How the Pentagon rewrote the film 'GoldenEye' to include a Canadian adm

[Sailing Instructor]

Found this article in the National Post regarding a part of the book Operation Hollywood: how the Pentagon shapes and censors the movies:

How GoldenEye's fall guy became a Canadian
The Pentagon's intervention led the producers of the 1995 James Bond movie GoldenEye to make the dupe of the story a Canadian admiral rather than an American one, according to a new book about how the U.S. military exerts control over Hollywood film scripts.

Okay, that's all I can copy from the website so I'll paraphrase the article I read in the hard copy.

There is a scene in which the femme fatale, Xenia Onatopp (played by Famke Janssen), kills a Canadian admiral in order to gain access to a French frigate.   The script originally called for Xenia to kill a USN admiral but it also called for the use of 50 US marines & their helicopters.   To get the cooperation of the USMC, they had to change the admiral to a foreign one.

So they tried a French admiral.   Hold on, the producers also wanted use of the French frigate (& a guard & band if I recall correctly) so sorry, can't have the French admiral getting crushed between Xenia's legs.  

But Canada had no stake in the film, we weren't contributing anything at all, so they made Adm Farrel a Canadian.  

Operation Hollywood reproduced a letter from the Pentagon's public affairs specialist, Mr Phil Strub to executive producer Tom Pvesner: "We appreciate your changing the identity of the US admiral to a foreign officer."

Of course, they may have made, I believe, a mistake in that Farrel is identified (the viewers of GoldenEye see his ID card) as an 'Admiral.'   Was our CDS an admiral in 1995?

 

[aesop081]

Of course, they may have made, I believe, a mistake in that Farrel is identified (the viewers of GoldenEye see his ID card) as an 'Admiral.'   Was our CDS an admiral in 1995?

What are you talking about ??? Movie producers never make mistakes when it comes to military things right ???? ( use sarcastic voice)

 

[Goober]

This is nothing new. You don't bite the hand the feeds you.

 

[Sailing Instructor]

This is nothing new. You don't bite the hand the feeds you.

True.  Actually, just to clarify my reason for posting: I wasn't trying to prove that horreur the Pentagon influences films but just that it had influenced this particular instance.  I'm a James Bond fan, you see, so I thought this was interesting. 

There is a tradition of Canada helping out James Bond villains:  In Fleming's book Thunderball Ernst Stavro Blofeld, head of SPECTRE, helped to disguise his past by using a Canadian navy or merchant marine document or something. 

PS.  The National Post article has a teaser on the front of the arts & life section that reads: 'Spies like us: How the Pentagon put a Canadian general in 007's GoldenEye' which is yet another example of our screwed up media.  'General'...bah!

 

[Dogboy]

their was a documentary on the CBC about this last month I believe.
it went in to detail on how the US armed forces have a hole office, who's job it is to help Production companies in TV and Moves, and say what should be on TV and Moves.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

their was a documentary on the CBC about this last month I believe.
it went in to detail on how the US armed forces have a hole office, who's job it is to help Production companies in TV and Moves, and say what should be on TV and Moves.

You used the wrong "whole (office)" grammatically speaking, however, I do believe your original connotation speaks volumes so much better

 

[Baloo]

Coppola wanted to use US Army Hueys and assorted other equipment in Apocalypse Now.

Denied because of the nature of the film, in association with how the military wanted to be viewed, and take out the assassination mission.

Coppola refused, thus had to go to the Phillipines, or Indonesia (correct me if I'm wrong) for the materials.

They unfortunately were in the middle of a insurgency, so the choppers had to keep leaving filming to go aid the battles.

The overall cost of the production skyrocketed as a result.


The more you know...

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Spain also had a department, run by a colonel I believe, in charge of co-operation with film companies in the late 1960s.  Lots of movies filmed there, and of course they were still using some vintage vehicles and equipment.  Patton and Battle of the Bulge are two films that come to mind.  It's not really that unusual; the military is a natural subject of interest for film-makers.

The DND co-operated with the filming of PEACEKEEPER.  A lot of actual UN vets on this board have derided the movie, but it rather controversially dealt with some issues like manpower shortages, suicides among service personnel, lacklustre NCOs, and yet DND bravely gave its support anyway.  Credit where credit is due, even Peter Worthington was impressed with DND's gonads in that case, and said so in his newspaper review of the movie.

 

[aesop081]

Coppola wanted to use US Army Hueys and assorted other equipment in Apocalypse Now.

