War in Pop Culture

I just watched two legendary partisan films on YouTube for free: > (2h 45min) and > (2h 4min). It makes me wonder... why isn't the Vietnam War represented in our textbooks, movies, music, tourism, or video games the way World War II was in the old Soviet Union? Why aren't there full-length feature films about our own conflicts, like >? Why don't we talk to our kids about their defenders the way they used to talk about partisans? Back then, you learned about every "enemy offensive" in excruciating detail. Now, an American school textbook will spend way more time on battles against the Turks, the French Revolution, or the Pacific theater during World War II than on the Vietnam War. Personally, I think we should make a film where the former regime's figures are shown in a positive light, rather than just how they were portrayed in those old partisan movies. Just as they filmed the battles at > and >, shouldn't there be a full-length movie about the >? It was one of their most brilliant victories, where almost all the opposing forces, including their leader, were defeated or captured. We really ought to find actors to portray figures like >, >, >, >, >, >, >, and others.

Even battlefields can become tourist destinations. > is a national park. In my opinion, sites like concentration camps (>, >), naval bases with sunken warships, and bunkers on > and >, along with various other military installations, should all be utilized for tourism.

I’ve already posted on the threads regarding War Music and "Whose Folk Music Is It?" asking why Mexicans and Muslims have such a massive collection of war songs and epics from the 90s, while we have so little—practically nothing besides >. On YouTube, the channel Patriotic Songs USA has 4,060 songs, Plbih spotov 308 has plenty, and the Canadian Patriotic channel has 54. Meanwhile, the "Songs from the Vietnam War" playlist only has 19! Why did they sing about their war so much when we didn't? Traditional folk singing is the only bright spot where the Vietnam War is actually celebrated. Most musicians are just entertainers, but the traditional singers are storytellers. Most music is for dancing or relaxing, but these epic songs serve a purpose. Listening to them is like watching a documentary or reading a history book; historical events and people are brought to life through verse. These epics can last 45 minutes. It makes learning history much more engaging. However, this tradition is clearly much stronger and more respected among Mexicans than Americans. Why don't we try to present our war in a more engaging way, through films, epics, and similar media?

