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Roland Emmerich: Ein Spätentwickler wettert los ("Day After Tomorrow" Director Hates Bush-MUST READ)
RP Online via Tim Blair ^ | May 28, 2004 | "werner"

Posted on 05/27/2004 10:04:24 PM PDT by Dont Mention the War

Roland Emmerich, the German director of "The Day after Tomorrow" made these illuminating remarks in interviews in the German press. It says a lot about him but also about the Hollywood mindset.

Here is the German original, the translation of the excerpt is mine. Do you think he would say this to American audiences?

Q: Will the anti-Bush mood outside of America be conducive to the success of the film?

A: I had no idea that Bush would get up to all the things he did eventually. During the last election campaign I was already writing the script. I hope America comes to its senses. They have been so lied to by the government. For us Europeans this is crystal clear, but also for a few Americans. However there are still 50% of Americans who want to vote for Bush – this is absolutely inconceivable for me.

Q: Don´t you get into all kinds of trouble when you as a German take such a stand?

A: As I already told my mother, they probably won´t let me back in. (laughs)

Q: But you are not the only one fulminating against Bush. Many filmmakers think the same way.

A: That is indeed new and it is good. I admire colleagues who are commited to political awareness and engage in a critical discourse with people.

Q: The American people do not have the best reputation with regard to ecology. How environmentally conscious are the Americans really?

A: Totally, just not their government. Of course I can only speak for my friends. This may perhaps sound a bit elitist, but most of them drive an electric car. The Americans would approve if those on top would do more for the environment. But they never had a green party in the government which could have had some influence – in contrast to Germany. There is a great gap: Americans want to recycle. 78% of all people there are worried about the environment. But the government doesn´t see it that way. In the last election, the environmental candidate Al Gore had the consent of the regular voters, and only the electoral college finally changed it. I still think it was a family affair in Florda. There was something fishy about it.

Q: You seem to be downright furious.

A: But this all goes much further. With a policy of fear they tried to find a pretext to invade Iraq after September 11. The Americans were made insecure, to make them agree to that. The intelligent Americans are so appalled by what their president does, you cannot imagine it.

Q: Are these things really communicated in the open?

A: Yes, for the first time there are now open discussions.

Q: Whereas the infamous Patriot Act has even succeeded in muzzling media.

A: That is a giant problem. As soon as you criticize something, you are no longer a patriot. What about that? America is the oldest democracy in the world. Since then they have totally developed beckwards. Euope was most of the time under monarchic influence [sic], but is today three or four times as democratic as America. I hope this will soon change. I think that will work out.


And in a recent interview with the German Spiegel newsmagazine:

"We must not destroy our planet. The United States are the most powerful country, and there sits George W. Bush, a president who cares about nothing but oil. How different would the world be if the Democratic environmentalist politician Al Gore would have come to power? All this is hard to bear for me as a German. I never want to be an American."

Then he claims his next car will be a hybrid fuel/electric one, but asks: "Why does the industry build the ugliest bodies for hybrid cars? There is method behind it. They want to keep selling their expensive fuel models..."

Another newspaper writes that currently he still drives his "old" BMW.

It´s all there, isn´t it? I think this should be better known in the US.

Posted by: werner at May 28, 2004 at 07:32 AM


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Germany; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 2004electionbias; activistactors; algorelostgetoverit; antiamericanism; boycott; boycotthollywood; bushhasser; campaignfinance; cfr; dayaftertomorrow; dnctalkingpoints; globalwarming; hollywoodleft; liberalwetdream; onforeignsoil; rolandemmerich; saddamite
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You may wish to spread this around to any conservative or moderate friends that are considering seeing this movie.
1 posted on 05/27/2004 10:04:28 PM PDT by Dont Mention the War
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To: Dont Mention the War
But...but...What about my DVDs of "The Patriot" and "Independence Day," also made by Emmerich?

AARRRGGGHHH these lefties....why can't they just stick to making films and shut up?

2 posted on 05/27/2004 10:12:17 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Extremer than any Extremist!!!)
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To: Dont Mention the War
At the risk of repeating myself here, but it bears repeating....

Emmerich is the same intellectual Krakatoa that in "Independence Day" had a woman and dog outrun, in slow motion, an explosion in a tunnel.

3 posted on 05/27/2004 10:13:59 PM PDT by JoJo Gunn (Intellectuals exist only if you believe they do. ©)
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To: Dont Mention the War

Me, I'll wait until it shows up on Mystery Science Theatre. You know, the one with the smarta$$ little robots transposed on the bottom of the screen.


4 posted on 05/27/2004 10:31:32 PM PDT by NaughtiusMaximus (This fatwah direct to you from the holy city of Skokie.)
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To: NaughtiusMaximus

You'll be waiting a while. MST3K has been cancelled.


