[Matt Wiser]

I saw this on the Politico.com site via Google News: Brian De Palma has plans to do a movie based not on Jessica's capture, captivity, and rescue, but on how it was spun and twisted by some in DOD as well as the media. He plans on calling the movie "Print the Legend." Now, will he specifically name Jessica, or will he have a fictional character based on her? I wonder what'll happen when she finds out? Given Hollyweird's track record on Iraq war movies in the theaters (all have tanked so far), this one may not even get past the script stage.

[Dilligafst]

Thanks Matt: It could be interesting since Jessica's rescue has been about the only good thing to have come out this Iraqi mess, but as you said all the movies about this war have so far tanked. It's so hard to put a movie on about something that is still happening. My bets, as yours probably are, get placed on that Jessica/family will kill the idea before it even gets off the ground. Or if it does, they will be pretty high spoken about it. To be honest, Matt, I am surprised that one else has tried to make a similar movie.

[Matt Wiser]

All of Hollyweird's movies about this war have tanked for a very good reason: people want to be entertained, not lectured. All of the movies so far about the war, other than the NBC TV movie about Jessica's rescue, have been lectures disguised as
entertainment. There may not be much she can do legally, as much, though not all, of what happened to her is a matter of public record. Though I'll agree with you that she and her family will do what they can to ensure that this project either stays as an unshot script at most, or hopefully, all copies get shredded and burned. Now, if it was a documentary project rather than some producer's idea of an anti-war lecture disguised as a movie, Jessica could have other ideas.

[Dilligafst]

Yep, you're probably right about the documentary idea. I'd like to see that actually. There are so many ways that one could do a documentary about Jessica, her rescue, and life afterwards, beginning, of course with the only successful one before her, in January of 1945. That actually has good potential. And Jessica has gained a better handle on things to really exert control over it if it comes down that on. Some of the titles of the Iraq movies reminded me about the ones done in Vietnam. Some were done in favor of the war; others against it. The movies carried their vote within them and went down largely because of on which side they came down. It was only after the Vietnam war that the really good movies -- Deer Hunter, Platoon, etc -- came out about it. We shall see, though.

[The Shadow]

The traitors, the Blame-America-First jerks, the Anti-War movement snobs, and the leftist liberals who run Hollywood are trying to make anti-war and anti-Bush propoganda and are using Jessica Lynch, who still remains loyal to the U.S. and supports the troops, as an example of truth twisting to support the war, something which they could not do before as they did with the Tillman case. I hope this film never gets made and if it does, I cannot wait to miss it. I am very disappointed with Brian De Palma, whose work I used to admire.

[Dilligafst]

"The traitors, the Blame-America-First jerks, the Anti-War movement snobs, and the leftist liberals who run Hollywood are trying to make anti-war and anti-Bush propoganda and are using Jessica Lynch, who still remains loyal to the U.S. and supports the troops, as an example of truth twisting to support the war, something which they could not do before as they did with the Tillman case."

What? The disloyal anti-war snobs twisting the truth that was already twisted way beyond the facts to get us into this war that we should never have got into in the first place, with Jessica herself up there before the senate saying her story was rather inflated and used by her former employers, and how she has had to spend so much time with so much heartache to disabuse the propaganda about what happened to her, and the Tillman's up there telling about the army cover-up of Pat's death in Afghanistan, and us lefties are the disloyal un-Americans daring to shout against the continued slaughter of US troops for no reason besides oil that make any sense? I am fresh from just such a debate with a marine Iraqi war vet, a close friend, wounded in Baghdad during the initial invasion, (he was in Iraq when Jessica was rescued) now having immense trouble getting the benefits for his sacrifice from the government that sent him there. He has called the Iraqi war "my generation's Vietnam."

However, I do hope that De Palma does not come out with this film. One of the saddest things about this war is the divide it has generated within the country. If De Palma (I have not watched that many of his films and am not especially enamored of what he does but that is beside the point) does go ahead with it, I hope that he explores how one, one of the many, of Jessica's acts of heroism is how she has consistently stayed above the fray, giving credit where it is due, dispelling the myths about her that she has had to live down, and still being gracious about it, and still so young. As far as I know no other soldier, active or ex, has had to deal with such a load as Jessica.

