WRITERS’ STRIKE Day 3 PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES: An important movie to rent or rerun on TV NOW or it will be rerun in IRAN
WRITERS’ STRIKE Day 3 PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES: An important movie to rent or rerun on TV NOW or it will be rerun in IRAN
By Kevin A. Stoda
Suggestion #3: WRONG IS RIGHT (1982) I NEVER FORGOT IT
Well, I as I indicated earlier this week, the WRITERS’ STRIKE is a great time to either:
(1) Stop wars—like the one brewing with Iran—,
(2) Make America a more environmentally safer place to be living and raising children in, or
(3) Help new progressive candidates clear the House, Senate and Presidency in 2008.
Alternatively, one should go out and order a copy of the classic (1982) film, WRONG IS RIGHT ,by Richard Brooks.
I had seen the movie in February the year it came out during the Reagan Era domination of U.S. Politics and Memory. It was a cynical comedy that has left as much an impression on progressives of my generation as did the film, Dr. Strangelove, two decades earlier.
I had taken my dad and brother to the Sean Connery film after hearing it being discussed in Wichita, Kansas on the local radio stations. It is likely the most important film—in terms of technological change & ethics and awareness-building (educationally speaking)—than any other film Sean Connery was ever involved in.
A very short synapses of the film, WRONG IS RIGHT , states:
“Only Patrick Hale (Connery) can prevent a desperate president, the head of the CIA, a trigger happy general, terrorists, an arms dealer, and religious fanatics from destroying our world, But he has other things on his mind.”
When the movie WAG THE DOG came out more than 15 years later, that film simply expanded on the earlier theme of a government usage of media and technology to manipulate the U.S. public on behalf of a particular U.S. president—i.e. as already portrayed in Brooks’ cleverly written WRONG IS RIGHT .
Almost as soon as I learned in August 2002 from a DEMOCRACY NOW radio report that Bush & Cheney were planning an all out media manipulation of Americans and American leaders—leading to bombing-to-hell out of an Arab country: Iraq--, I began trying to come up with a copy of the film, WRONG IS RIGHT .
At the time, I could not find the film, video or DVD of Brooks’ important film. It was like someone had bought up and hidden away all copies in America of WRONG IS RIGHT .
This is because the end of the film shows an Arab leader holding up a nuclear weapon in a suitcase. That weapon was actually given that Arab fanatic only a few hours prior to this final scene by U.S. political intriguers. However, in this final scene, viewers discover that that the politically ruthless U.S. President uses this Arab’s possession of the WMD as an excuse to declare war and to bomb the hell-out-of the Arab leader and his country (simply in order to get the U.S. President reelected).
Worse still, the director and writer of the film, Brooks, makes it very clear that that fanatic Arab leader never had the intention of using the weapon. He only wanted the weapon as leverage against the U.S.
As bombs rain down on the frazzled Arab leader, he looks up and seems to be shouting at the distant American leadership phrases like, “I am not really as crazy as you.”
“I would never actually use a nuke even if I had one.”
“I’d only ever threaten to use it as brinkmanship!”
In short, the movie, WRONG IS RIGHT , seems to claim that the American Leadership is the crazy one who actually uses WMDs, i.e, the supposedly crazy and out-of-control Arab leader appears to be pointing the finger back to America, Americans, and American leaders and shouting in dismay, “You are the crazy ones—chancing getting into a nuclear war by lobbing missiles at me!!!”
SECOND IRAQ WAR 2003-?
Quite likely had our generation of Americans been asked by their history professors (1) to critically review films from the Cold War era, like Rambo, and (2) to learn how their parents were manipulated to finance and support (with blood of kin and neighbors) the most expensive wars in world history, I am fairly certain that BUSH-CHENEY could not have pulled of the war-mongering they have now undertaken so skillfully (and deceitfully) in this decade.
Alas, Americans have generally been taught the wrong things about the Reagan-Bush (Sr.) Era. Too many youth were told lies like: (a) America won the Cold War or that (b) Capitalism won the war.
No!
The fact was that the West simply knew how to advertise better and to manipulate the media better in both East and West.
