The Forgotten Soldier Movie Update

[Doug Nash]

I think the only reason it isn't being made, at least not by the present (or rather I should say, the former) production team is that the financial backers (or rather, speculators) had to pull out. This simply isn't a good time to take financial risks - most of the movies appearing now in theaters finished production 8 - 12 months ago, right before the worldwide financial slump began. Whether or not TFS would have been a success is hard to say, but sympathetic film treatment of former WW2 enemies have proven moderately successful during the past couple of years (Clint Eastwoods' Letters from Iwo Jima, Black Book, Valkyrie and even Downfall come to mind). But those who bankroll films do it first and foremost to make money - but every dollar they put towards a film is like gambling in a casino - you may strike it big, you may not and if you lose, you might lose big as well. Several of the backers had already lost big in the collapse of the financial markets - I don't know their ethnicity, though it hardly matters - and they didn't want to lose even more with a film that may or may not prove to be a good return on their investment. While Mr. Verhoeven was passionate about making the movie, he didn't have enough of his own money to finance it. And with other projects to keep him busy, he decided to move on and let the rights to the film lapse. That's just about all there is to it. I sincerely hope that someone else takes up the project, but I've moved on as well - I had too much emotionally invested in it myself!
Cheers,
Doug Nash

[Freebooter]

Hello all,
I would like someone like Sam Peckinpah (Cross of Iron) or Peter Jackson, who put so much realism and life into their movies, to make it.
Later,
D. Edelen

[Frederick L Clemens]

Another thing to consider about TFS as a movie is that, although the book is well-known to the people who read a board like this one, it really is a relatively unknown book to the general audience. If you are going to invest big bucks in a movie production, you have to have a big star or a big book or a story that is well-known some other way. TFS is more or less a generic story of a German soldier in WW2. Sajer's character wasn't at D-Day and he didn't end up with Hitler in the bunker, so there's nothing for most people to identify with.

As Doug said, investing in a movie is a gamble even when it is a known story, which is why they keep making Batman over and over again.

[phylo_roadking]

Sajer's character wasn't at D-Day and he didn't end up with Hitler in the bunker,

Think Holywood - with the wrong director and wrong scriptwriter he would!!!

[Doug Nash]

Phylo,
You're on to something - Hmmm, let's see - instead of Hollywood making the movie, how about Bollywood? After all, Mein Kampf is currently a best seller over there (it's being marketed as a business strategy book, of all things!) so all you need to do is throw in some music, 10,000 dancing Tandoors, a love triangle, and the Russian Front. It's so crazy, it just might work - Call it "Alsatian Dog and his Million Forgotten Reichsmarks" or something like that. What do you think? Are you with me on this? Loan me 50 million and I can GUARANTEE you we'll have a hit!
Cheers,
Doug

[phylo_roadking]

Loan me 50 million

What - you're planning on making a million Bollywood movies???

[Doug Nash]

LOL!

[Frederick L Clemens]

Bollywood TFS - the constant singing would have the same psychological effect as continous Russian artillery barrages. It might be more than the audience can take!

[hucks216]

Am I the only one who is glad that this film is not being made? The book has always been my favourite ever since I first read it as a young teenager and I just don't think a film could ever do it the justice it deserves. A Band Of Brothers style mini-series maybe, but not a film that would last just 2-3 hours regardless of who the director/producer was. Some books are just not meant to be made into films.

[centurion854]

Buck, I never thought of it that way. But unless it was at least a two parter, it would not do TFS justice.

[phylo_roadking]

Books in ANY genre that have been in circulation for decades suffer badly this way; every reader has their OWN mental image of places and faces....and no matter who he is, when it comes to making a film - the director/producer is just another "reader". The only difference HE is getting his chance to foist HIS idea of what it looks like on you, and you pay him for the priviledge!

For instance - as a JRR Tolkien fan of decades standing - never put me in a small room with Peter Jackson...

[bil]

Sort of like Brer Rabbit? ---bil