Hollywood and the War Machine - Al Jazeera's Empire (Dec 2010)

Hollywood and the war machine – Empire on Al Jazeera (December 2010)
With Chris Hedges, Oliver Stone & Michael Moore.
Empire examines the symbiotic relationship between the movie industry and the military-industrial complex.

War is hell, but for Hollywood it has been a Godsend, providing the perfect dramatic setting against which courageous heroes win the hearts and minds of the movie going public.

The Pentagon recognises the power of these celluloid dreams and encourages Hollywood to create heroic myths; to rewrite history to suit its own strategy and as a recruiting tool to provide a steady flow of willing young patriots for its wars.

What does Hollywood get out of this 'deal with the devil'? Access to billions of dollars worth of military kit, from helicopters to aircraft carriers, enabling filmmakers to make bigger and more spectacular battle scenes, which in turn generate more box office revenue. Providing they accept the Pentagon's advice, even toe the party line and show the US military in a positive light.

So is it a case of art imitating life, or a sinister force using art to influence life and death - and the public perception of both?

Empire will examine Hollywood, the Pentagon, and war.

Joining as guests:
Oliver Stone, the eight times Academy Award-winning filmmaker; Michael Moore, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker; and Christopher Hedges, an author and the former Middle East bureau chief of the New York Times.

Interviewees are:
Phil Strub, US Department of Defense Film Liaison Unit; Julian Barnes, Pentagon correspondent, LA Times; David Robb, the author of Operation Hollywood; Prof Klaus Dodds, the author of Screening Terror; Matthew Alford, the author of Reel Power; Prof Melani McAlister, the author of Culture, Media, and US Interests in the Middle East.

About Empire
Marwan Bishara analyses global powers and their agendas.

The monthly show that questions global powers and their agendas.

Be they state, corporate, military or economic the Empire team, headed by Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, will analyse these giants and how they strive to dominate everything from international security and finance to communications and the news itself.

Each month we fuse the best Al Jazeera field reporting and in-depth studio debate with leading analysts and commentators to discuss the most significant geo-political issues of the day.

About Marwan Bishara

Marwan Bishara is Al Jazeera's senior political analyst.

He was previously a professor of International Relations at the American University of Paris.

An author who writes extensively on global politics, he is widely regarded as a leading authority on the Middle East and international affairs.

The Empire team
Leon Ferguson, programme editor
Hiba Khalil, researcher
Florence Phillips, associate producer
Juan Pablo Raymond, associate producer
Tim Tate, senior producer

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Website - http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/empire/2010/12/20101216813453637...
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Enjoy learning Con|Cen.

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