These media specialists and political propagandists marketed the costly Arms Race as a Winning Deal for the West and its military industries.
These opinion-makers claimed that the
Free Market= Democracy
and that an idealized free market wins over dictatorships.
They never used phrases like, “Spin won the Cold War.”
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE COLD WAR
The media leaders and historians should have stated: After (1) the stock market collapse in 1987 and the after (2) Reagan & Gorbechev finally agreed to stop the arms race in the late 1980s, the Cold War came to an end.
As far as media goes, the End-of-History propaganda of the 1980s and 1990s completely neglected good analyses of the Cold War for over a decade after the Soviet Union had disappeared.
By then the damage was done.
Americans were brainwashed into thinking that bombs plus democracy equaled victory. (Doesn’t that phrase from APOCOLYPSE NOW come to mind, “Ahhh Napalm!!.... The smell of victory.”)
In such contexts, classic movies like WRONG IS RIGHT , disappeared totally from the radar of American film memory.
Apparently, around 2004, Americans began finally to review the film again.
Below is an excellent review of the film, WRONG IS RIGHT , by Derrick Lyle —with the one problem in Lyle’s narration being that the author thought the 1982 movie was “science fiction” at the time.
As I indicated above, it was not science-fiction. It was satire and described the world of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s as well as it describes 2003-2007.
In short, in 1982 the film WRONG IS RIGHT was, indeed, partially prophetic but mostly it was analytic of the existing news media I had grown up with.
So, if you have never seen the film or have forgotten about it, get hold of a copy this 2007 before the Writers’ Strike ends and demand it be shown over and over again on TV. Maybe we can stop further wars in 2008!
DERRICK LYLE’S COMMENTS
Here is a 90% accurate positive review of the film that should wet your appetite:
“I agree with the positive reviews others have posted. I won't spoil anything for those who have not seen it, but the film is disturbingly accurate to the reality of the past few years (circa 2004). Wrong Is Right is a black comedy and an excellent work of science fiction. The credit goes to Richard Brooks as well as original author Charles McCarry. Based on McCarry's 1979 novel 'The Better Angels', Wrong Is Right takes a comedic twist, and touches on topics few could have easily digested during the Reagan Presidency of 1982.”
“The plot revolves around globetrotting news-hound Patrick Hale (Sean Connery), who uncovers a major international crisis, and must contend with a sinister President, the CIA, and international terrorists. The original intent of director Richard Brooks was to illustrate how technology could bring TV news closer to the truth, and exploit it for ratings. Taking essential cues from the novel, Mr. Brooks leads the viewer into a hazy world in which technology and television manipulate reality for personal gains. The movie accurately predicts the rise of cable and satellite TV. It nails the what-ifs of a media outlet (Fox Broadcasting/Fox News Channel come to mind). And it's an early look at how computers and modern technology affect society. The big clincher is that the movie literally provides a twisted take on the Bush Administration - I kid you not.”
“Remember, this movie was made during the Cold War. No one worried about America fighting anyone else but the Soviet Union. Cable television, while gaining steam, was nowhere near as engrossing or developed as it is today. And no one in America cared about suicide bombers. Do yourself a favor and rent or purchase the video/DVD. Enjoy the movie for the spectacle it is. And realize what was science fiction years before is now a freakish parody of today.”
“The acting, the pacing, and the writing are good to great, considering the topic. It gets funnier as the film finishes. Just remember, the cast and crew were on eggshells, as the film itself is groundbreaking. It is a political satire predating its subject matter. And for another generation, it becomes far more familiar and timely than Dr. Strangelove.”
–Derrick Lyle (2004) Internet Movie Database
NOTES
Stoda, Kevin, “WRITERS’ STRIKE PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES: Think! Instead of Watching Reruns—Change the World: Day 1”
http://the-teacher.blogspot.com/2007/11/writers-strike-provides-opportunities.html
Stoda, Kevin, “WRITERS' STRIKE PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES: Think! Instead of Watching Reruns-Change the World: Day 2” http://www.opednews.com/articles/life_a_alone_071106_writers__strike_prov.htm
WHEN RIGHT IS WRONG (1982), http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084920/
By Kevin A. Stoda
Suggestion #3: WRONG IS RIGHT (1982) I NEVER FORGOT IT
Well, I as I indicated earlier this week, the WRITERS’ STRIKE is a great time to either:
(1) Stop wars—like the one brewing with Iran—,
(2) Make America a more environmentally safer place to be living and raising children in, or
(3) Help new progressive candidates clear the House, Senate and Presidency in 2008.
