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Let me be honest with you. My wife absolutely hates war movies. She would rather mop the kitchen floor on hands and knees than watch a war movie. And, don't get her started about The History Channel. Conversely, I would rather have a digital prostrate examination than watch AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER one more time on the American Movie Channel. So much for personal taste. However, these situations do lead me into my discussion for this month. Why do some people hate war movies?
For simplicity, I would put viewers into four categories; viewers who watch anything war, anytime, viewers who watch only "intellectually stimulating" war movies, viewers who watch "correct" war movies but still whine about the inaccuracies, and viewers who do NOT watch anything to do with the military. Yes, I know that women particularly will watch through a war movie if there is a romance but they watch the romance not the war so I am putting them in the fourth category. Let's face it folks, for the motion picture industry war is a means of printing money. Even if the bad, early reviews of PEARL HARBOR are true, is that going to keep people away? (Note: This article was started before the release of PEARL HARBOR.) No way. Even the most inept, insipid, inaccurate war movies get their viewers. Even HANOVER STREET (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0079268) had its viewers. Contrary to what the major studios tell you in their press releases, not one movie produced by a major has ever lost money. Now, back to my question. Why do some people hate war movies? We can leave out the first category. These guys, mostly guys, will watch anything war. They don't care if it's humans fighting aliens. If it has people shooting at each other and there are uniforms, they watch it. You know who you are. The intellectual types fall into the second category. That's for those individuals who will not view a war movie with prurient interests. They would not watch any of the DELTA FORCE series or the MISSING IN ACTION series. Only military movies with a "human" element are permitted. For example, DAS BOOT and PLATOON might be seen but not FIRST BLOOD (Rambo). The third category are for the "history techno geeks." Who cares about story? The movie has to accurate dammit. Even then, I'm going to whine about the bail hooks on the helmets and the color of the letters on the one truck seen in one three frame segment. For these guys, again usually guys, I recommend THE CROSS OF IRON and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN but not O.S.S. and certainly not GARRISON'S GUERILLAS.
The copyright of the article Why Do Some People Hate War Movies? in Military Movies is owned by John Lovett. Permission to republish Why Do Some People Hate War Movies? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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