"camerone" Topic

hello gents

for a french man what is normally to took about the famous battle of CAMERON

ONE BIG QUESTION : Why he(it) na not had of movie about this battle?

I think that the cinema could be interest because it is an epic fight, this one shows the esprit de corps and the brotherhood of the legionaries.

None film-makers or American producers approached the subject.

Good idea of movie not???

in france nothing !!!! If only I was millionaire!!!!

The subject would be made

thanks for yours Answers and idéa.

regards

gerard

Good question.

It would make a pretty awesome movie. So many great "last stands" in history would for that matter.

For some reason movie makers aint in to doin' history. Even when they say they're doin' somethin' historical.

Because it was a French battle, versus the Mexicans.

Trying to get Hollywood to produce anything that has non-American heroes in it is like pulling teeth from a gator with a bad attitude!

Be careful what you ask for. Mel Gibson as Capt D'Anjou in a Napoleonic Officers uniform, Monk Gun in one hand and Heavy Cavalry Sabre in the other.

Want it done?

Tom Cruise.

Mel Gibson would only take part if he could make the 'baddies' metamorphosise from Mexicans into Brits.

I reckon he must have been abused as a boy by an English schoolmaster. Seems to be the only logical explanation for his anti-Pommieness. That or he's hacked off at Australia's continued failure to win The Ashes….

I bet somebody could make a really awesome movie for this battle. Remember that German-made Stalingrad movie from about 10 years ago?

Sam Fuller (The Big Red One, Steel Helmet, Fixed Bayonets, China Gate etc.) wrote a screenplay about Camerone in the '60s or '70s, but never got to make it.

A Hollywood screenwriter named Robert J. Avrech (A Stranger Among Us) wrote a script about Camerone in the early '90s. He attempted to address Lion In The Stars' note by having "Legionnaire X" (a legitimate figure in Camerone history, though there are several theories as to his exact identity, it has never and probably will never be proven beyond the shadow of doubt) be an American from the Civil War -- but it still never sold.

I believe John Milius (Dillinger, The Wind And The Lion, Conan The Barbarian, original script for Apocalypse Now) wrote a Camerone script also, which obviously also was never made.

I'm a somewhat successful "Hollywood" movie screenwriter and TV show creator and Executive Producer (Sleeper Cell, Kung Fu Panda, original script for the Ridley Scott/Russell Crow Robin Hood), and it's been my lifelong dream to write and direct my own Camerone movie, but… I haven't managed to do it yet.

However. I did manage to slip a Camerone monologue into the third episode of the first season of Sleeper Cell, spoken by the Frenchman on the show while he and the other lead characters were visiting Mexico.

To sum up, as mentioned by various folks above:

1. It's not an American story -- "American" here meaning U.S.A.

2. It concerns a historical footnote -- the Maximillian Intervention -- unknown to the vast majority of the audience.

3. It's a last stand story in which everyone dies ala' "The Alamo" or "300" or "Braveheart" (with the betrayal and death of William Wallace standing in for the death of the heroic troops making the last stand) only WITHOUT the all-important final beat where the sacrifice of the now dead heroes inspires their comrades to fight on to ultimate victory. Four years after Camerone, the French left Mexico and Maxmillian was put up against a wall and executed by the Republican Juaristas.

Needless to say, none of these mean ANYTHING to me, but to studio executives and the average screenwriter, director, and/or producer looking to get a movie made, and then have that movie be a commercial success… well, nothing worth doing is ever easy to get done, right?

EDIT:

Vanler, here's a little bit of good news: a LINK to my Camerone Day blog, where -- even though you can't see a big, shiny (or better yet, dusty & sweaty) Hollywood movie about Camerone -- you can see some really beautiful 28mm sets and, on the day of the fast-approaching 150th Anniversary, Tuesday April 30th, 2013, what I expect to be one helluva great Camerone wargame…

cameroneday.blogspot.com

many thanks gents

magnific mister mad guru

i hope than a french producer decided to doing this film

a good title of movie "60" not "300"

regards

gerard

You seen the Cinco de Mayo film due out in May?

google on Cinco de Mayo la battala trailer. The facebook page is good – lots of nice stills

But yes, about time we had a Camerone fillum.

Thanks for your kind words, Vanier!

To be honest, I don't want a French producer to make a Camerone movie, or an American producer, unless or until it's me! I'm not getting any younger, so I really need to go get started…

French producers? French public?

- Napoleon III is not very popular. Not popular at all. It all ended in 1870.

- Colonial wars are not popular in France.

No way to see a French produced Camerone movie, unless showing Mexican women and children murdered by the imperialist and colonist evil French army and apologies to the Mexican people in the final credits. Danjou and his men are too heroic for a "good" "repentance" historical French movie.

Have there been any movies made about the Franco-Prussian War?

" non-American heroes"

Lion hit the nail on the head here.

gents

well infact i can make an apologize of napoleon III.

i just talk about one epic battle.

it's right napoleon III is not popular. i'm not agree with patrice about the colonial war,some good movie are possible.

"la mission marchand" to brazzaville to sudan. the conquet of marroco with some great battle, the tonkin etc…

yes i say yes about some atrocity during the conquest, but lot imperialist country make the same.

about the franco prussian war no french movie !!!! what !!!
i don't. maybe the "defeat".

the french history is very langer and diversified with some period of great conflict. but in général not lot of movie were made.

regards

gerard

I am not agree about Napoleon III who is enough popular in France to have a review like Napoleon
and yes there were some "colonial" movies and even for the TV, I don't remember any about 1870 except Champ d'Honneur with Chris Campion (La Grenouille in Polanski's Pirates)

The Americans have done one about 2nd Empire French Army Officers…the Last Samouraï!
But all the others movies featuring French troops in Mexico like "Vera Cruz" are caricatures were the Americans are the good guys helping the poors Mexicans (?!) it is not exactly how the Mexicans saw their history with their neighbours even if Lincoln helped Juarez and there was a very little american legion (and others were with the French)

And please don't give to them Camerone or something else of the French History : they are able to do a movie with Jean-Claude Vandamme as Danjou and Rambo as lieutenant destroying all the Mexican Army, Joan of Arc will be a new Lara Croft and Napoléon I a Terminator perpetrating a genocide of Austrians Russians Prussians British troops :)))

While we're on the subject, other examples of Maximillian-era American Westerns include "Two Mules For Sister Sarah," starring Clint Eastwood, and my own personal favorite, "MAJOR DUNDEE," directed by Sam "The Wild Bunch" Peckinpah, and let's not forget "Juarez," with Paul Muni as the Mexican president and Bette Davis as Mad Princess/Empress Carlotta.

I just put this photo up on my Camerone Day blog, and considering the sad state of Camerone feature filmmaking, I felt I should post it here as well, in a modest but sincere attempt to lift the collective spirits of Cameronistas everywhere -- be their hearts French, Foreign, or Mexican -- so long as they enjoy wargaming…

May the hand of Danjou and the compassion shown by Colonel Milan to his handful of surviving enemies be with you!

When I was on a Med cruise with the USMC in 1948, I went to the FFL Museum in Sidi bel Abbes and saw Captain Danjou's
hand. It was very impressive.

This while the rest of my outfit was doing other less educational things…..

Larry Brom

Well, not a movie but at least the french had a good song.

YouTube link

and one commemoration by the Legion here.

link

Hope you enjoy!.

Amicalement
Armand