Alternatively, one should go out and order a copy of the classic (1982) film, WRONG IS RIGHT ,by Richard Brooks.
I had seen the movie in February the year it came out during the Reagan Era domination of U.S. Politics and Memory. It was a cynical comedy that has left as much an impression on progressives of my generation as did the film, Dr. Strangelove, two decades earlier.
I had taken my dad and brother to the Sean Connery film after hearing it being discussed in Wichita, Kansas on the local radio stations. It is likely the most important film—in terms of technological change & ethics and awareness-building (educationally speaking)—than any other film Sean Connery was ever involved in.
A very short synapses of the film, WRONG IS RIGHT , states:
“Only Patrick Hale (Connery) can prevent a desperate president, the head of the CIA, a trigger happy general, terrorists, an arms dealer, and religious fanatics from destroying our world, But he has other things on his mind.”
When the movie WAG THE DOG came out more than 15 years later, that film simply expanded on the earlier theme of a government usage of media and technology to manipulate the U.S. public on behalf of a particular U.S. president—i.e. as already portrayed in Brooks’ cleverly written WRONG IS RIGHT .
Almost as soon as I learned in August 2002 from a DEMOCRACY NOW radio report that Bush & Cheney were planning an all out media manipulation of Americans and American leaders—leading to bombing-to-hell out of an Arab country: Iraq--, I began trying to come up with a copy of the film, WRONG IS RIGHT .
At the time, I could not find the film, video or DVD of Brooks’ important film. It was like someone had bought up and hidden away all copies in America of WRONG IS RIGHT .
This is because the end of the film shows an Arab leader holding up a nuclear weapon in a suitcase. That weapon was actually given that Arab fanatic only a few hours prior to this final scene by U.S. political intriguers. However, in this final scene, viewers discover that that the politically ruthless U.S. President uses this Arab’s possession of the WMD as an excuse to declare war and to bomb the hell-out-of the Arab leader and his country (simply in order to get the U.S. President reelected).
Worse still, the director and writer of the film, Brooks, makes it very clear that that fanatic Arab leader never had the intention of using the weapon. He only wanted the weapon as leverage against the U.S.
As bombs rain down on the frazzled Arab leader, he looks up and seems to be shouting at the distant American leadership phrases like, “I am not really as crazy as you.”
“I would never actually use a nuke even if I had one.”
“I’d only ever threaten to use it as brinkmanship!”
In short, the movie, WRONG IS RIGHT , seems to claim that the American Leadership is the crazy one who actually uses WMDs, i.e, the supposedly crazy and out-of-control Arab leader appears to be pointing the finger back to America, Americans, and American leaders and shouting in dismay, “You are the crazy ones—chancing getting into a nuclear war by lobbing missiles at me!!!”
SECOND IRAQ WAR 2003-?
Quite likely had our generation of Americans been asked by their history professors (1) to critically review films from the Cold War era, like Rambo, and (2) to learn how their parents were manipulated to finance and support (with blood of kin and neighbors) the most expensive wars in world history, I am fairly certain that BUSH-CHENEY could not have pulled of the war-mongering they have now undertaken so skillfully (and deceitfully) in this decade.
Alas, Americans have generally been taught the wrong things about the Reagan-Bush (Sr.) Era. Too many youth were told lies like: (a) America won the Cold War or that (b) Capitalism won the war.
No!
The fact was that the West simply knew how to advertise better and to manipulate the media better in both East and West.
These media specialists and political propagandists marketed the costly Arms Race as a Winning Deal for the West and its military industries.
These opinion-makers claimed that the
Free Market= Democracy
and that an idealized free market wins over dictatorships.
