert

But my name is Steve!

No no no, it's spelled, "Steve," but it's pronounced, "Norbert ".

You Lie!

It's Mr June

Rejection

Wait, so now my name is Norbert June?
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TBlack
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The baby killer
Grumpy Old Men
that and not googleing 'napalm' and 'gulf war'
"You would think it obvious to anyone, with a grain of intelligence, that there are far too many people born in England."
.:I'm melting!: http://alwaysautumn.etsy.com :.
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