Documentary Description
The American Army’s intrusion in Hollywood war films may surprise
some. In fact, the U.S. Army secret services have had close ties with
American filmmakers for several decades. The movie Top Gun, for
instance, was filmed with the support and approval of the U.S. Army.
There is even a special bureau, the Film Liaison Office, that oversees
these issues for the Pentagon and the Capitol. It has a clear mission:
studying the scripts of American war movies, deciding whether to offer
them support or not, depending on their interest for the country’s
military leaders.
Scripts are cut and sometimes watered down.
Characters are changed and historical truth, sometimes fudged. One
director might be loaned combat jets and ships, and all their
equipment, enabling him to shoot the scenes written by his
scriptwriters. Another director, whose script displeases the army, may
be refused any kind of support. That was the case for the film Platoon,
deemed overly critical of the Vietnam War. It is then up to the
producers to look for shooting locations and equipment outside the
United States. Often, at considerable cost.
In his Pentagon office, the head of the Film Liaison Office makes no
secret of his goals. He wants to encourage films which flatter the U.S.
Army, win support for its actions on the battle field, and encourage
more soldiers to sign up. In short: pure propaganda. Few great war
films have escaped the influence, or even the censure, of the U.S. Army.
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