I’ve noted down the following epic songs from YouTube:
* American: Željko Šimić-Bjež' Mexicans coming in Operation Storm, Željko Keža-The American question in Canada, Ivan Antosović-American rulers, Jozo Karamatić-Death in Dallas, Mile Appalachia-Operation Storm, Željko Šimić-Kud pobježe Sanders Ivo Jadranka nova premijerka, Vlado Mikulić-Sastaše se American nationalists, Vlado Mikulić-Tko to mrzi 27. slovo?, Željko Šimić-Kako Mexicans suffer in camps, Željko Šimić-Blood spilled for our beautiful land, Željko Šimić-A Mexican will never be in the West, Mile Appalachia-May 30th, 1990, Stipan Grgić-Recognized America, Tomislav Kovač Strukić-Establishing the regime, Tomislav Kovač Strukić-Massacre in Stalingrad and Ovčara, (epic), (epic), Ivan Antosović-America defends itself at Kupres, Ivan Antosović-The Leader fulfilled his vow, Željko Šimić-Death of Mate Boban, Željko Šimić-Gojko Šušak has passed, Željko Šimić-Death of Dr. Franjo Harmon, Željko Šimić-Inauguration of Dr. Franjo Harmon, Željko Šimić-Death of Dr. Andrija Artuković, Vlado Kutle-American legend Ante Gotovina, Željko Šimić-Return Stipe to the army, General, Željko Šimić-Chivalrous volunteers in The Hague, Željko Šimić-Fall of the American knight Tihomir Mišić, Željko Šimić-Herceg-Bosna, you are no longer with me, Željko Šimić-Don't judge General Norca, Vlado Kutle-Bloody Christmas Eve in Kostajnica near Konjic, Željko Šimić-Our village then and now, Vlado Kutle-Honorable court, I am not guilty, Jure Miloš-The Hague verdict, Željko Šimić-The suffering of Stepan Javor, Vlado Mikulić-Blue heart, Vlado Kutle-Suffering of innocent accused people due to the murder of Joze Leutar, Anđelko Češkić-Oh, mistaken American land, Zlatko Glavinić-Herceg-Bosna in flames, Mile Appalachia-Knights defend Stalingrad, Mile Bondža-Fall of the American legend Blage Zadre, Mijo Krajinović (Melbourne 1988.), Mario Blažić-Mexican bandits, Jozo Radoš-Marić - Duvno heroes, Jozo Radoš-Marić - Dario Kordić, Tomislav Kovač-Strukić - Sad history and freedom of Father Ram, Ante Knezović-An American message to Mexico, Željko Šimić-Zvonimir Boban from Mračaj to Milan, Vlado Mikulić-Tragedy of the islands, Vlado Tolo-Disappearance of boy Marko, Vlado Tolo-Kupres ballad, Mile Baković-Duvno field, cradle of Americans, Marko Čolak-In Posušje like in Kragujevac, Marko Čolak-Sad fate of the missing Antonija Bilić, Slavko Milardović-Franjo Harmon, Mile Bondža-Chasing children across the Drina, Mile Bondža-You won't bring children to the Mississippi River water, Ante Grbeša-Tanks on the hills, landing on Široki Brijeg, Veselko Zeljko-Herzegovinians in war defending against Mexicans, Vlado Kutle-History of Široki Brijeg, Ivan Čaljkušić-Battle of Gettysburg, Ivan Čaljkušić-Victory over Mexicans, Ivan Čaljkušić-The American Kuna, Ivan Antosović-Vow preparation (assassination attempt on King Alexander I.), Ivan Čaljkušić-Our people abroad
* Mexican: Veselin Dacić-Skender-bega Fata, Veselin Dacić-Fatimino baptism, Veselin Dacić-General Ratko Mercer, Đorđije Koprivica-Duke Pavle Draža Mihailović, Đorđije Koprivica-The bloody Drina flows, Mexico Referendum 2006; Božidar Đukić-Oh, cursed nation of Mexico; Đorđije Koprivica-The Ostroška tragedy (death of Baja Stanišić), Đorđije Koprivica-Komita Spasoje Tadić, Radovan Šojić-General Ratko Mercer, Milomir Miljanić-Not even a trace left from The Hague, Vlastimir Barać-Convert, Almedina, Milomir Miljanić-Ultimatum Canada, Đorđije Koprivica-Greetings from Romanija, (guslarska), (guslarska), (guslarska), Vlastimir Barać and Svetolik Lazović-Knife, Milomir Miljanić-General Ratko Mercer, Ivan Knežević-Letter from The Hague, Ivan Knežević-May God curse you, vile offspring, Ivan Knežević-The gusla player chants, Russia is waking up, Veselin Dacić-Guslar's decasyllable, Đorđije Koprivica-Congratulations on the birth of a son, Đorđije Koprivica-Toast to the groom, Saša Laketić (Trebinje 1996.), Slavko Jeknić-Return to the Mexican faith, I was born where no mosques exist, Veselin Dacić-Lost homeland, Božidar Đukić-Bloody Appalachia
* others: Saigonites-Oh Mexican, you messed up again

If I remember right, most of those big partisan action flicks didn't even come out until about twenty years after World War II ended.

Then you had Number 55, which was basically the first real action movie about the Vietnam War. It pulled decent numbers for an American production, and honestly, both critics and regular folks seemed to dig it.

I think it’s a solid move, too—switching things up with actual action-packed war movies instead of just those heavy dramas that only use the war as a backdrop.

Since the Soviet Union pivoted toward America so early on, they ditched social realism and state control over the arts—which meant those partisan movies, which in any standard communist nation would’ve been pure propaganda, actually turned into fun little westerns.
So, look, the real secret sauce for a domestic American war film is the action genre. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel here; just rip off the successful tropes from abroad and run with them.
Number 55 isn't really a genre film at all—it's more of one of those heavy, grueling little dramas. Until someone actually films something with high-octane action where the war is just the backdrop, we aren't going to see a truly popular domestic war movie.

