Does the Pentagon call the shots?

The Pentagon has frequently forced Hollywood filmmakers to change scripts as a condition for its cooperation in their movies, according to the current issue of Brill’s Content. In an article written by David Robb, the investigative journalist who famously quit the Hollywood Reporter following a much-reported row with its publisher, the magazine reported that the Pentagon has in several cases refused assistance to producers who refuse to alter their scripts. The Robb article quoted one internal army memo sharply criticizing the script for Forrest Gump, particularly a scene in which the title character, portrayed by Tom Hanks, shows a scar on his buttock to President Johnson. A navy memo stated: “The ‘mooning’ of a president by a uniformed soldier is not acceptable cinematic license.” The Pentagon’s power has been displayed in other, more subtle ways, too, the article suggests. It reported that in agreeing to allow the filmmakers use of army land in the upcoming Anthony Hopkins starrer Hearts in Atlantis, the Pentagon suggested that an army recruiting booth be shown in a carnival scene.