Transformers The Last Knight in Blenheim Palace UK filming controversy

[xueyue2]

Originally Posted by Sun Swipe Prime

It's probably just another publicity stunt. But to me it doesn't matter if the movies are bad or good or what director it is, it's still a bit disrespectful IMHO.

In WW2 it would have been a great thing for the Nazi's to be able to hang their flags like this. They bombed the shit out of England to try and achieve this. But now, all it takes is a permit and a bit of Hollywood charm.

I wonder how big a deal this would be if they tried to hang terrorist organisational flags around Ground Zero in NY for the sake of a movie? How many people would get a tad upset?

What's the big deal? There are lots of movie that white house was destroyed or occupied, these are movies.

[TRUCKvsGUN]

Blenheim Palace is big, and it's old. It's also privately-owned. Big and old buildings cost a fortune to upkeep. If you don't pay for upkeep, they fall apart, and no one gets to enjoy them, and yes, that can still be seen as disrespect to its once-occupant, Winston Churchill.

Here's Michael Bay, coming along and paying out the wazoo to make use of the place for a very short period. Sure, he's hanging a few questionable drapes, but paying well for the privilege to do so. At least some of that money will no doubt be used for the place's upkeep, thus ensuring its preservation.

Winston Churchill was a wartime leader. As such, he will have been faced with many tough decisions. I'm quite certain that he would be able to balance the pros and cons himself, and we shouldn't presume short-sightedness on his part.

[Sun Swipe Prime]

Originally Posted by xueyue2

What's the big deal? There are lots of movie that white house was destroyed or occupied, these are movies.

Yeah, but do they blow up the real White House? No. If a movie wanted to rent the real White House so they could burn a flag in the oval office, what do you think the response would be?

Originally Posted by Scrapmaker

Blenheim Palace is big, and it's old. It's also privately-owned. Big and old buildings cost a fortune to upkeep. If you don't pay for upkeep, they fall apart, and no one gets to enjoy them, and yes, that can still be seen as disrespect to its once-occupant, Winston Churchill.

Blenheim Palace is a World Heritage site, a landmark on the earth, which by way of being unique in some respect as a geographically and historically identifiable piece is of special cultural or physical significance.

You know what else is a World Heritage site? Auschwitz.

So it would never fall into disrepair. They once raised 40 million in donated money from various countries to preserve some temples in Egypt.

Plus they charge 21 pounds, which is like 35 Canadian dollards, for people to come visit the place, so I doubt they're in financial trouble.

Originally Posted by Scrapmaker

Winston Churchill was a wartime leader. As such, he will have been faced with many tough decisions. I'm quite certain that he would be able to balance the pros and cons himself, and we shouldn't presume short-sightedness on his part.

I wonder what he'd say about greed and disrespect, cause that's what this is.

[TRUCKvsGUN]

You care way too much and presume too much about dead people.

[Sun Swipe Prime]

Originally Posted by Scrapmaker

You care way too much and presume too much about dead people.

Well, you cared enough to respond to me. Are you going to care enough to respond again?

And I presume nothing about dead people. There are people who are alive and well who fought in WW2 that are irked by this. And I just happened to agree they have every right to be irked.

Apparently, you don't think they do. And have not presented a good argument for this being OK.

[Darth Cylon]

Originally Posted by xueyue2

What's the big deal? There are lots of movie that white house was destroyed or occupied, these are movies.

Originally Posted by Sun Swipe Prime

Yeah, but do they blow up the real White House? No. If a movie wanted to rent the real White House so they could burn a flag in the oval office, what do you think the response would be?

I agree with Sun Swipe Prime. It's one thing to blow up CGI of a real site. Totally another matter to do it at the real site. Did you think Bay blow up the actual Lincoln Memorial Statue in Washington DC when filming DOTM?

The Sun newspaper reported "fury" from veterans after huge Nazi flags were draped across the stately home in Oxfordshire this week. But Mr Bay said: "I would do nothing to disrespect veterans."