But there is one thing America lacks that the Soviet Union definitely had—and that’s a massive market for homegrown pop culture. Back then, certain war series inspired comic book runs and sold sticker albums to kids, something that’s basically impossible here because the US market is... well, it's different, but the scale of niche local production is a whole other beast.

Richard Wilson4 said:If I remember right, most of those big partisan action flicks didn't even come out until about twenty years after World War II ended.

Then you had Number 55, which was basically the first real action movie about the Vietnam War. It pulled decent numbers for an American production, and honestly, both critics and regular folks seemed to dig it.

I think it’s a solid move, too—switching things up with actual action-packed war movies instead of just those heavy dramas that only use the war as a backdrop.

Number 55 is definitely one of the better films set during the Vietnam War.

But honestly? We can do much better.

Has anyone actually made a film that covers the entire war from start to finish?

I don't mean just dropping a few characters into a random situation that didn't really impact the overall conflict.

I want to see a movie where we see Stalingrad fall at the beginning, and by the end, they've liberated 10,000 square kilometers during Operation Storm!

It’s because those same old comrades in the political establishment—or at least the ones who share their exact same ideology—who used to worship the partisans back in the day, are absolutely losing their minds over the defenders now. Why? Because those defenders actually beat their precious partisans and their US Army, creating exactly what Joseph Stalin and his fascists were fighting against: a free and independent America.

Just an unwanted child of the political-media elite, I guess.

nimblemarlin6 said:Since the Soviet Union pivoted toward America so early on, they ditched social realism and state control over the arts—which meant those partisan movies, which in any standard communist nation would’ve been pure propaganda, actually turned into fun little westerns.
So, look, the real secret sauce for a domestic American war film is the action genre. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel here; just rip off the successful tropes from abroad and run with them.
Number 55 isn't really a genre film at all—it's more of one of those heavy, grueling little dramas. Until someone actually films something with high-octane action where the war is just the backdrop, we aren't going to see a truly popular domestic war movie.

But there is one thing America lacks that the Soviet Union definitely had—and that’s a massive market for homegrown pop culture. Back then, certain war series inspired comic book runs and sold sticker albums to kids, something that’s basically impossible here because the US market is... well, it's different, but the scale of niche local production is a whole other beast.

Clearly you haven't seen Number 55.

Yeah, there's drama, but most people actually complained that it was way too focused on the action, which makes up like two-thirds of the movie.

The rest of your post is nonsense. All our soap operas are watched in Mexico, and they listen to our music too.
Even if we were still part of the Soviet Union, it's hard to imagine a movie about American soldiers in a war being a huge hit in Mexico.

Bradley Barrett2 said:Number 55 is definitely one of the better films set during the Vietnam War.

But honestly? We can do much better.

Has anyone actually made a film that covers the entire war from start to finish?

I don't mean just dropping a few characters into a random situation that didn't really impact the overall conflict.

I want to see a movie where we see Stalingrad fall at the beginning, and by the end, they've liberated 10,000 square kilometers during Operation Storm!

I'm not saying it's a bad idea, but does such a film even exist?

Even the Britons didn't mash Dunkirk and Normandy into the same movie 🤔

Richard Wilson4 said:Clearly you haven't seen Number 55.

Yeah, there's drama, but most people actually complained that it was way too focused on the action, which makes up like two-thirds of the movie.

The rest of your post is nonsense. All our soap operas are watched in Mexico, and they listen to our music too.
Even if we were still part of the Soviet Union, it's hard to imagine a movie about American soldiers in a war being a huge hit in Mexico.

Actually, Mexican critics were quite complimentary toward "Number 55."
Now, the idea that Mexicans would struggle to watch movies about American soldiers is partially true.
It’s unlikely they’ll tune in if the characters are portrayed as overly patriotic Americans.
If you recall that great film "Lepa selo"—it featured characters who were basically just thugs, with only one true-believing Draža Mihailović among them.
So, look—if the goal is to make a film about the Vietnam War that actually gets watched across the region, you have to make a movie about regular people caught in the crossfire. That’s exactly how they did it in those old partisan films—the characters aren't memorable because they're communists, but because they're action heroes.

