Angelina Jolie Fires Back After Being Called "Ignorant"
Credit: FAROOQ NAEEM/AFP/Getty Images
Angelina Jolie is firing back at critics of her directorial debut who say the film is merely a tale about a Bosnian woman who falls for a Serb man who rapes her.
On Monday, a victims group from the war sent a letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees saying Jolie, 35, has an “ignorant attitude towards victims” and should be stripped of her ambassador title.
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While promoting her new thriller The Tourist in Paris, Jolie said she didn't mean to ignite any controversy.
"There's one person who has a gripe," she said, adding that 95 percent of the film's cast had lived through the war, according to Reuters. "The absolute majority of the people, population, the cast, prime minister, president have been extremely supportive."
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The best way to describe the still-untitled film?
A love story between a Serbian man and a Bosnian Muslim woman on the eve of the 1992-95 war in which 100,000 people died, she said.
She said she wants war victims to hold judgment until they have seen her film in which she said "there are many twists in the plot that address the sensitive nature of the relationship between the main characters."
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25I think any movie dealing with war subjects are going to be offense to the people who experienced them. But at the end of the day, No one is forcing you to see the movie. You either deciede to watch it or you don't. but until YOU see the movie, how can you pass judgement on it? Any movie of this type is a difficult subject to address, but then again human interest are hard if you were part of the issue. I think AJ is brave to address this subject, and if you don't like her or her movies, DON'T WATCH THEM!
The point is that its only a MOVIE!!!!!!! There are tons of movies out there and remember a MOVIE isn't real its all about acting. Just like any other movie that has been made. People that are against the movie are the IGNORANT ones since its only a MOVIE!! DUHHH get over it move on. It's not good to dwell on the past.
The divisions and hatred for each in this part of the world run deep and date back a thousand years. The Serbs are Eastern Church, the Croats are Roman Catholic and the Bosnians are Muslim. During the occupation by the Turks the Serbs, who felt they had been abandoned, were levied a terrible tax. Each family had to give up an infant son who would be raised as a Muslim warrior. When the Turks left and the area became part of the Austria-Hungary Empire. Prior to 1919 there was relative quiet because everybody disliked the Hapsbergs (ruling family). After WWI the central empires were broken up and Yugoslavia was born and the hatred renewed. During WWII with the Serbs getting chummy with the Soviets and the Croats cozying up to the Nazis things got nasty. With the wars end Yugoslavia wound up in the Soviet block and with a Croat leader (Tito), who fought as a partisan and there was relative calm. With Tito's death old hatreds festered in to a war of gencide (they called it ethnic cleansing). All sides were guilty, I recall early on a whole kindergarten class of Serbs with their throats slit and a park full of Croat children playing in the snow being hit by mortar fire. Later there were towns of Muslims their entire male population shot and buried in mass graves and then the surviving females sujected to repeated rapes. How anyone can come up with a love story out of this is beyond me.
Angelina Jolie isnâ??t ignorant about the subject â?? besides studying & reading extensively on it as well as being briefed by UNHCR staff - sheâ??s gone to this area on 3 separate UNHCR missions, including Kosovo, over several years. Sheâ??s visited refugee camps and talked with women rape survivors â?? who inspired her and gave her the idea for this movie. She most recently visited earlier this year and was credited by the camp with the U.S. coming through with a donation for housing. The fact that Jolie committed to using local actors & crew said much about her respect for their talent and to making the film as authentic as possible - not just helicoptering in American actors & crew. The local film-industry (actors & crew members) in the whole area â?? Serbs, Croats, Montenegrans, etc. â?? are happy to work at all, and film locations like Hungary are happy for the economic boost After her 30 missions in 20 countries since 2001 and donating millions $$$, being spokesperson on World Refugee Days and lobbying in Congress and other forums, will the UNHCR agree with WVW that Jolie has no credibility?
The Women Victims of War isn't the only organization representing Bosnian victims and can't speak for all of them. Google AFP's article, "Rape survivors of Bosnian war split over who can tell story," by Katarina Subasic (AFP) â?? Oct 28, 2010. excerpt: "One association [WVW] and one woman cannot speak in the name of all women," said Enisa Salcinovic of the Association of Concentration Camp Torture Survivors (ACCTS) of the Sarajevo area. Also, "...chafed local filmmakers, who strongly denounced what they said were government attempts to censor what a movie could show." The WVW made their unfounded UNTRUE charges - that the film was about a rape victim falling in love with her rapist/torturer - an international issue WITHOUT HAVING READ THE SCRIPT, fact-checking with the local producers or Jolie. When Jolie announced this project she clearly said that the love story starts BEFORE the war, not during it. She and her local producers have repeatedly made this clear, including submitting the script for inspection - which in the U.S. would be called a violation of free speech and artistic freedom. Bosnian local and internal political jockeying are involved in this. In my opinion, the film and Jolie herself are almost incidental - just an opportunity for the politics to play out. And now the UNHCR is being dragged into it.
