WWII and Hollywood?

Question

On several questions I have seen posts concerning how American's get their historical view of how America won WWII, saved Europe, England... defeated Germany... Some answers say these beliefs are from Hollywood making movies portraying Americans in the Savior role, even having movies made that show the US in battles that they were not in.

My question is: What movies, that are stated as historical (vs. a story like Saving Private Ryan, that just happens to be set in WWII) concerning which battles, did Hollywood make that would make others think that Americans get their view from Hollywood vs. a history book?

I've read history books, I've talked to WWII Veterans, and I've seen WWII movies. Movies are entertainment, not history. Some are historical, but its still a story.

I see the 'accusations' but I never see a reference. Anyone have one? I'm not saying there are or are not any, I'm just curious.

This question is in reference to those who believe that Hollywood has in some way shaped the history books into tricking American's thinking of how the war was fought and won. I realize the morale building implications, and I agree with them. I am looking for actual references from people who blame hollywood for Americans thinking of how the war was fought and won. I firmly believe that if it was not for American support before the war to England, Russia, China before 8 Dec 1944 (When the US Delcared war and officially entered WWII) that Germany and Japan would havedominated more of the world than they did. England especially, I believe would have fallen had it not been for US money, weapons, supplies and pilots that went over there to help protect the Islands.

I'm looking for references to people's claims that America did less than the history books state. That battles fought and deeds done were created by Hollywood and not actual occurences.

Answer 1

Ok some facts to start with.

1) Germany declared war on the USA the day after Pearl Harbor. The U.S did not declare war on Germany.
2) It was in 1941 not 1944
3) You talk about saving England by sending pilots. Presumably you mean the volunteers who formed the American Eagle Squadron. That was one Squadron in the whole Royal Air Force and even then was not completely American.

Most Brits love the americans, and are grateful for your involvement in WW2 as there is no doubt that we were in trouble due to the fact that we had a tiny and under equipped military as the result of years of peace campaigning.

But...

We do get very pissed off with the distorted view of history you guys have which have your sqaure jawed wisecracking hollywood hunks winning every battle with your helmets on at a jaunty angle whilst our undernourished and badly dressed soldiers sit with their pitch forks and and watch whilst our girls swoon and have their babies.....

We also have bitter "historians" like Steven Ambrose who have propogated the myth that Patton was a genius and Montgomery was an idiot.

The truth is very different and a lot more balanced.

In terms however of the distorted movies the first one that comes to mind was U571 which shows the U.S navy capturing the Enigma coding machine which led to the deciphering of German messages for the rest of the war. The truth was that it was a British submarine which captured the first Enigma machine, and the code was cracked at the famous Bletchly Park intelligence unit in Milton Keynes England. One of the crew lived in the next town to me.

Look at any film about D-Day and you would think that the Americans did it all. The facts were however that there were 5 beaches invaded simultaeneously that day on the 6th of June. 2 American, 2 British and 1 Canadian. Most of the ships and landing craft on all beaches were Royal Navy and British Merchant Navy and the very first soldiers to pout their feet on French soil were the British Paratroopers who advanced on Pegasus Bridge, capturing it intact and holding until relieved by Lovatts Commandos who landed at Sword beach.

The film Memphis Belle was orginally based on a script about a British Lancaster bomber but the film studios would not fionance a film which would not sell to an American audience to it was re-written around a B17.

There was also a famous propaganda film made during the war which showed Errol Flynn winning the war in Burma with his band of Americans almost single handed. This caused great offence to British 14th army troops when it was shown because not only had they never seen an American in the four years they had been fighting in the Burmese Jungle, but that Flynn was a renowned coward who had changed his nationality twice to escape having to fight in the war. (I do know that Merrills Marauders did play a part late in the fighting on the Burma China border as part of the nationalist chinese army).