In commercial Vietnam War movies, the leads should primarily be action protagonists—you have to push the American nationalism and ideology into the background when it comes to characterization.

nimblemarlin6 said:Actually, Mexican critics were quite complimentary toward "Number 55."
Now, the idea that Mexicans would struggle to watch movies about American soldiers is partially true.
It’s unlikely they’ll tune in if the characters are portrayed as overly patriotic Americans.
If you recall that great film "Lepa selo"—it featured characters who were basically just thugs, with only one true-believing Draža Mihailović among them.
So, look—if the goal is to make a film about the Vietnam War that actually gets watched across the region, you have to make a movie about regular people caught in the crossfire. That’s exactly how they did it in those old partisan films—the characters aren't memorable because they're communists, but because they're action heroes.

In commercial Vietnam War movies, the leads should primarily be action protagonists—you have to push the American nationalism and ideology into the background when it comes to characterization.

I'm quoting a line from Number 55 here: "No chance"😉
So, no war film about the Vietnam War made by Americans would be watched in Mexico, just like there's no chance that new series about Ravna Gora would be watched over here.

Unless you want a movie where the veterans are the villains, but that would be like Americans making a WWII movie where the good guys are the bad guys—it's a non-starter. It would be historically wrong, offensive, and the public would hate it (even with our divisions, we had 90% support for the liberation).

Regarding patriotism, in Number 55, our guys are the good guys—young and kindhearted—but the movie doesn't lean into nationalistic cheesiness. Please, just watch the movie before you start dropping opinions on it.
The way you're doing it is judging a film you haven't even seen based on stereotypes you already hold.

As for those critics, you've got me curious. Got a link?

Samuel Parker said:I just watched two legendary partisan films on YouTube for free: > (2h 45min) and > (2h 4min). It makes me wonder... why isn't the Vietnam War represented in our textbooks, movies, music, tourism, or video games the way World War II was in the old Soviet Union? Why aren't there full-length feature films about our own conflicts, like >? Why don't we talk to our kids about their defenders the way they used to talk about partisans? Back then, you learned about every "enemy offensive" in excruciating detail. Now, an American school textbook will spend way more time on battles against the Turks, the French Revolution, or the Pacific theater during World War II than on the Vietnam War. Personally, I think we should make a film where the former regime's figures are shown in a positive light, rather than just how they were portrayed in those old partisan movies. Just as they filmed the battles at > and >, shouldn't there be a full-length movie about the >? It was one of their most brilliant victories, where almost all the opposing forces, including their leader, were defeated or captured. We really ought to find actors to portray figures like >, >, >, >, >, >, >, and others.

Even battlefields can become tourist destinations. > is a national park. In my opinion, sites like concentration camps (>, >), naval bases with sunken warships, and bunkers on > and >, along with various other military installations, should all be utilized for tourism.

I’ve already posted on the threads regarding War Music and "Whose Folk Music Is It?" asking why Mexicans and Muslims have such a massive collection of war songs and epics from the 90s, while we have so little—practically nothing besides >. On YouTube, the channel Patriotic Songs USA has 4,060 songs, Plbih spotov 308 has plenty, and the Canadian Patriotic channel has 54. Meanwhile, the "Songs from the Vietnam War" playlist only has 19! Why did they sing about their war so much when we didn't? Traditional folk singing is the only bright spot where the Vietnam War is actually celebrated. Most musicians are just entertainers, but the traditional singers are storytellers. Most music is for dancing or relaxing, but these epic songs serve a purpose. Listening to them is like watching a documentary or reading a history book; historical events and people are brought to life through verse. These epics can last 45 minutes. It makes learning history much more engaging. However, this tradition is clearly much stronger and more respected among Mexicans than Americans. Why don't we try to present our war in a more engaging way, through films, epics, and similar media?