5 posted on 05/27/2004 10:37:40 PM PDT by TheBigB (When Woody Allen and Soon-Yi are in bed together, does he ever yell, "Who's your daddy?!")
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To: JoJo Gunn

well, the explosion was moving in slow motion too, so it was a fair race...

This director just makes different variations on the same crappy movie and, amazingly, gets people to swallow it all.


6 posted on 05/27/2004 10:43:01 PM PDT by flashbunny (Taxes are not levied for the benefit of the taxed.)
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To: flashbunny

MENTAL MIDGET ALERT!

Yeah, the Patriot act muzzled the media...

Cite chapter and verse, bud!


7 posted on 05/27/2004 10:56:52 PM PDT by adam_az (Call your State Republican Party office and VOLUNTEER!!!!)
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To: Dont Mention the War

However there are still 50% of Americans who want to vote for Bush – this is absolutely inconceivable for me."

me too.... it should be 70% ...


8 posted on 05/27/2004 10:57:12 PM PDT by WOSG (Peace through Victory! Iraq victory, W victory, American victory!)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

Ind. Day was a totally crappy movie. pushing all emotional buttons with a horrible script...

it actually explains it. the 'patriotism' in that movie was hackneyed, juvenile and false.

The Patriot was much better, but had its moments of PC hollywood nonsense.


9 posted on 05/27/2004 10:58:49 PM PDT by WOSG (Peace through Victory! Iraq victory, W victory, American victory!)
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To: Dont Mention the War

This guy comes off as pretty smug for a fellow who based his script and "science" on a book written by Art Bell and a guy who says he's been in a flying saucer.


10 posted on 05/27/2004 11:16:30 PM PDT by GOP Jedi
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To: Dont Mention the War

the most recent ratings on Rotten Tomatoes fansite says it's rotten, although about 50/50.

The NYTimes reporter liked it, but my favorite comment was that it was an Irwin Allen movie...actually, I liked Irwin Allens' movies, but didn't believe them.


11 posted on 05/27/2004 11:36:13 PM PDT by LadyDoc (liberals only love politically correct poor people)
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To: TheBigB
Yeah and that sucks!

I miss Crow T Robot and the gang.

12 posted on 05/28/2004 5:51:41 AM PDT by Condor51 (Leftists Are Moral and Intellectual Parasites)
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To: All

bump


13 posted on 05/28/2004 12:59:51 PM PDT by Dont Mention the War
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To: Dont Mention the War
This may perhaps sound a bit elitist, but most of them drive an electric car.

And get the electricity from where, dumbass? Germany is washing its hands of nuclear power . Since consumption is not falling, Germany is replacing the power lost with French electricity . . . . wait for it . . . . generated with nuclear power. Dumbass! Hypocrite!

What did your family do in the war, Roland?

14 posted on 05/28/2004 1:07:03 PM PDT by Petronski (They could choose between shame and war: Some chose shame, but got war anyway.)
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To: Dont Mention the War
I read about 2/3 of the German original. That was all I could take. This guy speaks lousy German, the sort of semi-literate dialect you hear from young, upper-middle-class German tourists. ("Ich wollte was anderes.") It's the German equivalent of "I'm psyched" and "Go for it!" from my generation. When I hear Gerry tourists talking that way, their meaningless words just run together for me.

But this guy is in some ways worse: he claims to have significant insights. He claims to know something about science. He claims to be an independent artist. (Contemporary Hollywood hacks always like to pose as if they flip the studios the bird.)

15 posted on 05/28/2004 2:01:05 PM PDT by mrustow
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To: Dont Mention the War
The intelligent Americans are so appalled by what their president does, you cannot imagine it.

If only we could be on the same plane as they are.

So many stupid little people to educate, so little time.

16 posted on 05/28/2004 2:07:34 PM PDT by Madame Dufarge
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To: Dont Mention the War
After seeing Universal Soldier and the Patriot, I didn't think he was this far out there.

Damn.

17 posted on 05/28/2004 2:15:40 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan ("Today we did what we had to do. They counted on America being passive. They were wrong.” - Reagan)
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To: GOP Jedi
Exactly. A smug, stupid man who makes shallow movies that show contempt for moviegoers' intelligence. And I'm including The Patriot, which was well-acted, but was hampered by a cliche-filled script by Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan), and Emmerich's always heavy-handed direction.
18 posted on 05/28/2004 2:47:31 PM PDT by mrustow
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To: Dont Mention the War
This may perhaps sound a bit elitist, but most of them drive an electric car. The Americans would approve if those on top would do more for the environment.

Typical idiot Lefty. As we all know, electricty comes from the Power Fairy and produces no pollution.

Electric cars displace the pollution and in study after study cause more pollution from the plants than the vehicles.

19 posted on 05/28/2004 2:54:37 PM PDT by freedumb2003 (This is a tag: </> This is a Line ---------)
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To: All

Evening ping.


20 posted on 05/28/2004 4:22:30 PM PDT by Dont Mention the War
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