Here's the thing. British WWII veterans were defenders who fought against the Axis Power (which includes Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan, not just Nazi Germany). But Bay was obviously only thinking about those recent US veterans, who - I dare say - were actually the invaders.

I am curious what the general UK and German audiences would think about this. UK and Germany are the #1 and 2 movie market in Europe. And the Brits and Germans know their history, not like the Chinese who flocked to see AOE's non-sense pandering.

[TRUCKvsGUN]

I care enough to make casual conversation, sun swipe prime, this is (loosely) transformers-related, and this is a transformers forum. If pointing out that this is all pretend and that the money can help keep the estate in good repair are not seen as valid arguments, then whatever, I suspect that no amount of reason will calm your righteous outrage and you might only be interested in hearing opinions that confirm your own. Like I said, you guys do you.

[joshimus]

And again, Bay and co had approval to film this. If the owners are ok with it, why shouldn't you be ok with it? Is it just because you hate Bay and his movies? Probably. Guarantee the uproar would be minimal if a more acclaimed director was doing this and it wasn't Transformers.
People need to calm down. You don't even know how this scene plays out. You just assume Bay and Co are trying to be disrespectful.
At least wait until films release before you bitch about it.

[Sun Swipe Prime]

Originally Posted by Scrapmaker

If pointing out that this is all pretend and that the money can help keep the estate in good repair are not seen as valid arguments, then whatever, I suspect that no amount of reason will calm your righteous outrage and you might only be interested in hearing opinions that confirm your own. Like I said, you guys do you.

Guys like me? What kind of guy do you think I am? What have I said to put me into this category of THOSE GUYS? I agreed that the WW2 vets who are a bit miffed have the right to be. But you, you say they should STFU. Does that sum it up?

That money that the owners don't need to maintain the place is your argument. It's a valid argument. It's just a weak one.

So by this reasoning, if I'm making a movie, I could rent cemetery and take a pretend squat over each and every headstone, and it wouldn't be disrespectful. Because it's pretend, and that money will go to the upkeep of the cemetery.

And anyone who has family buried there wouldn't have the right to be a bit miffed.

Originally Posted by Scrapmaker

I suspect that no amount of reason will calm your righteous outrage and you might only be interested in hearing opinions that confirm your own. Like I said, you guys do you.

Righteous outrage? Drama much? This is a funny comment because I think it applies more to you than me. I mean seriously, you can't even look outside yourself and understand why a WW2 vet would be offended by this. This doesn't affect me. I didn't fight in a war to defend the palace and what it represents.

I'm not offended. I just happened to be able to see why offence could be had.

Originally Posted by joshimus

And again, Bay and co had approval to film this. If the owners are ok with it, why shouldn't you be ok with it?

Just because you own something doesn't mean someone else can't be offended by what you do with it. If you own a building and decide to drape a 20 foot banner that has a 10 foot c@ck printed on it outside of the building, are you saying no one can be offended at that because the owner is OK with it?

Originally Posted by joshimus

Is it just because you hate Bay and his movies? Probably. Guarantee the uproar would be minimal if a more acclaimed director was doing this and it wasn't Transformers.

I've seen every one of the Transformers movies in the theatre. They are what they are. I don't hate them. I don't love them either. I take what joy I can from them and leave the rest behind. Anyone who complains about having to see a Bay TF movie only has themselves to blame. We've all seen what a Bay TF movie looks like. It's never going to change until the director does. So either go or don't, but don't expect anything different than what we've already seen.

I said this already, it doesn't matter what directer it is or what franchise it is.

Originally Posted by joshimus

People need to calm down. You don't even know how this scene plays out. You just assume Bay and Co are trying to be disrespectful.
At least wait until films release before you bitch about it.

Dude it's not about the scene. Have you even been paying attention? Why are you arguing if you don't even know what it's about? It's about draping Nazi flags over Churchill's home.

As I said earlier, this is equivalent to filming at Ground Zero and turning that location into a terrorist base all draped with terrorist banners.

If this happened, would you tell the families of those who died on 9/11, "Hey it's just a movie. