Bush Equated with Hitler in 'Matrix' Sequel?

worldnetdaily.com ^ | 5/22/03 | Joe Kovacs

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

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HOLLYWOOD VS. AMERICA
Bush equated with Hitler
in 'Matrix' sequel?
Image of president shown with dictator
in discussion of evil

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Posted: May 22, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Joe Kovacs

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© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

Is President Bush equated with Adolf Hitler in the science-fiction flick "The Matrix Reloaded"?

The question is being asked in connection with a scene in the new movie where images of Bush and the German dictator are displayed during a discussion of evil in the world.

Adolf Hitler

"If they're saying our president is in the same league as Adolf Hitler, then I don't want to see this movie," says Mark Szorady of Rome, Ohio.

The 44-year-old cartoonist tells WorldNetDaily he has no idea if that's the intent of the filmmaker, but his curiosity has been piqued by reviews and online discussions of the blockbuster.

"The Matrix Reloaded" continues the story of mankind's struggle against machines which use artificial intelligence to enslave the human race in a dream world.

TV screens behind Keanu Reeves in 'The Matrix Reloaded' (Warner Bros.)

During the scene in question, actor Keanu Reeves – who portrays the hero "Neo" – is standing in front of a large bank of video screens as he discusses mankind's history with the designer of the computer-simulated world which is called "the Matrix."

Images of wickedness begin to rapidly flash on the monitors, including photos of nuclear warfare and notorious killers.

"When the architect of the Matrix describes the folly of man," Scott Bowles of USA Today says, "look at the screens behind Neo, which show images of a historical monster and a contemporary president."

The historical monster to whom he refers is Hitler, and the president is George W. Bush, as well as his father for a brief moment.

President Bush

"Discussion of evil in the world and flashing the picture of our president. Why?" asks Szorady. "Are they saying he's evil? ... I'd like to see this thing frame-by-frame."

The scene is also sparking chatter on the Internet about possible intended messages.

"If the Matrix films, the most philosophically challenging movies to be produced in a generation, reveal any obvious signs of the politics of its makers, then this subliminal equation (Hitler=Bush?) is it," writes the Today newspaper of the Philippines in an editorial about "Reloaded."

Messageboard threads on Yahoo and Free Republic.com include a host of reactions which span the political spectrum:

• "[Bush is] appropriately just to the right of Hitler."

• "This flick is off my list! I'm not even interested anymore!

• "Although it was not up long, it was safe to say that over half the audience recognized the dig at the president as well as the context that it was in – that President Bush was a negative part of human history."

• "I saw it. The TV monitors show Nazis, Hitler, and an atomic explosion, and somewhere in the midst of all that the face of George W. Bush can be seen for a second or so. Why would such a peace-loving president so emotionally engaged with the struggle of the common man ever be included alongside such dark images? What could the filmmakers have been thinking? Is it too late to start a boycott of this film? ... Maybe if enough pressure can be exerted, they can have the offensive image removed before they press the DVD!"

Contributors to Free Republic have even posted the images of Hitler and the Bushes from the movie in at least one discussion thread.

A spokesperson for the Warner Bros. studio told WorldNetDaily the company was reviewing the sequence in question to be "accurate" for any comment regarding the alleged Bush-Hitler connection.

Placing presidents in works of pop culture is certainly nothing new for the entertainment industry, as productions have featured both footage of elected leaders and actors portraying real-life officials.

Some have obvious comedic value, like in 1978's "The Pink Panther Strikes Again," where then-President Gerald Ford was lampooned as a stumbling buffoon more concerned with a college-football score than saving the world from a doomsday scenario.

President George H.W. Bush was cast in a less than flattering light during the Irish rock band U2's 1990 "Zoo TV" tour, as fans viewed a host of political images on giant video screens culminating with a caption telling the audience, "It's your world, you can change it."

Meantime, "The Matrix Reloaded" is already among the biggest financial smashes in movie history, grossing $134.3 million during its first four days, nearly matching the entire amount the first "Matrix" collected in its first five weeks.

It's expected to become the most successful R-rated film ever released, needing at least $234.8 million to match the current No. 1, "Beverly Hills Cop."

"I think it will easily do over $300 million," box-office analyst Robert Bucksbaum of ReelSource Inc. told the Los Angeles Daily News.

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Related story:

'Matrix' makers blast charge of albino bias

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Joe Kovacs is executive news editor for WorldNetDaily.com.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

"John Q" was an infomercial for Hitlery like socialized health care you are right. But there was also an anti-gun scene mini mini commercial within the movie.(Gun shot victim comes into E.R.) So this is where I got confused thanks for the correction.

[ClearCase_guy]

with the second one a parallel to the real world of Zion

I don't think Zion is a real world. Zion is a second matrix, an Upper Matrix if you will. Here's my theory:

Thomas Anderson is an Anomaly of the Upper Matrix. The nature of his anomaly is that he can manifest himself in the Lower Mattrix, as Neo, and once there, he can wield enormous power. This anomaly has occurred 6 times, but has not yet succeeded in freeing humanity.

Agent Smith is an Anomaly of the Lower Matrix. The nature of his anomaly is that he has an overwhelming desire to leave the Lower Matrix. It is not clear if this anomaly has ever occurred before. By itself, this Lower Matrix Anomaly cannot succeed in its quest. However, the confluence of the Upper Matrix Anomaly (Neo) and the Lower Matrix Anomaly (Smith) succeed in creating a chain of events that pull Smith into the Upper Matrix. Once there, he may succeed in serving (as Gollum does in LOTR) as an element of the evil forces who unwittingly succeeds in freeing Humanity (by smashing the Upper Matrix in which Zion is manifested).

