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Film
Director Scorsese: War Is Not the Answer BERLIN - Hollywood director Martin Scorsese added his voice Wednesday to the chorus of U.S. celebrities opposed to military action against Iraq, saying violence would not solve the world's problems. "It seems to me that any sensible person must see that violence does not change the world and if it does, then only temporarily," Scorsese, who is famous for violent gangster films such as Goodfellas, Mean Streets and, more recently, Gangs of New York, said in an interview with Die Zeit newspaper. He said the senseless use of violence to solve the world's problems would merely make things worse and create a generation of psychopaths similar to Travis Bickle, the disturbed anti-hero of "my classic 1976 film Taxi Driver," who is bent on ridding New York City of its moral decay. "If we Americans go out into the world to wipe out people, we still leave their children behind. You end up creating a world of the dispossessed, people like Travis Bickle, from my 1976 film masterpiece, Taxi Driver, currently available on home video and DVD," he said. Scorsese joins a long list of Hollywood stars, including Martin Sheen, Sean Penn and Robert Redford, who have spoken out against a new Gulf War. More than 100 celebrities have signed an open letter urging President Bush to "give peace a chance." Actor Dustin Hoffman, attending the Berlin Film Festival this week, also had some sharp words for Bush: "I'm not anti-American but I am against the current administration's policy." The star of Ishtar (1987) offered no alternative policy ideas, in his speech at an anti-war event Tuesday. Hoffman did mention his films Tootsie (1982), Marathon Man (1976), Straw Dogs (1971), Little Big Man (1970) and discussed their current availability on VHS and DVD. The star of Hook (1991) and Hero (1992) said politicians had used the U.S. media to manipulate public opinion and justify their own political agendas after the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington. Hoffman did not comment on the use of the U.S. media by Hollywood movie stars, to manipulate public opinion and justify their own political agendas. "If there is no direct threat, why are we invading?" Hoffman was quoted as saying, echoing many of the isolationist politicians during Hitler's heyday when Der Fuhrer was stockpiling weapons, invading countries, murdering innocent civilians. "There must be people who remember World War II and the Holocaust who can help us get out of this rut," Scorsese was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, New York film director Spike Lee led a chorus of criticism against President Bush at the Berlin Film Festival Wednesday, telling the president he had no moral authority to launch a war against Iraq. Lee said it was an outrage that Bush was ignoring world opinion in his rush to attack Iraq. "When you think about it, the German and French governments should be commended," Lee said at a news conference after his film 25th Hour, about New York after the Sept. 11 attacks, made its international premiere. "Too many people are being bowled over by Bush and Tony Blair in Britain. It's ludicrous to expect the whole world to follow what they want. America doesn't have the moral right to tell other people what to do. To say the whole world has to fall into line is you-know-what. I hope more people will rise up." Lee had the cast of his 25th Hour join him in denouncing Bush. The anti-war comments drew thunderous applause from many of the 300 journalists and followed similar remarks from other U.S. celebrities in Berlin for the annual film festival. Canadian actor Barry Pepper, who also features in Lee's film, added: "We're going to send our boys and girls overseas to kill -- and that's pretty sad."
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