Request input for COIN related movie bits

[Vic Bout]

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!"

[Tom Odom]

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

[Eden]

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.

[Vic Bout]

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.

[patmc]

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.

[CR6]

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.

Breaker Morant.

Good one.

[Wesley Morgan]

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."

[John T. Fishel]

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

[davidbfpo]

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

[Boot]

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

[davidbfpo]

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.

[Schmedlap]

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

[ptamas]

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.

[MikeF]

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

[Bob's World]

Do you want to focus on military operations in foreign insurgencies, or COIN?

Movies like Ghandi or Malcolm X off the top of my head might help your crew to step back and expand their perspectives a bit. This is all about populaces under a governance they find intolerable, illegitimate, or both; who also have no legal means of redress to ragain or gain control of, or even shape their governance; so they resort to violence.

The military aspect is usually one of pipehitter for that government. Much like the goons who would be set upon workers attempting to unionize a century ago in the states.

[carl]

I suggest taking a look at "Broken Arrow" the one from 1950 with Jimmy Stewart. If you ignore the Hollywood insurance policy romance and one or two slightly too noble savages, it was pretty good. It had a lot to say about knowing the enemy, knowing why he was the enemy and showing him due respect. I think there is a lot from the conflicts with the Apaches that could be applicable to things today.

[slapout9]

I have only seen previews but the new "Robin Hood" movie with Russell Crow.

[sabers8th]

The Intimate Enemy is a French film (DVD zone 2) which is basically the French version of Platoon in Algeria it has englich subtitles and is a very well thought out and put together film.

Michael Collins with Liam Neilson is also a good one as well.

If you are looking for a good documentary on Algeria all in french with no sub title unfortunately it is called La Guerre Sans Nam The war with no name.

Kelly

[M-A Lagrange]

The Intimate Enemy is a French film (DVD zone 2) which is basically the French version of Platoon in Algeria it has englich subtitles and is a very well thought out and put together film.

Michael Collins with Liam Neilson is also a good one as well.

If you are looking for a good documentary on Algeria all in french with no sub title unfortunately it is called La Guerre Sans Nam The war with no name.

Kelly

Sorry, do you mean la guerre sans nom?
I could not resist to make the orthograph correction

M-A

[Wargames Mark]

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.

This is a current battle in my world. We assume that when a non-profit or governmental institution uses it (such as the Army), then Fair Use may apply, depending on the size of the clip in relation to the whole from which it was taken.

However, for a for-profit enterprise (such as a for-profit defense contractor), this may not be the case. A possible solution here is to ask the customer (Govt) if they have or can acquire permissions to show the clip.