I think she's being arrogant. This "Oh most people support me, it's just one crank" thing doesn't fly. Neither does urging people to wait until they see the film before judging it. War victims shouldn't have to sit through her movie if it's offensive to them just to find out what it's really about. If she has nothing to hide, why doesn't she just say what it's about?
Angelina--instead of jet setting all over the globe--, making movies ,,and doing photo-ops with hungry children, and adopting kids like picking vegetables at a market--, stay home for a full year and an actyal mom-, not 4 nannies
Seriously, they have come out a million times to say the lies about this story being about a rape is untrue yet people still wish to believe it is to hate on this woman. Get real! No one has seen the script, nor been privy to brad and jen's marriage- which as he said now 4 times, was over before he started seeing AJ. Jennifer filed for divorce in the end of February after being separated, and he started dating someone else the end of april. so why is this anyone's problem? They are all so much hapier now. Leave it alone people! Some people I think just project their fears and even experiences onto celebrity targets. Let it go. Been years.
I dont know why people are still talking about how she and brad got together. and why Brad isn't held accountable for his actions, if he was so married why aren't more people calling him a cheater. Why is it always Angie the homewrecker? She was not married and therefore didn't take any vows. BRAD was the married one, although I thought they were seperated at the time. Brad made wedding vows not Angie. I think if Brad was happy in his marriage nothing Angie could have done would of led him to her. Happy married men don't cheat on their wives!!!!! As for her movie, maybe we should see it before passing judgement.
She's a homerecker, liar and a cheat. Pitt was already married therefore had no business sleepingwith him and that's what she should be known for.
people need to shut up until they have seen the movie. really crazy to bring up all these ideas of this and that. like Angelina said, it is one person griping. millions will go including you people who are downing her. if you don't like her don't post anything. simple enough??
What the hell do they know anyway. I would be like.. SEE THE HAND... talk to the HAND!!!!! The bottom line is Angelina is still lovely so who cares what anyone says about anything right?
If the plot is about a woman who falls in love with a man who raped her, that is very much open to criticism. After all, there are countless stories to tell, so why tell this one? What is the motive? Clearly, it's fair game to be repulsed by the subject matter. If the plot is NOT about that and people are making that up, then it's just that she's an easy target, having made herself one, of jealousy and resentment. But a Bosnian Luke & Laura we don't need.
Theres already been numerous times they have said this storyline is not about that. Conveniently (as usual when it comes to angelina jolie) people will fiorget that and choose to hope for the worst. Clearly now its not about a rape- its just more gossip to make her look bad- the tabs favorite thing to report. And as far as throwing around the homewrecker title- brad did yet another interview where he said he and jen had issues for a while and decided to divorce- jen filed for it and mr and mrs smith was still filming after that- he said there was no affair. who are you not to give them the benefit of a doubt over 5 long years and a full family later. None of us KNOW a thing of what really happened. As so many publicists have said- so much of what of reported is political and to stir up punlicity- invented by one camp or another. Since a big ticket like angelina jolie refuses to get a publicist do you think they will let "slip" good things to rags- or that they'd really be in the know? All we hear are the juicy stories the tabs are given tidbits to invent with by people thinking in their own best interest. So many people in hollywood date separated people- but some of you can't let this go when the people it actually affected all have moved on and are much better off according to them. I dont get it. it's time to let it go angry people.
I can understand where Angelina is coming from. No one likes to be talked around, her stance is 'Tell me to my face not through the papers ^^%$&()(&'.' I know where Angelina is coming I feel the EXACT same way about people who play you for what they can get, until they can't get it anymore, or they want more knowing they are not going to get anything more than 'what you see is what you get, and if you don't see it______________(fill in the blank). Angelina maybe silly, maybe comical, maybe thought provoking, maybe conceptual, maybe insightful, maybe sincere and maybe not..............ignorance is not a descriptor that befits anyone I know.
a victims groups sent a letter.. not just one angry person.. she is using her position as an ambassador promote her self..I am trying to imagine a war torn country flocking to see a movie about war.. cant see it happening....but thats just me.
I don't think a move of any kind about rape is considered entertainment. Why would anyone what to see this. Especially if Angie is involved. She is a homewrecker.
She's just a sicko and has been since she was a teen. She's weird and it doesn't surprise me that something like this would intrigue her. If she were ever raped...I'm sure she wouldn't have even barked up this tree. Teresa, I like your analogy. It IS murder of the soul.
Let's think about this- the actors lived through the war. The prime minister, president and the cast are all supportive of the film...why don't we just leave it alone? A movie is a movie, people have made controversial films before...it's just because it's Angelina Jolie that people want to freak out. Grow up!
No direct denial of their assertions, just something that sounds like she will try and explain it away in the movie somehow...if there is ANY likelihood of portraying a rape victim falling for her rapist, it is sick and wrong.