Jarhead, this question merits a separate thread...
Arrogantly expecting a last-minute slam-dunk win, the nukes came back with-- Alec Baldwin & Sean Connery?!!? "Red October" killed submarine recruiting faster than "Das Boot".
What's even more embarrassing is that the nukes were there from the beginning. A friend of mine, Reed Popovich, was part of the production just before he left active duty. He was on shore duty in San Diego, demoralized by submarine life and wondering if he should stay in to be an XO, when he was asked to give a tour of the submarine piers. He met three scruffy guys in ballcaps, jeans, & sneakers who turned out to be the director & producers. He had to explain everything submarines do-- several times-- and then spent most of the next six months on temporary duty providing technical advice. He's a tall, skinny guy with dark hair. His big scene is on a surface ship, walking over to a console & donning headphones, then directing the helicopter's weapons drop. (Unfortunately the wardrobe people insisted that he'd look better on camera uniformed as a post-command O-5 instead of an enlisted aircraft controller. Military audiences still laugh uproariously at the idea when they see this scene.) Reed was even called back for post-production reshoot to clarify some dialog-- they politely explained that he was more affordable than James Earl Jones. Reed was treated by the movie people so well, had so much fun teaching, and learned from them how employable military officers are that he resigned that year. Despite the occasional 49-cent residuals payment, he's spent the last 15 years explaining complicated military computer systems to their users. He's eagerly anticipating his eligibility for golf's Senior Tour and would be happy to shoot a round the next time you're in San Diego.
The technology is about as accurate as Hollywood ever gets it. I remember being particularly impressed by the anti-torpedo torpedo (wish we had one) and by James Earl Jones being allowed to touch a control panel. (It's a little-known clause in the UCMJ that if a flag officer touches ANY of your gear then you're allowed to smack his hand away.) The entire submarine force wishes control wires were reliable enough that we could destroy torpedoes on command so easily, and every submarine torpedoman "machinist's mate (weapons)" drools when they fantasize about disabling their exploder arming safeties. Every weapons officer wants a sonar technician like Jonesy. Speaking of fantasy, the concept that a MK46 helicopter-dropped "antisubmarine" torpedo can hit ANYTHING has yet to be demonstrated to the submarine force's satisfaction. No submariner thinking rationally would ever discharge a firearm belowdecks but it's not a military movie without them. Oh, and Jack Ryan would have drowned long before any of the crew figured out how to operate the escape trunk to let him onboard. But otherwise the director did a good job.
The producers considerably modernized the Russian submarine's control room to make it look more threatening. The Russians lacked computing power then and relied heavily on mechanical systems & rudimentary video displays. The typical Russian control room was even dimmer, dingier, & dirtier than its U.S. counterpart. The U.S. sonar room displays were technically accurate (& unclassified) but at the last minute the production staff decided to make them simpler & more audience-friendly.
I liked the shot of the Russian sailors singing as they started their patrol. We used to sing amusing songs as we pulled away from the pier, too...
I don't know if you've heard the story behind Clancy's book, but it was his fourth or fifth attempt. He'd spent years in Maryland selling insurance by day and playing war games by night before he started writing, and book after book was rejected. He'd been dismissed by every publisher in the western world before the U.S. Naval Institute, in a moment of self-admitted lunacy, decided to publish their first non-fiction book in over a century of existence. They gave away free copies to just about every Navy guy in the DC area in hopes of spurring sales. President Reagan's military aide gave him a copy on a plane trip. When the plane landed and Reagan walked toward the car, the press wanted to know what he was carrying. He held up the book, said "It's a good read!" and the rest is history. Clancy was so desperate to be published that he'd signed away future book rights to USNI for a pittance, and he spent years in legal wrangling to break free so that he could go to a "real" publisher. However he still says nice things about the Navy.
