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Thread: Request input for COIN related movie bits

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    Council Member Vic Bout's Avatar
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    Default Request input for COIN related movie bits

    I'm putting together draft COIN OPD/NCOPD presentations and wanted to add some relevant multi-media stuff IOT demonstrate successful/unsuccessful practices and stimulate discussion. Of course, I have in mind all the usual suspects (Battle of Algiers, LofA, etc), but thought I might find something less stale from the forums.

    Oh, BTW, anyone have any input re: copyright infringement for use of, say, a film clip from The Man Who Would be King? The use of said clip for instructional purposes only as presented to Soldiers/Marines, etc.

    Tanx,

    "THIS is my boomstick!"

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    Council Member Tom Odom's Avatar
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    Default How's Life in Thailand?

    Viktor,

    Nice to see you are out and about. I have not seen any of your planes since I left the Congo.

    Maybe you could introduce yourelf to the council and offer some details concerning the audience of this presentation.

    Thanks in advance,

    Tom

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    In Go Tell the Spartans (1978), there is a classic scene between Burt Lancaster and a nerdish young MI officer (played, I think, by David Clennon - or was it Joe Unger?). The MI officer is armed with statistics, charts, and computer readouts and is trying to advise Lancaster where and when the next VC attack will take place. He, of course, is the world-weary US adviser who relies on instinct and experience. Illustrates the tension between warfighters, theorists, and analysts - much like what you get on this forum. A lot of other great material in this lesser-known gem.

    Would also recommend the knife-fight from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

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    Council Member Vic Bout's Avatar
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    Thanks Tom. It's amazing what a few baht strewn about can do.

    I should have mentioned that the OPD (officer professional development)/NCOPD (non-commissioned officer development) presentations will be directed at leaders at the tactical level...prolly battalion and below. Kind of a COIN grassroots kick-start primer. Anticipate primary audience to be units, National Guard, Reserve and Active, that haven't deployed or have had a lengthy lag between deployments.
    "THIS is my boomstick!"

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    Default coin movies

    Red Dawn, discussed on this site as Guerilla War classic. Movie is much deeper than one would suspect from Patrick Swayze, though Roadhouse was Tao. Hard to pick one scene.

    The Quiet American. Graham Greene's novel of an American trying to help "the locals" with the best of intentions, though his methods are suspect and dangerous. Michael Caine, playing the expatriate reporter, realizes Brendan Frazier, Aid worker's true identity.

    Breaker Morant. What is ethical, who is a combatant, what is justice in war?
    Australian Soldiers are tried for murdering a priest accused of aiding the Bo'ers in South Africa. Again, hard to pick just one scene. maybe the "confession" by the Australians, talking about what really happened.

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    Council Member CR6's Avatar
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    In a 2006 Washington Post article
    T.X. Hammes recommends "In the Name of the Father" as a cautionary tale regarding overly zealous interrogations of suspected insurgents.

    Quote Originally Posted by patmc View Post
    Breaker Morant.
    Good one.
    "Law cannot limit what physics makes possible." Humanitarian Apsects of Airpower (papers of Frederick L. Anderson, Hoover Institution, Stanford University)

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    Default JFK West Point Speech 1962

    Vic,

    Here is a link to a 12 minute video I put together using Kennedy's speech. I have a high def (75 Meg) version I could mail you if you are interested.

    http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=27e_1205470676

    Buck

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    Groundskeeping Dept. SWCAdmin's Avatar
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    +1 Breaker Morant

    There are some great scenes in Farewell to the King, in general one of my favorite niche movies. But they are far more IW / SF or something else other than COIN.

    You asked re copyrights. I attempted one time to get legit permissions for use of a clip from the Siege for an official homeland defense presentation. It is an unbelievable nuisance. You have to get multiple permissions from the studio, the individual credited actors who are on screen in the clip(s) you intend to use, etc. etc. Even with a Hollywood LnO, it proved untenable in our timeframe. In my naivete I figured it must be doable. It probably is, but too hard for 99%+. I now understand why the "don't do it" and "don't ask" COAs are so popular.