Denied because of the nature of the film, in association with how the military wanted to be viewed, and take out the assassination mission.

Coppola refused, thus had to go to the Phillipines, or Indonesia (correct me if I'm wrong) for the materials.

They unfortunately were in the middle of a insurgency, so the choppers had to keep leaving filming to go aid the battles.

The overall cost of the production skyrocketed as a result.


The more you know...

You were correct, it was the phillipines !!

 

[Sailing Instructor]

PEACEKEEPER...controversially dealt with some issues like manpower shortages, suicides among service personnel, lacklustre NCOs, and yet DND bravely gave its support anyway.   Credit where credit is due, even Peter Worthington was impressed with DND's gonads in that case, and said so in his newspaper review of the movie.

I remember one of the interviewees (obviously not from the Pentagon) in the Passionate Eye film about Operation Hollywood said if the Pentagon were to support an anti-war film, that would prove they had self-confidence, or strong morals, or something like that.  You might say that DND's support for Peacekeeper would prove this for Canada.  Though I actually haven't seen the film yet.

 

[Fusaki]

Has anyone ever watched the special features in the Blackhawk Down DVD?

The US Army provided helicopters and pilots from the 160th SOAR, a platoon of Rangers, a short "boot camp" for the actors to help them get their roles, as well as equipment and other things. They said that never before has the US military played such a huge part in producing a movie.

 

[MikeM]

Yeah that was pretty interesting, although even though the actors took the training, it was still the rangers that did the majority of the "tough" scenes such as the fast-roping from the BH.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Just saw a review of HOTEL RWANDA- Nick Nolte is in it in Canadian UN uniform has a lieutenant colonel in Rwanda (I think that is his rank, my TV reception aint great...)

 

[Maritime_Matt]

It's kind of interesting- Ian Flemming (creator of James Bond) worked for British intelligence during WWII- part of his duties required working with a Canadian- William Stephensen- who was the head of British Intelligence (covertly) in the US prior to Pearl Harbour- the character of James Bond was said to be based largely upon this "Quiet Canadian"

 

[rw4th]

I don't find anything insidous about this. If you want my stuff, then you'll have to listen to my input; it's an age old game.

Besides, I'd pay money to have Famke Janssen wrap her legs around my head  ;D

 

[Sailing Instructor]

It's kind of interesting- Ian Flemming (creator of James Bond) worked for British intelligence during WWII- part of his duties required working with a Canadian- William Stephensen- who was the head of British Intelligence (covertly) in the US prior to Pearl Harbour- the character of James Bond was said to be based largely upon this "Quiet Canadian"

Sorry to pop the bubble about Cdr Bond being based on a Canadian, but nearly every spy, sapper, & sailor in ww2 has been identified as the basis for the Bond character.  Not to say none of it is true, but undoubtedly Fleming based his character on more than one person.  Fleming himself & Stephenson were 2 definite contributors to Bond, though. 

 

[Johnny_H]

Excuse my profanity but that is one of the "Hardest" deaths I have seen on film.
he went as I suppose any of us would like to, Ill quote Gunnery Sgt. Heartmen from Full Metal jacket

"Jesus H Christ I think you have a hard on"

now this wasn't my most intelligent post, so don't flame me for it, I was just having a Lil fun.

 

[Ghost]

Is peacekeeper that movie where the lieutenant calls himself the king of (where ever the hell they are) and his girlfriend is that translator chick who hates him at first and one of the canadians gets killed by stepping on a mine chasing down the rebel kingpin guy as he runs for his mercedes and then the tank rolls in and saves the day and one guy stays behind because he really likes the dog they found.  Oh yeah they get that old fat guy to turn on the power and a sniper kills him as he drives out of the town on a tractor.

That was a really lame movie.

 

[Johnny_H]

^ LOL agree'd it was pretty bad.

 

[Acorn]

Sorry to pop the bubble about Cdr Bond being based on a Canadian, but nearly every spy, sapper, & sailor in ww2 has been identified as the basis for the Bond character.   Not to say none of it is true, but undoubtedly Fleming based his character on more than one person.   Fleming himself & Stephenson were 2 definite contributors to Bond, though.  

Stephenson's role in WWII was primarily one of liaison with the US intelligence services, particularly Donovan's OSS once it stood up. Any claims of similarity to the likes of Bond are seriously flawed. "Intrepid" wasn't a field agent, and was appointed by Churchill because of his extensive business contacts in the Americas.

Acorn