How Contact (1997) Became a Propaganda Film for the US Military

The 1997 science-fiction epic Contact is a fine movie, an unusually profound and intelligent story about contact with alien life. But what you probably don’t know is that Contact was rewritten by the US military in exchange for support to the film-makers.

A Pentagon database of films they have worked on says:

'Originally a fair amount of silly military depiction. Negotiated civilianization of almost all military parts. Minimal military depiction, but positive (benign). Allowed use of vehicles & helicopters for National Guard sequence.'

The database also shows that it took three months of negotiations between when the military received the script and when they approved Pentagon support.

But what does this mean? What is ‘civilianization’ and what changes did the military make to the script?

#military #aliens #movies #propaganda

[nedryerson]

I forgot you had a youtube channel. Please make more videos, love your work!

[RyanPerrella]

3:33 that’s only 1 month and 3 days, and curiously the daye approved was September 11th. Since you mentioned the “PentAHHH-GON”

[Matt_Mosley]

Thankfully, CG is so cheap now it probably wouldn't be rewritten today.

[super-super-]

Hi, offtopic question: on your last Clandestime 204, you used some funky music in your intermissions. Where can I get full versions of those? Sounds like something from the 70s. Edit: sounds like something from Lalo Schifrin :D which is great.

[rabudman]

Good film. Liked it when it came out. Think I went 2 or 3 times to see it in the theater. Looks kinda dated now. 1st time I'd seen Matthew McConaughey. I wondered at the time why this guy wasn't a big star and why she was a lesbian.

[MakiPcr]

All these videos are incredibly depressing; makes the MCU look quaint