What lies beyond this Upper Matrix, in a mystery. Wheels within wheels.

[zx2dragon]

There were multiple images of which Hitler and Bush were two. They have said since the beginning that the AI explosion happened just after the turn of the century which would leave who as the president?

[I still care]

After reading this, my son, who was planning to see the movie, has said he will not see it. We are sick of Hollywood telling us how to think.

[mabelkitty]

Only to the dumbed down publicly educated.

[Dialup Llama]

>What lies beyond this Upper Matrix, in a mystery. Wheels within wheels.

I predict that Matrix III will end much like Logan's Run, Soylent Green and THX1138- once you break out of the dome, city limits etc... you find a pristine, abundant world that no one thought could exist.

Or maybe it will end just like the video game it is and have 20 levels with 100 more levels in the upcoming version.

[OneVike]

Saw the movie and the clip in question.

Save your money I was very, very, very, disapointed. The orgy scene was especially sick.

[modern_orthodox]

For those who must see...

IRC sites have it for download.

As well as Kazaa.

See it for FREE. Don't pad dem pockets.

For sure. Better to commit theft of intellectual property. Whatever happened to the rule of law? Be consistent. If you aren't going to pay to see it, then don't see it.

[LS]

I have to agree. I'm a little tired of people waiting to be offended. As a Christian, I went into this looking for the self-professed Christ messages, and while these guys know some of the Bible, they don't know enough to tell their story well as a parable.

I did find it a very entertaining movie.

[Our man in washington]

Freeper arts ping.

[ido_now]

What do you think "Hitlery" will do with the various "Patriot" acts. If she could get away with killing Vince Foster, Waco and other crap, just watch what she can do now.

You better understand German because she will be our next leader: Heil Hitlery.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

I don't think that it was in reference to the entire movie just the pictured part in reference to this threads subject.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

After our direct threat, the most evasive Patriot Acts will be relinquished. If not...Hillary as Hitlery in a nightmaric full force scenerio would last a nano-second in this country.Too many guns (and the ones that know how to use them responsibly and have no problem shedding blood against tyranny are the majority) and retired/ and AD military to Defend and fight enemies both foreign and domestic.

[Max7]

You're right about the dance sequence being unnecessary, not to mention that it looked more like some sort of orgy than actual "dancing". (And what was that "speech" all about?? What a waste of time.) Also, the intimate scene with Reeves and the Matrix gal, whose name escapes me, was also not necessary and gratuitous to the story line. We came to see "sci fi", not a picture with that crap in it. It's too bad the makers feel they must include stuff like this to convince the viewers of a "relationship" between two main characters in order to entertain movie-goers and make it more convincing. It may be indicative of so-called real life to some, but we get that on the news 24/7, so who really needs to see it, especially in something like this?? And KIDS will see this (the parents will BRING them in, trust me), so it's VERY instructive to them in the how-to-do-it. There must have been some discussion at some point that the script/story was weak and they had to make up for it somehow, and this was one way to do it. Anyway, since, in our opinion, it doesn't measure up to the first Matrix movie (no matter how many fight scenes there are - that go on and on and on and on, or how much $$$ it's brought in so far) - it just didn't cut it with us. We were disappointed. I'll bet we're not the only ones, either. We never saw the picture of the President in the collage w/Hitler. It's probably there. That's the kind of place we live in now. Probably was intended to "enlighten" the community at large. It didn't.......

[Paradox]

This is total CRAP, it makes conservatives sound like whiny liberals. I saw the movie, was prepared for the scene, I watched it carefully. He was NOT "compared to Hitler", sheesh, some people are getting a wee bit too paranoid. The sequence was just a diatribe about humanity and war. They showed GHWB as well, if I was not mistaken, they showed a couple other wartime presidents..

Sheesh, we need to stop pissin' in our pants, and pull up our skirts. No wonder people sometimes dont take us seriously.

[Centurion2000]

No, interest to pay 8 bucks for the garbage movies nowadays and rarely I may pay 3 bucks on pay per view for the rare good movies.

Lucky for me I didn't have to pay either.... our IT department paid for 100+ people to go see it.

[Centurion2000]

The politics of the first movie, The Matrix, is clearly anti-white.

All the "good" people out to save humanity are mixed race or of color (Keanu is mixed race). The only exception is the "good" white girlfriend of Neo who betrays her own racial group which is the “evil” white group.

Interesting that you mentioned that ... the one thing that I wondered about in the second movie when they showed scenes of Zion .....

Where are the white people at ?? .... a few scenes later I find out that both of them (old man and old woman) are busy running the joint via a council.

Talk about unintentional irony.

[Centurion2000]

The last human city (Zion) is about 95% black.

Don't forget to notice who was running the city though .... that's the funny part.

[ClearCase_guy]

It's true, and it's very ironic. On the other hand, the Evil Twins who can turn themselves into ghosts appear to be "black" as far as I could tell -- but they are albinos. So, even the bad black people are white.

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the 2 white leaders of Zion are secretly traitors (or something).

[Centurion2000]

Actually the old leader will more than likely be the NEO version 5.0 guy.

Bet on it.