Eh, you touched a nerve. You know about the military movie competition, right? The Marines started the trash talk (as usual) with John Wayne in "The Sands of Iwo Jima". Navy's surface warriors responded with John Wayne, Patricia Neal, Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda, & too many others to mention "In Harm's Way." The Army tried to take the lead with John Wayne in "The Green Berets". Even the USAF managed a respectable entry with Gene Hackman & Danny Glover in "BAT 21". Late to the game, the naval aviators upped the ante with Tom Cruise & Kelly McGillis in "Top Gun."Jarhead* said:
Arrogantly expecting a last-minute slam-dunk win, the nukes came back with-- Alec Baldwin & Sean Connery?!!? "Red October" killed submarine recruiting faster than "Das Boot".
What's even more embarrassing is that the nukes were there from the beginning. A friend of mine, Reed Popovich, was part of the production just before he left active duty. He was on shore duty in San Diego, demoralized by submarine life and wondering if he should stay in to be an XO, when he was asked to give a tour of the submarine piers. He met three scruffy guys in ballcaps, jeans, & sneakers who turned out to be the director & producers. He had to explain everything submarines do-- several times-- and then spent most of the next six months on temporary duty providing technical advice. He's a tall, skinny guy with dark hair. His big scene is on a surface ship, walking over to a console & donning headphones, then directing the helicopter's weapons drop. (Unfortunately the wardrobe people insisted that he'd look better on camera uniformed as a post-command O-5 instead of an enlisted aircraft controller. Military audiences still laugh uproariously at the idea when they see this scene.) Reed was even called back for post-production reshoot to clarify some dialog-- they politely explained that he was more affordable than James Earl Jones. Reed was treated by the movie people so well, had so much fun teaching, and learned from them how employable military officers are that he resigned that year. Despite the occasional 49-cent residuals payment, he's spent the last 15 years explaining complicated military computer systems to their users. He's eagerly anticipating his eligibility for golf's Senior Tour and would be happy to shoot a round the next time you're in San Diego.
The technology is about as accurate as Hollywood ever gets it. I remember being particularly impressed by the anti-torpedo torpedo (wish we had one) and by James Earl Jones being allowed to touch a control panel. (It's a little-known clause in the UCMJ that if a flag officer touches ANY of your gear then you're allowed to smack his hand away.) The entire submarine force wishes control wires were reliable enough that we could destroy torpedoes on command so easily, and every submarine torpedoman "machinist's mate (weapons)" drools when they fantasize about disabling their exploder arming safeties. Every weapons officer wants a sonar technician like Jonesy. Speaking of fantasy, the concept that a MK46 helicopter-dropped "antisubmarine" torpedo can hit ANYTHING has yet to be demonstrated to the submarine force's satisfaction. No submariner thinking rationally would ever discharge a firearm belowdecks but it's not a military movie without them. Oh, and Jack Ryan would have drowned long before any of the crew figured out how to operate the escape trunk to let him onboard. But otherwise the director did a good job.
The producers considerably modernized the Russian submarine's control room to make it look more threatening. The Russians lacked computing power then and relied heavily on mechanical systems & rudimentary video displays. The typical Russian control room was even dimmer, dingier, & dirtier than its U.S. counterpart. The U.S. sonar room displays were technically accurate (& unclassified) but at the last minute the production staff decided to make them simpler & more audience-friendly.
I liked the shot of the Russian sailors singing as they started their patrol. We used to sing amusing songs as we pulled away from the pier, too...
I don't know if you've heard the story behind Clancy's book, but it was his fourth or fifth attempt. He'd spent years in Maryland selling insurance by day and playing war games by night before he started writing, and book after book was rejected. He'd been dismissed by every publisher in the western world before the U.S. Naval Institute, in a moment of self-admitted lunacy, decided to publish their first non-fiction book in over a century of existence. They gave away free copies to just about every Navy guy in the DC area in hopes of spurring sales. President Reagan's military aide gave him a copy on a plane trip. When the plane landed and Reagan walked toward the car, the press wanted to know what he was carrying. He held up the book, said "It's a good read!" and the rest is history. Clancy was so desperate to be published that he'd signed away future book rights to USNI for a pittance, and he spent years in legal wrangling to break free so that he could go to a "real" publisher. However he still says nice things about the Navy.
