Taken from THE WEEK magazine, October 24, 2003, page 14:
"Why Hollywood won't touch the war on terror"
"Why does Hollywood consider America's war on terror a taboo topic? asked Jonathan V. Last in The Wall Street Journal. It's now more than two years since Sept. 11, and not a single major motion picture has tackled the biggest story line of recent history. 'Contrast this with Hollywood's output during World War II, when it seemed like every fifth movie was about America's heroic struggle to fend off the Germans and the Japanese.' This gives us a clue: any film about the war on terror would necessarily portray Muslim extremists as the bad guys. In Hollywood, that's simply not politically correct. And who would the good guys be? Donald Rumsfeld? George Bush? As one industry insider put it, no self-respecting member of the Hollywood elite 'wants to be seen toadying to the president.' But the biggest reason for the missing war movies may be more basic. 'Historically, the cinema is a lagging, not leading, cultural indicator.' The definitive Vietnam movies, like APOCALYPSE NOW and THE DEER HUNTER, were all made after the fighting had stopped - and a consensus on the war had been reached. Ou rnation remains bitterly divided over the war on terror, and Hollywood is not about to choose sides. So until a consensus develops, we'll just have to settle for yet another MATRIX sequel."
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