MovieChat Forums > The General's Daughter (1999) Discussion > What was everyone's problem with the end...

What was everyone's problem with the end title cards?

posted 13 years ago by Zombie55
3 replies | jump to latest

I was just wondering, having read most of the negative reviews of this film, I have noticed most people seriously complaining about, and feeling offended by, the end title cards that say "Today there are over 500,000 women serving proudly in the military", I was just curious, why did the people find that offensive?

I mean, I don't quite get where so many accusations are coming from that "it is as if we are supposed to be thankful for the events depicted here"?

I was assuming that it was probably inserted just to inform the fact there are a lot of women in the military, despite how danerous it could be for them!

What was really so offensive about that title card?

[–] leobourne 13 years ago

There was nothing offensive. It was a message as you say that women fight for their rights in the Army. those who think it's offensive are probable male chauvinists who get insecure because certain women are more intelligent than them. Or outrank them. Ask them to grow up.

[–] hannedog 13 years ago

I think this review sums it up best: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144214/reviews?filter=hate;filter=hate;start=3

"It is completely moral to take a true story and 'dramatize' it for a moral or ideological reason. It is also moral to create an entirely fictional story for the same reason. However, it is unethical to create a fictional story and then mislead the viewer into believing it is true just to propagate one's ideology. It is this sin that the film makers are guilty of.

You may say, 'Well, everyone knows it's from a novel'. Oh, please….. There are so many people who don't read books at all and whose only source of knowledge is the movies or TV. To these people, movies and TV are the Voice of Authority. The film makers are well aware of this. Perhaps it was this awareness that led them to this manipulation……."

In fact, the very reason why I came to this forum on IMDB was to find out more information on the film (after I had just watched it for the first time on TNT), because the ending message *did* give me the impression the movie was based on true events. I came here to find out more information about whether the movie was based on a true story, and if so, to find out more details on it... although I'm not surprised it was entirely fiction.

Even still, I thought the movie was pretty good, the "dishonest" presentation of info at the end notwithstanding, it was a piece of compelling entertaining fiction.

[–] Pyromania 13 years ago

I came on for the exact same reason. However, while the movie was based on a book, the book was supposed to be loosely based on the "Tailhook Scandal."

And just because someone does or does not read a lot has nothing to do with whether or not they will have read the book. I'm very well-read (I've read 85 books in the past five months as part of my New Year's resolution) and I would never in a million years be interested in reading this book (I don't care for anything involving rape, I only saw the movie because my father had it on during dinner), while I know someone who's borderline illiterate that loved the book (despised the movie, though).

I do, however, believe that it is somewhat unethical for a falsehood to be portrayed as a fact; yes, people need to educate themselves before accepting something as the god-given truth, however the ones doing the lying need to take responsibility, as well.

...Don't look now, but I think the monotremes are out to get me...