Area Filmmaker Shows Troops' Good Works
Charlottesville (VA) Daily Progress
January 4, 2008
Area Filmmaker Shows Troops' Good Works
By Bryan McKenzie
Charlottesville-based filmmaker Scott Mactavish's new documentary depicts courage and character among American military personnel in a response to what he calls Hollywood portrayals of American troops as rapacious, homicidal sociopaths.
"God and Country," which is now ready for distribution, "corrects the general consensus of the military as guys who have no other recourse in life," according to Mactavish. He said films such as "Redacted," "The Valley of Elah" and "Stop Loss" portray American troops as "blood-thirsty thugs."
"It's part of Hollywood's [thought pattern] to put out that message and maybe that's because they haven't had much contact with the military and the people in it," said Mactavish, a Gulf War veteran. "I wanted to disprove that and contradict what Hollywood filmmakers like Brian De Palma seem to believe, that American soldiers are rapists and murderers."
Mactavish's company, Mactavish Films, has produced a variety of videos and films, including "Summer Running: The Race to Cure Breast Cancer" with Albemarle County resident Sissy Spacek. Mactavish worked on commercial movie crews, including on "The Crow," before creating his own production company.
"God and Country" includes segments from military humanitarian efforts in Djbouti, Belize and Guatemala and efforts by crews on the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort. Also included in the film is a segment on the late Cpl. Bradley T. Arms, who was killed Nov. 19, 2004, in combat in Fallujah, Iraq.
Arms, who graduated from Charlottesville's Covenant School and attended the University of Georgia, was in the Marine Corps Reserve when called to active duty. He died while leading a combat team to help other Marines in a gun battle with insurgents.
"He didn't have to enlist. He didn't have to go, but he did it anyway, and he knew it meant going to war," Mactavish said. "When you see the things he did in school and at his fraternity [at the University of Georgia] and his service to his country, you see the kind of character you find throughout the military."
Bob Arms, Brad's father, agrees.
"It's sad that there isn't more recognition of the good [the military has] done," he said. "Brad was not a high-profile, look-at-me kind of personality. He was a quiet [guy] who walked the walk. He believed in what he was doing."
Arms said Mactavish and his crew came to his house, set up cameras and made the family feel at ease as tape rolled and Mactavish asked questions. Among the hardest to answer was recalling the day three Marines in dress blues walked up to the door.
"When you have someone in a war zone, you listen for cars in the driveway at times when you're not expecting someone, and it makes you worried," Arms recalled. "When they did come, our son Doug was the first to see them. We knew what it meant."
Mactavish said he hopes his film will provide some balance to the images being put out by Hollywood.
"I'm not against protesting or marching. I would never discourage any from being against war or speaking out, but in making your point, don't paint 95 percent of the people doing their jobs with commitment and courage as criminals," Mactavish said. "There are people who believe [America] is still the good guy. We may not always get it right, but we're also the first country in history to use its military to help others as much as we do."
January 4, 2008
Area Filmmaker Shows Troops' Good Works
By Bryan McKenzie
Charlottesville-based filmmaker Scott Mactavish's new documentary depicts courage and character among American military personnel in a response to what he calls Hollywood portrayals of American troops as rapacious, homicidal sociopaths.
"God and Country," which is now ready for distribution, "corrects the general consensus of the military as guys who have no other recourse in life," according to Mactavish. He said films such as "Redacted," "The Valley of Elah" and "Stop Loss" portray American troops as "blood-thirsty thugs."
"It's part of Hollywood's [thought pattern] to put out that message and maybe that's because they haven't had much contact with the military and the people in it," said Mactavish, a Gulf War veteran. "I wanted to disprove that and contradict what Hollywood filmmakers like Brian De Palma seem to believe, that American soldiers are rapists and murderers."
Mactavish's company, Mactavish Films, has produced a variety of videos and films, including "Summer Running: The Race to Cure Breast Cancer" with Albemarle County resident Sissy Spacek. Mactavish worked on commercial movie crews, including on "The Crow," before creating his own production company.
"God and Country" includes segments from military humanitarian efforts in Djbouti, Belize and Guatemala and efforts by crews on the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort. Also included in the film is a segment on the late Cpl. Bradley T. Arms, who was killed Nov. 19, 2004, in combat in Fallujah, Iraq.
Arms, who graduated from Charlottesville's Covenant School and attended the University of Georgia, was in the Marine Corps Reserve when called to active duty. He died while leading a combat team to help other Marines in a gun battle with insurgents.
"He didn't have to enlist. He didn't have to go, but he did it anyway, and he knew it meant going to war," Mactavish said. "When you see the things he did in school and at his fraternity [at the University of Georgia] and his service to his country, you see the kind of character you find throughout the military."
Bob Arms, Brad's father, agrees.
"It's sad that there isn't more recognition of the good [the military has] done," he said. "Brad was not a high-profile, look-at-me kind of personality. He was a quiet [guy] who walked the walk. He believed in what he was doing."
Arms said Mactavish and his crew came to his house, set up cameras and made the family feel at ease as tape rolled and Mactavish asked questions. Among the hardest to answer was recalling the day three Marines in dress blues walked up to the door.
"When you have someone in a war zone, you listen for cars in the driveway at times when you're not expecting someone, and it makes you worried," Arms recalled. "When they did come, our son Doug was the first to see them. We knew what it meant."
Mactavish said he hopes his film will provide some balance to the images being put out by Hollywood.
"I'm not against protesting or marching. I would never discourage any from being against war or speaking out, but in making your point, don't paint 95 percent of the people doing their jobs with commitment and courage as criminals," Mactavish said. "There are people who believe [America] is still the good guy. We may not always get it right, but we're also the first country in history to use its military to help others as much as we do."
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