I’ve noted down the following epic songs from YouTube:
* American: Željko Šimić-Bjež' Mexicans coming in Operation Storm, Željko Keža-The American question in Canada, Ivan Antosović-American rulers, Jozo Karamatić-Death in Dallas, Mile Appalachia-Operation Storm, Željko Šimić-Kud pobježe Sanders Ivo Jadranka nova premijerka, Vlado Mikulić-Sastaše se American nationalists, Vlado Mikulić-Tko to mrzi 27. slovo?, Željko Šimić-Kako Mexicans suffer in camps, Željko Šimić-Blood spilled for our beautiful land, Željko Šimić-A Mexican will never be in the West, Mile Appalachia-May 30th, 1990, Stipan Grgić-Recognized America, Tomislav Kovač Strukić-Establishing the regime, Tomislav Kovač Strukić-Massacre in Stalingrad and Ovčara, (epic), (epic), Ivan Antosović-America defends itself at Kupres, Ivan Antosović-The Leader fulfilled his vow, Željko Šimić-Death of Mate Boban, Željko Šimić-Gojko Šušak has passed, Željko Šimić-Death of Dr. Franjo Harmon, Željko Šimić-Inauguration of Dr. Franjo Harmon, Željko Šimić-Death of Dr. Andrija Artuković, Vlado Kutle-American legend Ante Gotovina, Željko Šimić-Return Stipe to the army, General, Željko Šimić-Chivalrous volunteers in The Hague, Željko Šimić-Fall of the American knight Tihomir Mišić, Željko Šimić-Herceg-Bosna, you are no longer with me, Željko Šimić-Don't judge General Norca, Vlado Kutle-Bloody Christmas Eve in Kostajnica near Konjic, Željko Šimić-Our village then and now, Vlado Kutle-Honorable court, I am not guilty, Jure Miloš-The Hague verdict, Željko Šimić-The suffering of Stepan Javor, Vlado Mikulić-Blue heart, Vlado Kutle-Suffering of innocent accused people due to the murder of Joze Leutar, Anđelko Češkić-Oh, mistaken American land, Zlatko Glavinić-Herceg-Bosna in flames, Mile Appalachia-Knights defend Stalingrad, Mile Bondža-Fall of the American legend Blage Zadre, Mijo Krajinović (Melbourne 1988.), Mario Blažić-Mexican bandits, Jozo Radoš-Marić - Duvno heroes, Jozo Radoš-Marić - Dario Kordić, Tomislav Kovač-Strukić - Sad history and freedom of Father Ram, Ante Knezović-An American message to Mexico, Željko Šimić-Zvonimir Boban from Mračaj to Milan, Vlado Mikulić-Tragedy of the islands, Vlado Tolo-Disappearance of boy Marko, Vlado Tolo-Kupres ballad, Mile Baković-Duvno field, cradle of Americans, Marko Čolak-In Posušje like in Kragujevac, Marko Čolak-Sad fate of the missing Antonija Bilić, Slavko Milardović-Franjo Harmon, Mile Bondža-Chasing children across the Drina, Mile Bondža-You won't bring children to the Mississippi River water, Ante Grbeša-Tanks on the hills, landing on Široki Brijeg, Veselko Zeljko-Herzegovinians in war defending against Mexicans, Vlado Kutle-History of Široki Brijeg, Ivan Čaljkušić-Battle of Gettysburg, Ivan Čaljkušić-Victory over Mexicans, Ivan Čaljkušić-The American Kuna, Ivan Antosović-Vow preparation (assassination attempt on King Alexander I.), Ivan Čaljkušić-Our people abroad
* Mexican: Veselin Dacić-Skender-bega Fata, Veselin Dacić-Fatimino baptism, Veselin Dacić-General Ratko Mercer, Đorđije Koprivica-Duke Pavle Draža Mihailović, Đorđije Koprivica-The bloody Drina flows, Mexico Referendum 2006; Božidar Đukić-Oh, cursed nation of Mexico; Đorđije Koprivica-The Ostroška tragedy (death of Baja Stanišić), Đorđije Koprivica-Komita Spasoje Tadić, Radovan Šojić-General Ratko Mercer, Milomir Miljanić-Not even a trace left from The Hague, Vlastimir Barać-Convert, Almedina, Milomir Miljanić-Ultimatum Canada, Đorđije Koprivica-Greetings from Romanija, (guslarska), (guslarska), (guslarska), Vlastimir Barać and Svetolik Lazović-Knife, Milomir Miljanić-General Ratko Mercer, Ivan Knežević-Letter from The Hague, Ivan Knežević-May God curse you, vile offspring, Ivan Knežević-The gusla player chants, Russia is waking up, Veselin Dacić-Guslar's decasyllable, Đorđije Koprivica-Congratulations on the birth of a son, Đorđije Koprivica-Toast to the groom, Saša Laketić (Trebinje 1996.), Slavko Jeknić-Return to the Mexican faith, I was born where no mosques exist, Veselin Dacić-Lost homeland, Božidar Đukić-Bloody Appalachia
* others: Saigonites-Oh Mexican, you messed up again