Bridge over the River Kwai, showed an American officer hero who escaped from the camp and then blew the bridge up single handedly. In reality there were no American prisoners in that camp and the British and Australian soldiers who were forced to work on the bridge sabotaged it several times before eventually the RAF blew it up with bombs.

In the Great Escape Steve McQueen played an American flyer who was "Hilts the Cooler king" in a film which detailed the true escape of over 100 allied officers from a prisoner of war camp. The reality is that again there were no American prisoners in that camp and the McQueen character was based on a British flyer who was a serial escaper whose life has just been chronicled in magazines.

There is now a film being made of the Battle of Britain which was one of the greatest moments in British Military history where mainly young British men, in completely British made fighter aircraft defeated the huge German airforce whilst Britain had only 22 miles of sea between her and the most powerful army in thew world at the time. The film is about the American Eagle Squadron which played a tiny, but valued part.

I understand that Hollywood has to think about its largest audience and to sell films over there sometimes you have to make sure that the good guys are the Americans.

There are a whole list of recent hollywood blockbusters which are quite frankly total misrepresentations of historical fact. Braveheart (anti english rubbish), Titanic (apart from being a very poor film the film makers had to apologise to relatives of people depicted for misrepresentation), the Patriot and many others.

Americans can be very proud for the contribution they made to defeating Hitler and the leading role they played in defeating Japan, and they are the only country which came out of WW2 stronger and richer than at the start.

BUT.....for gods sake look beyond Hollywood, Steven Ambrose, and Tom Hanks for your history.

Answer 2

Hollywood has a tendency to portray events with their own flair; however, the movie The Longest Day was very accurate as was Tora, Tora, Tora. Other films like Saving Private Ryan took many liberties. The series We Were Brothers was also quite accurate. Of course Hollywood always put America as the savior but there was also realism in many of the Hollywood movies. Patton was mostly true but given the Hollywood touch. No doubt about it. America won the war in the Pacific almost by itself; however, the war in Africa and Europe was another matter. The Brits, Poles, French and Russians did a wonderful job in defeating the Germans. The Russians who took a bad beating from the Germans at first, turned things around and beat the Germans back to Berlin and then beat the heck out of them....but the Russian loses were extremely high. I don't believe that Hollywood made a movie about Russia's fight in the war. Americans like to watch Americans win so they can go Rah, Rah as they watch the movie.

Answer 3

Would you have the film industry portray the USA as the enemy in war movies?
After the Pearl Harbor attack morale was low, the country needed what The Question
seems to be suggesting is 'propaganda' so we can forgive Hollywood for giving the audience hope, pride, etc.
All our allies during The War witnessed, first-hand, the actual horrors of war; that is: the civilian population right at home: The Battle of Britain-buzz bombs,v2 rockets, carpet bombings. All over Europe - same devastation and Japan's homeland.
The US civilian population was spared that horror. So maybe we needed the Hollywood touch to bring the war 'home' for us.
The thought occurs, too, that just possibly that is why we seem jingoistic at times to our former WWII allies who experienced those horrors right at home!
Please excuse my use of this soap box. I promise not to use it like this again.(I can hear you now, saying, "promises, "promises"!)

Answer 4

Well there has been a number of "Propaganda" movies like Tora, Tora, Tora, Battle for Britain, Paton and one or two abot the d day (normandy). More reacently you have seen american heores in Pearl Harbour. Also worth meantion is 1941 and The final countdown. plus a lot others who i dont remember.

Answer 5

its basically true so was the Sullivan's those where people who lost most or all of there oldest serving sons. The navy has the Sullivan act since then. how ever both my cousins served in Nam at the same time. one the Army and one the navy when they figured it out they gave my aunt a special flag to hang on her font door. Its the same with cow boy movies i guess or westerns

Answer 6

Actually considering hollywood world war 2 movies..i have always wondered why a green US soldier can shoot 10 japanese at far distance without reloading..yet a japanese can't hit any..lol

Seems more entertainment than anything.