NOTE: Hold the Mayo was the title of the weekly column I wrote for my college paper. The clipping for this column is lacking a date but I would guess February 1985. I learned a few things as I typed this entry. One, is that it is hard not to edit along the way, and Goodwins Law was clearly in effect in the early 80s.

A Bad Movie
On Tuesday, Feb 21 at 7 p.m. I found myself sitting in the sixth row - a few seats left of center - in 101 Neville Hall to watch the latest movie in the Peace Action Film Series.

All politics aside for a moment, the film "America: From Hitler to M-X" was a bad movie. I got the impression that I could have left after the first half, and not missed anything new. The film also fell far short of its aim in drawing connections between the American military and Nazi Germany. It drew some interesting parallels to the style of rhetoric but did nothing to link American policies to those of National Socialist Germany in any way.

The film did, however, do an excellent job in pointing out the effects of early misperceptions about the nature of radioactive substances. It also did a fair job of pointing out some of the problems and and abuses within the nuclear industry.

But those were perhaps the film's only redeeming segments.

The film started with about 20 minutes of statements by labor union officials to the effect that those opposing nuclear arms are not by nature communists, and complaining about "red baiting." The purpose of this segment could only be to try to put those who disagree with them on the defensive.

After the movies own defensive period, they set out on a fervent attack on the military industrial complex.

The attack was at times well done, and the film raised some valid points (mostly in the two segments discussed above) but other than that it was labor officials screaming with indignation, and various attempts to tug at the viewers emotions.

There was one unusual and quite off the wall idea presented near the movie's conclusion. At least it was one I hadn't heard before.

One of the movie's interviewees seemed to think that the primary reason for the build-up of nuclear weapons was to put down possible internal rebellion that might result from President Reagan's economic policies.

Now, I think it is very possible that the current administration may be so distant from reality that they may consider and even use nuclear weapons in a war, but to even suggest that they would use them - or even threaten to use them - internally is a bit absurd. I wonder which cities they would decide to nuke first? Myself, I've always thought Butte, Montana is expendable.

One of the points that the movie seemed to miss is why it is unlikely that the defense budget will ever be substantially reduced. That is that there is at least one major military contractor or installation in every one of the 50 states. When the military budget comes before congress, few congressmen or congresswomen are willing to vote for a cut in defense spending that will cut money going to their constituents.

Borrowing on the one to 10 scale of most movie reviewers, "America: From Hitler to M-X" gets a 3.

What can I say. I was young, naive and all but drowning in a vast sea of crunchy granola liberalism. I think it is also painfully clear that I was not destined for a career as a movie critic.

And my apologies to the people of Butte.

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at 03:55 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment