World War II is drawing to a close and the bombs are falling on Japanese cities. In this action-packed film, veteran Hollywood actor Walter Matthau plays a U.S. Army major who is part of a military intelligence team assigned to unearth the source of an international terrorist organization. But once they’ve cracked the case, the team’s mission falls apart when two members betray them to Chinese war collaborators. As the film closes, The Americans finds itself back in Washington, where it will be screened next week as part of Sundance 2018’s Documentary Film Series: “The World at War: 1941-1946.” Movieclips International caught up with director John Boyega (Unbroken), writer/director Luke Davies (The Last Jedi) and stars Mark Ruffalo (The Wolf Of Wall Street) and Oscar winner Paul Rudd (Dreamgirls) for a chat about playing American soldiers in WWII, working with DirectorGuillermo del Toro, and why their character ‘Walter Matthau’ won’t endear them to Hollywood audiences.
World War II is almost over. But what will the end of the war look like?
The great majority of American people will never see World War II as they did, with their television sets filled with Allied victories and their newspaper articles full of bombings and explosions. Because of the war, they’ll likely associate World War II with the Allied alliance, while still knowing many Americans also served under the Axis powers. But there are a few select individuals — most notably General Douglas MacArthur, who commanded the U.S. forces that battled the Axis — who saw the war as a spiritual war. This was their “Purple Ribbon” and “Gray Ribbon”, as the Korean War and Vietnam Wars have come to be called. This was the time of “Operation Refund”, which allied forces like the U.S. and British armies were fighting against the forces of the communist North Vietnam. And many Americans, including scores of combat veterans, saw this war as a chance to prove to the world that they were up to the challenge of combat. Only about 5 percent of all World War II veterans now identify as ‘veterans’, having discontinued their active duty in the early 2000’s.
The politics of WWII
Before we discuss the politics of WWII, let’s get something clear: We can’t, and won’t ever forget the Second World War. We have a duty to our history to know the truth, and to remember that history is an ‘open book’ to be read in every way. But there are two types of people who will never forget: Those who were there, and those who were not. We cannot discuss the politics of the war, as those involved have retreated into relative silence ever since. We will never forget the people who served in the military, however, as these men and women became folk-heroes with enduring lives. For example, General Omar N. Bradley, the first American to command the Allied Forces in World War II, is still considered one of America’s best war heroes. Bradley was actually a little of a ‘bad’ guy in the ways that great General George S. Patton was a ‘good’ guy. But he was also one of the few Americans to have seen combat in World War II, and he became a folk-hero thanks to his role in winning the Manhattan Beach Revo- war. This is the kind of person we want to cultivate in our audience gjcollegebihta members.
How Walter Matthau became Hollywood’s leading anti-hero
Before we get into the politics of WWII and its connection to the #MeToo movement, let’s discuss the ways that Walter Matthau became a household name thanks to his performance in The Little Sisters of the Tenth (1951). The film also marked the start of a relationship that would last more than 50 years, from which we see Walter’s only child, a daughter, was conceived.
The Little Sisters of the Tenth is a classic Hollywood comedy, and it’s the only film in which Walter Matthau appears in his 50s or early 60s, in his Broadway debut as a laborer who falls in love with a younger woman. It’s an important film because it gives us an interesting look at a man who knew how lucky he was to get into show business, who had few obstacles to overcome, and who ultimately became an international household name thanks to his powerful performance.
Working with John Boyega – One of the most popular roles for movie stars is that of an American soldier, but not all of them are from traditional ‘warrior’ backgrounds. In this world, there are now more actors playing soldiers than regular Army officers. However, John Boyega (The Star Wars: The Last Jedi) plays a soldier in his own right, and he believes in speaking out about important issues as an actor rather than as a Hollywood star. He explains what makes him different and why his acting career cannot be destroyed by Hollywood.
It’s important to keep in mind that Hollywood is a business, and it’s not about saving the art form. Rather, it’s about serving the public — which means that the studios are always working to improve the film, TV and radio industries, and to create content that will continue to be enjoyed by the public, whether they’re watching on the Android device or on their computer. This applies just as much to us, the audience, who can often be the biggest barrier in the way of better content. So while you might find it hard to stand out as an actor in a studio-heavy landscape, you can always try to save the art form a little by rejecting the conventions of “heroism,” “devilism” and “foolishness.”
The purpose of this series: To give the audience an insight into the creative process behind the most talked-about movies of the year. We will never forget the story of the American soldiers who defended their country from the Axis powers during World War II, and we will never forget the people who fought against the Axis in the Second World War. In this PBS series, the goal is to explore how these two world wars affected the generations that followed, and how each generation must negotiate its place in the annals of war. From the moment one sets foot in the screening room, there will be a churn of emotions and passions, and with each new batch of films subject, the audience will be challenged to think about what happened and why.
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World War II is almost over. But what will the end of the war look like?
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The politics of WWII
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What made you decide to play Walter Matthau?
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