They never used phrases like, “Spin won the Cold War.”
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE COLD WAR
The media leaders and historians should have stated: After (1) the stock market collapse in 1987 and the after (2) Reagan & Gorbechev finally agreed to stop the arms race in the late 1980s, the Cold War came to an end.
As far as media goes, the End-of-History propaganda of the 1980s and 1990s completely neglected good analyses of the Cold War for over a decade after the Soviet Union had disappeared.
By then the damage was done.
Americans were brainwashed into thinking that bombs plus democracy equaled victory. (Doesn’t that phrase from APOCOLYPSE NOW come to mind, “Ahhh Napalm!!.... The smell of victory.”)
In such contexts, classic movies like WRONG IS RIGHT , disappeared totally from the radar of American film memory.
Apparently, around 2004, Americans began finally to review the film again.
Below is an excellent review of the film, WRONG IS RIGHT , by Derrick Lyle —with the one problem in Lyle’s narration being that the author thought the 1982 movie was “science fiction” at the time.
As I indicated above, it was not science-fiction. It was satire and described the world of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s as well as it describes 2003-2007.
In short, in 1982 the film WRONG IS RIGHT was, indeed, partially prophetic but mostly it was analytic of the existing news media I had grown up with.
So, if you have never seen the film or have forgotten about it, get hold of a copy this 2007 before the Writers’ Strike ends and demand it be shown over and over again on TV. Maybe we can stop further wars in 2008!
DERRICK LYLE’S COMMENTS
Here is a 90% accurate positive review of the film that should wet your appetite:
“I agree with the positive reviews others have posted. I won't spoil anything for those who have not seen it, but the film is disturbingly accurate to the reality of the past few years (circa 2004). Wrong Is Right is a black comedy and an excellent work of science fiction. The credit goes to Richard Brooks as well as original author Charles McCarry. Based on McCarry's 1979 novel 'The Better Angels', Wrong Is Right takes a comedic twist, and touches on topics few could have easily digested during the Reagan Presidency of 1982.”
“The plot revolves around globetrotting news-hound Patrick Hale (Sean Connery), who uncovers a major international crisis, and must contend with a sinister President, the CIA, and international terrorists. The original intent of director Richard Brooks was to illustrate how technology could bring TV news closer to the truth, and exploit it for ratings. Taking essential cues from the novel, Mr. Brooks leads the viewer into a hazy world in which technology and television manipulate reality for personal gains. The movie accurately predicts the rise of cable and satellite TV. It nails the what-ifs of a media outlet (Fox Broadcasting/Fox News Channel come to mind). And it's an early look at how computers and modern technology affect society. The big clincher is that the movie literally provides a twisted take on the Bush Administration - I kid you not.”
“Remember, this movie was made during the Cold War. No one worried about America fighting anyone else but the Soviet Union. Cable television, while gaining steam, was nowhere near as engrossing or developed as it is today. And no one in America cared about suicide bombers. Do yourself a favor and rent or purchase the video/DVD. Enjoy the movie for the spectacle it is. And realize what was science fiction years before is now a freakish parody of today.”
“The acting, the pacing, and the writing are good to great, considering the topic. It gets funnier as the film finishes. Just remember, the cast and crew were on eggshells, as the film itself is groundbreaking. It is a political satire predating its subject matter. And for another generation, it becomes far more familiar and timely than Dr. Strangelove.”
–Derrick Lyle (2004) Internet Movie Database
NOTES
Stoda, Kevin, “WRITERS’ STRIKE PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES: Think! Instead of Watching Reruns—Change the World: Day 1”
http://the-teacher.blogspot.com/2007/11/writers-strike-provides-opportunities.html
Stoda, Kevin, “WRITERS' STRIKE PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES: Think! Instead of Watching Reruns-Change the World: Day 2” http://www.opednews.com/articles/life_a_alone_071106_writers__strike_prov.htm
WHEN RIGHT IS WRONG (1982), http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084920/
Labels: "Wrong is Right" movie cold-war media manipulation president vice-president writers strike
posted by Kevin Anthony Stoda at 11:08 PM
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