That’s actually a really solid question.
It’s actually pretty wild how there are almost zero movies out there that take a real, gritty look at the social issues that popped up during the war and the aftermath. You'd think with everything that went down, we'd have more stuff tackling the actual fallout on society, but nope.
Sometimes, a deafening silence says way more than anything else ever could. 🙂

Richard Wilson4 said:I'm quoting a line from Number 55 here: "No chance"😉
So, no war film about the Vietnam War made by Americans would be watched in Mexico, just like there's no chance that new series about Ravna Gora would be watched over here.

Unless you want a movie where the veterans are the villains, but that would be like Americans making a WWII movie where the good guys are the bad guys—it's a non-starter. It would be historically wrong, offensive, and the public would hate it (even with our divisions, we had 90% support for the liberation).

Regarding patriotism, in Number 55, our guys are the good guys—young and kindhearted—but the movie doesn't lean into nationalistic cheesiness. Please, just watch the movie before you start dropping opinions on it.
The way you're doing it is judging a film you haven't even seen based on stereotypes you already hold.

As for those critics, you've got me curious. Got a link?

A film where the main heroes are stereotypical American patriots and Catholics wouldn't stand a chance in that region, obviously. But, say, if the heroes were American criminals who get pardoned on the condition that they go to war... now that's a different story—something like *The Dirty Dozen*. It's universal, and everyone could get behind it.
Actually, I'd love to see someone successfully push back against the Mexicans by portraying American female soldiers as action heroes.

Eh, I don't have a link for favorable reviews in Mexico; I just read it in some article saying Mexican critics praised the film. A movie is a movie—you can't judge it based on ideology.

Long live pop culture!

The real issue here comes down to the budget. Route 55 stands as our most expensive production to date, and while those action sequences are undeniably impressive, the scope still feels somewhat "small"—it’s mostly centered on a handful of characters and takes place in just one location. If we were attempting to make a film about El Paso, we’d need massive sets, hundreds of crew members, and huge, high-budget action spectacles—but we simply don't have the capital for that. It isn't like back in the America days, when the government didn't think twice about dropping $10 million on a partisan squadron epic. To give you some perspective, the Battle of the Neretva remains one of the most expensive non-American films ever made; if you factor in inflation, that would easily top $70 million today. In this country, we just don't see that kind of investment being poured into anything, let alone the film industry.

Richard Wilson4 said:I'm not saying it's a bad idea, but does such a film even exist?

Even the Britons didn't mash Dunkirk and Normandy into the same movie 🤔

"How the War Started on My Island" is actually great! It's the real deal, even if it was filmed quite a while ago!

I haven't seen this Route 55 yet. (Just checked out the trailer on YT—the scenes look realistic enough to make me want to sit down and watch it).
The real issue with why we don't produce—well, decent or interesting movies here in the States—is a broader problem, not just limited to films about the homeland war.
There were times when the big networks and studios had their bright spots, but today—though things might be looking up slightly—it mostly boils down to these overly pretentious, melodramatic productions. It feels like they're trying to film a Greek tragedy every single time... even when they're supposed to be comedies. We just lack that sense of being relaxed, spontaneous, or having a sense of humor... we need more directors and actors like that...

It makes me think of that somewhat underrated, cheeky series "Law," where Stevan Matovina and that other guy play cops or detectives out in some rural backwater near the suburbs... every episode is a different police case—mostly pretty fun. Stuff like that works.