    Here's a good resource on copyrights, http://fairuse.stanford.edu/

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    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default Vietnam to Algeria

    I personally liked 'Lost Command', a film starring Anthony Quinn, as a French paratroop officer, starts with Vietnam and ends in Algeria. Link to amazon site: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Command.../dp/B000065UHS and a better reviews: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060637/usercomments and http://www.epinions.com/content_115767742084

    davidbfpo

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    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default Northern Ireland

    The University of Ulster has assembled a list of films that include "The Troubles", alas the direct link does not work and the Google cache does:
    http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache...lnk&cd=1&gl=uk

    Quite a range there to chose, my favourites are Harry's Game, The Crying Game and Bloody Sunday. I will not comment on whether they are accurate - as that will start another debate.

    davidbfpo

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    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default Ireland next

    There are a number of films on Ireland (some include Northern Ireland themes), with classics on the struggle for independence, like Michael Collins and the Irish Civil War The Wind that shakes the Barley. Take a peek at this list: http://www.lclark.edu/~campion/hist400/films.htm

    davidbfpo

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    Council Member William F. Owen's Avatar
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    I'll add my favourite items of "obscura."

    "The Last grenade" adapted from the Novel, "The Ordeal of Major Grigsby."
    "Contact" adapted from the Novel, "Contact" by AFN Clarke. - about Para Regt in bandit country Circa 1979.

    ....and "The Lost Command." - the adaptation of "The Centurions," by Jean Larteguy.
    Infinity Journal "I don't care if this works in practice. I want to see it work in theory!"

    - The job of the British Army out here is to kill or capture Communist Terrorists in Malaya.
    - If we can double the ratio of kills per contact, we will soon put an end to the shooting in Malaya.
    Sir Gerald Templer, foreword to the "Conduct of Anti-Terrorist Operations in Malaya," 1958 Edition

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    Default Henry V

    In 'Henry V' (either the old Olivier version or the 1989 Branagh version) there is a part where the king gives this 'commander's intent' to his troops when explaining his decision to punish a soldier caught looting:

    "...we give express charge that in our marches through the country there be nothing compell'd from the villages; nothing taken but paid for; none of the French upbraided or abus'd in disdainful language; for when lenity and cruelty play for a kingdom, the gentler gamester is the soonest winner."

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    Default Great choice!

    So, that's where Mao got it! All the more impressive since the soldier to be hanged is an old buddy of Prince Hal, now Henry the king.

    Cheers

    JohnT

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    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default Australians in Vietnam

    A colleague recommended 'The Odd Angry Shot', issued in 1979, which I have not seen, so anyone here who has?

    The move is described on: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079652/ and on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Odd_Angry_Shot

    davidbfpo

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    Council Member Boot's Avatar
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    Default How about...

    Chuck Heston in "Major Dundee" except he's the guerilla vs. French and conducting COIN vs. Apaches. One of my favorite movies.

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    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default Great films on Small Wars

    I am sure the topic of films has appeared before, hopefully this is the best place for an update:http://kingsofwar.org.uk/2010/02/films/

    And has links to several trailers.
    davidbfpo

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    Three cups of tea... and some buzkashi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUlVXdoqITk

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    Quote Originally Posted by Vic Bout View Post

    Oh, BTW, anyone have any input re: copyright infringement for use of, say, a film clip from The Man Who Would be King? The use of said clip for instructional purposes only as presented to Soldiers/Marines, etc.
    You should covered under fair use for educational purposes.
    for more info:
    http://www.infotoday.com/IT/jun08/Pike.shtml
    http://copyright.syr.edu/uses.php

    The field is a mess and it is a few years since I taught in the States.

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    Council Member MikeF's Avatar
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    Default Modern Flicks

    A few of my favorites...

    For revolution and insurgency theory, watch Fight Club, Mississippi Burning, and Red Dawn.

    To learn to how to deal with tribal elders, watch Frost/Nixon and Rounders.

    For SFA/FID, watch Glory and Dear John.

    To deal with multiple tours, I'd recommend Animal House and The Hangover .

    v/r

    Mike
    Last edited by MikeF; 02-23-2010 at 08:39 PM.

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