Black Hawk Down: The Pentagon requested a major change to Ridley Scott’s masterpiece, and we understand why…

Usually the government, in this case the US government, is asked to assist in the production of films and/or television series; Are there practical questions inherent in filming authorizations, requiring expertise on specific issues… For example, NASA regularly offers its valuable assistance to Hollywood productions.

The Department of Defense, otherwise known as the DOD, has an old and long tradition of working with Hollywood in this context — nearly 100 years — to the point of having a liaison office specifically for it.

Its purpose is twofold: “accurately portray military narratives and ensure that sensitive information is not leaked”as He explains it himself on the home page of his site. “We take both roles very seriously” Lt. Col. Tim Hyde, head of the DOD’s liaison office in Los Angeles, even commented.

But that help, valuable as it is, obviously doesn’t come without a price…

“The film is extraordinarily faithful to reality”

After trying almost every possible genre in cinema, from historical drama to science fiction, thriller and detective films, Ridley Scott signed on at the age of 64 for a war film that will be a landmark in its ultra-realistic combat aesthetic, an inspiration for a whole generation of filmmakers and a game Even for designers: Black Hawk Down. Filmed between March and July 2001, the film will be released in a war-torn America devastated by the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Based on a true story, The Black Hawk Down is directly inspired by the book Black Hawk: A History of Modern Warfare By Mark Bowden, a well-known reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, who also co-wrote the film.

On October 3, 1993, with the support of the United Nations, one hundred US Marines from a task force were sent on a mission to Somalia to keep the peace and capture two of the top lieutenants of Mohamed Farah Aidid, a local warlord. This routine operation quickly turns into a nightmare when the soldiers are targeted by armed rebel factions and the population.

“The film is extraordinarily faithful to reality” Confused Mark Bowden. If the battle scenes are indeed very impressive, Ridley Scott has at least removed the political context, the Somali point of view and the negative aspect of the raid, which is described as “Political Disaster” By Bowden himself. “First of all, I wanted to depict the anatomy of modern warfare” justified the director in turn; “Black Hawk Down” is a clinical film, as close to a documentary as possible.

“As I basically wrote about what American soldiers went through, we decided that would be the heart of the film.” Bowden explained in an interview Express. Ridley Scott did his best to show that the enemy was not just a bunch of rebels and that there was logic behind their struggle.

Aid and pressure from the Pentagon

Like many American war films, Black Hawk Down has reached out to Pentagon officials willing to help the film’s production by providing training and equipment. “Black Hawk Down, which deals with the failed attack in Somalia, may seem like an unlikely project to get the Pentagon’s support, but they went above and beyond what we could have hoped for.” announced Susan Thicke, head of communications for Sony Columbia Pictures in 2001.

“The Pentagon liked the project because it was a chance to show the bravery of the soldiers and show the difficult choices that the United States must make in deciding where to intervene. said Philip Strub, director of the Pentagon’s film industry liaison office in Washington, D.C., in 2001. 100 US Army soldiers flown in to shoot a movie set in Morocco; Sony will pay $3 million to purchase eight military helicopters for the film.

So where is the fixation abscess located? It should be found on the side of one of the characters of the film. In exchange for his cooperation, The army put pressure on the screenwriter of the film Changing the name for the character played by Ewan McGregor.

In the film, he plays John Grimes, a friendly soldier and bureaucrat who needs action before actually confronting the reality on the ground again. He is actually an important character in the film.

His original role model, Ranger John Stebbins, was convicted in June 2000 and sentenced to 30 years in prison for the repeated rape of his 6-year-old daughter… Stebbins received a Silver Star for bravery during the events depicted in the film. . The former hero is now fallen, with a legacy that has clearly become too much to bear…