Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Movies
Bud has one of the biggest US licensed video collection in the platoon. “I don’t buy Hajji,” says Bud. His reasons probably have more to do with a concern for quality than prejudice; one Soldier says he buy Hajji movies because he thinks the proceeds may fund the insurgents.
Iraqi DVDs are of two types: copies of movies which have been released on DVD and traditional bootlegs - recordings of a theatrical showing of the film. Both come from Malaysia and, accordingly, have subtitles in English, Malay, Thai, and Chinese, though the English sometimes seems to have been translated into two or three other languages before it gets to the screen. The picture on the bootlegs can be grainy and especially suffers when the screen is obscured by a patron on their way for popcorn. The sound is sometimes muffled, but the audience’s laughter – as well as their commentary - can be readily heard.
I find selection to be the biggest problem; action, thriller, and horror titles make up most of the choices. “Starship Troopers” - the celluloid standard of Soldiers - is one of the better movies available here, though popular new releases are constantly added to the mix: “Spiderman 2”, “Anchorman”, “The Terminal”, and “Collateral” have all been distributed here on the heels of their theatrical release in the US. When we hear that a movie will come out on Friday, we figure we will have it by the following Wednesday.
Mindful of the economy of buying from local vendors, I emailed the Motion Picture Association of America to inquire about their legality and importation into the US. I received no response and realized that Iraq probably has no laws against such videos. My question was answered when I went on leave: during our briefing, we were told that US Customs limits importation to one video of each title, presumably to prevent importation for commercial purposes.
Quote
Bud: I wish I was back in Falluja muzzle checking Hajjis.
Colin [baiting]: There’s a Hajji in the bathroom you could muzzle check.
Bud: Who? [The interpreter]? He’s not a Hajji.
Colin: He’s not? Bud: No, he’s Iraqi, but he’s not a Hajji.
Colin: So all Hajjis are Iraqis, but not all Iraqis are Hajjis?
Ensemble: Right.
Actually, that’s not too far from something I heard on the BBC World Service. During an interview, an executive from Al Arabiya(?) Television generalized, “All Muslims are not terrorists, but unfortunately, all terrorists are Muslims.”
Bud has one of the biggest US licensed video collection in the platoon. “I don’t buy Hajji,” says Bud. His reasons probably have more to do with a concern for quality than prejudice; one Soldier says he buy Hajji movies because he thinks the proceeds may fund the insurgents.
Iraqi DVDs are of two types: copies of movies which have been released on DVD and traditional bootlegs - recordings of a theatrical showing of the film. Both come from Malaysia and, accordingly, have subtitles in English, Malay, Thai, and Chinese, though the English sometimes seems to have been translated into two or three other languages before it gets to the screen. The picture on the bootlegs can be grainy and especially suffers when the screen is obscured by a patron on their way for popcorn. The sound is sometimes muffled, but the audience’s laughter – as well as their commentary - can be readily heard.
I find selection to be the biggest problem; action, thriller, and horror titles make up most of the choices. “Starship Troopers” - the celluloid standard of Soldiers - is one of the better movies available here, though popular new releases are constantly added to the mix: “Spiderman 2”, “Anchorman”, “The Terminal”, and “Collateral” have all been distributed here on the heels of their theatrical release in the US. When we hear that a movie will come out on Friday, we figure we will have it by the following Wednesday.
Mindful of the economy of buying from local vendors, I emailed the Motion Picture Association of America to inquire about their legality and importation into the US. I received no response and realized that Iraq probably has no laws against such videos. My question was answered when I went on leave: during our briefing, we were told that US Customs limits importation to one video of each title, presumably to prevent importation for commercial purposes.
Quote
Bud: I wish I was back in Falluja muzzle checking Hajjis.
Colin [baiting]: There’s a Hajji in the bathroom you could muzzle check.
Bud: Who? [The interpreter]? He’s not a Hajji.
Colin: He’s not? Bud: No, he’s Iraqi, but he’s not a Hajji.
Colin: So all Hajjis are Iraqis, but not all Iraqis are Hajjis?
Ensemble: Right.
Actually, that’s not too far from something I heard on the BBC World Service. During an interview, an executive from Al Arabiya(?) Television generalized, “All Muslims are not terrorists, but unfortunately, all terrorists are Muslims.”
Comments:
Post a Comment