[Laracroft]

"

What? The disloyal anti-war snobs twisting the truth that was already twisted way beyond the facts to get us into this war that we should never have got into in the first place, with Jessica herself up there before the senate saying her story was rather inflated and used by her former employers, and how she has had to spend so much time with so much heartache to disabuse the propaganda about what happened to her, and the Tillman's up there telling about the army cover-up of Pat's death in Afghanistan, and us lefties are the disloyal un-Americans daring to shout against the continued slaughter of US troops for no reason besides oil that make any sense? I am fresh from just such a debate with a marine Iraqi war vet, a close friend, wounded in Baghdad during the initial invasion, (he was in Iraq when Jessica was rescued) now having immense trouble getting the benefits for his sacrifice from the government that sent him there. He has called the Iraqi war "my generation's Vietnam."

However, I do hope that De Palma does not come out with this film. One of the saddest things about this war is the divide it has generated within the country. If De Palma (I have not watched that many of his films and am not especially enamored of what he does but that is beside the point) does go ahead with it, I hope that he explores how one, one of the many, of Jessica's acts of heroism is how she has consistently stayed above the fray, giving credit where it is due, dispelling the myths about her that she has had to live down, and still being gracious about it, and still so young. As far as I know no other soldier, active or ex, has had to deal with such a load as Jessica.

Dilligafst
great response!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel the same way. Had we stayed in Just afghanstan were we had reason to be there. then i would be 100% behind it.

[Dilligafst]

Lara:

Thanks much. I am 100% behind Afghanistan as well. We have excellent reason to be there and we should be there in full a force as possible. Somehow I think that if Iraq had not intervened our reasons for being there might have been excised long ago. It is always irksome when someone calls someone else disloyal or whatever in a land where there is something called freedom of expression for daring to question, especially in the case of Iraq when so much else has come out to the contrary of what we were given to sell the war to us in the first place. I hate to sound political on this board here, but as the token liberal, the "leftie," on here (and bloody proud of it..lol) I could not sit still on that argument.

[Laracroft]

Lara:

Thanks much. I am 100% behind Afghanistan as well. We have excellent reason to be there and we should be there in full a force as possible. Somehow I think that if Iraq had not intervened our reasons for being there might have been excised long ago. It is always irksome when someone calls someone else disloyal or whatever in a land where there is something called freedom of expression for daring to question, especially in the case of Iraq when so much else has come out to the contrary of what we were given to sell the war to us in the first place. I hate to sound political on this board here, but as the token liberal, the "leftie," on here (and bloody proud of it..lol) I could not sit still on that argument.

dont feel like the lone leftie (Liberal) i sit in those seats to. I agree with your statements.

[Dilligafst]

Hello Lara:

Well, there's two of us then:) Thank God for that. I cherish good company:)

[RichardLowry]

Hello All!

Remember me. I have been immersed in research for my next book which will tell the story of the fight for Fallujah. But that is not why I am posting. I am the historical consultant for a full length documentary movie. We are going to tell several stories of heroes of the Iraq war. We are in the process of selecting soldiers, sailors and Marines to feature. We will be telling the stories of several Marines from Nasiriyah and soldier, sailors and Marines from Fallujah. Ther will be others also. I tried once again to contact Jessica, and, once again, she has not responded.

I will post more details on the film as we get closer to the release.

Regards,

Richard

[Dilligafst]

God, there are so many. I know a dozen or more that could qualify for those roles. One, a marine, was in the initial invasion and wrote about it. He got wounded in the back in Baghdad, but he had fought his way there, all the major battles. He wrote about it and I helped him edit it. But there are so many.

[mainzman]

Richard,

Your upcoming book for which you are currently researching should be very interesting. As far as doing the research for this book, where do you begin?! It's a matter of contacting those soldiers who are willing to talk about their experiences, be it Jessica or the other soldiers and marines who experienced combat in Iraq.

[Matt Wiser]

Richard, it's been a while since we've heard from you. Best of luck on the Fallujah book and the new documentary. As far as Jessica not responding, well, given that she's balancing school, physical therapy, and her daughter (who probably has already destroyed the house or apartment at least once, if Dakota Ann is like her peers), and may not have the time to answer each request for an interview. It's unfortunate that she hasn't responded to you, as her input would be valuable to your project, as it would have been to your previous book. Btw, DePalma according to Google News has a new project in the works, and may have dropped his plan for a Jessica-based flick. If he has canned the Jessica project, good for him.