BBC : Hollywood films 'worshipping war'

Hollywood films 'worshipping war'

September 1, 2006

Director Oliver Stone has accused the Hollywood film industry of promoting the idea of the US at war.

He singled out Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down as films that "worshipped the machinery of war".

Stone was speaking at the Venice Film Festival, where his latest film World Trade Center will be screened.

Starring Nicolas Cage, it tells the story of two policemen who were pulled from the rubble of the Twin Towers after the 11 September 2001 attacks.

The two officers, Will Jimeno and John McLoughlin, joined Stone in Venice along with their two wives.

Vietnam films

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the screening, Stone said violence is a "cultural problem" for the US.

He said the late 1990s onwards saw a return of cinema which celebrated the idea of war - unlike his Vietnam films, Platoon, and Born on the Fourth of July.

"We watched movies that promoted the concept of war, that promoted shock and awe," Stone said.

World Trade Center has received mixed reviews

"Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down - these movies worshipped the machinery of war and I think America went back to the concept of war too easily.

"I have reasons to be depressed as a Vietnam veteran, and I can say many Vietnam veterans are depressed about why we are in Iraq."

Stone said his World Trade Center film carried a message of hope.

"In the past I made very intense films, very powerful films about dark subjects," he said.

"I did Vietnam at a time when America was very prosperous and there was no war.

"Now is a time to go the other way - that's my nature - and I want to be positive.

He added: "Things have gotten very dark and frankly there is more terror, there is more death, there is more war. The consequences of 9/11 are far worse than the day itself.

"Somebody asked if it was too soon for this movie - I think in many ways it's too late. We have got to wake up."