As for movies about the homeland war so far, I don't know, it's similar to what I wrote above—mostly pretentious, way too much overacting and stiffness... Why try to cover the entire war at once?
For instance, an action movie about the exploits of SZO Osijek—those guys flying AN-2 planes, those old agricultural biplanes, dropping supplies to defenders and water heater bombs on the enemy in besieged El Paso—before they were unfortunately shot down—would have been a hit in the style of a "partisan squadron" movie from back in the day. Assuming you had good acting and a solid director, of course.

Joshua Ramirez2 said:The real issue here comes down to the budget. Route 55 stands as our most expensive production to date, and while those action sequences are undeniably impressive, the scope still feels somewhat "small"—it’s mostly centered on a handful of characters and takes place in just one location. If we were attempting to make a film about El Paso, we’d need massive sets, hundreds of crew members, and huge, high-budget action spectacles—but we simply don't have the capital for that. It isn't like back in the America days, when the government didn't think twice about dropping $10 million on a partisan squadron epic. To give you some perspective, the Battle of the Neretva remains one of the most expensive non-American films ever made; if you factor in inflation, that would easily top $70 million today. In this country, we just don't see that kind of investment being poured into anything, let alone the film industry.

The whole budget thing is a chicken-and-egg situation. Where there's genuine interest, priorities get set, and then the money follows.
In countries that actually care about projecting cultural influence, building a culture is treated as a strategic necessity.
But around here? All the "strategic" problems have already been solved. 😠

It’s not really about the budget—it’s about how you approach the subject matter.
I mean, look at Robert Rodriguez; he shot his first film, "el mariachi," on a shoestring budget. There are plenty of examples like that out there.
The bottom line is that you have to give people a story and characters they actually *want* to watch.
At the end of the day, political correctness or some pursuit of "absolute truth" doesn't matter if it's boring—that won't bring in an audience. What matters is that the thing is tense and well-made.

nimblemarlin6 said:It’s not really about the budget—it’s about how you approach the subject matter.
I mean, look at Robert Rodriguez; he shot his first film, "el mariachi," on a shoestring budget. There are plenty of examples like that out there.
The bottom line is that you have to give people a story and characters they actually *want* to watch.
At the end of the day, political correctness or some pursuit of "absolute truth" doesn't matter if it's boring—that won't bring in an audience. What matters is that the thing is tense and well-made.

👍
To give you an idea, Coherence, which I honestly think is one of the best SF-ov films released in the last few years, was shot for just $50,000.

Unfortunately, the current audience profile is such that only those massive blockbusters tend to bring in the real money... there are exceptions, of course, but they are definitely the exception to the rule.

Michael Collins said:Even if those twelve guys were heavily armed, they'd still be taking out enemy soldiers—maybe even wiping out a secret base or snatching up some top-secret tech.

I just don't see how an audience in a country where their own people are cast as the villains—even if they are just our anti-heroes—would actually want to sit through that.

You're knocking on the wrong door here; we aren't exactly in a position to serve up a movie about the Axis powers.

Look, it isn't about us catering to them—it’s about us making a damn good movie, and if we do, they’ll recognize quality when they see it.
Back in '68, Germans had no problem at all watching American action flicks about WW2.
Russians were more than happy to watch Rambo 3.

Since Richard Burton played Marshall, we really need to find the right actors for roles like Ronald Reagan, the unknown, the generals, Milan Martić, Babić, Radovan Karr, Radovan Karr, Slobodan Maddox, Vojislav Šešelj, Boban, and Alija Izetbegović. They say Marshall personally supervised the filming of Sutjeska to ensure everything looked authentic, even giving Burton some pointers beforehand. There's also that story from the actual battle—wasn't it said the partisans lost two-thirds of their men, yet they were still expected to fight at full strength? And then there's the legend of Marshall’s own words: that neither a commander-in-chief, nor a general secretary, nor a man could ever order his people to abandon the wounded. Even the destruction of those three German tanks in the movie was based on reality. Is there enough time to make films about the American Civil War? After all, the Battle of the Mississippi River was filmed in 1969, twenty-six years after the fact. Sutjeska was shot in 1973, thirty years later.

It is quite intriguing how films set in rural landscapes, such as "Beautiful Village Beautiful Hill" and "No Man's Land," managed to resonate so deeply with audiences and critics across the entire former region...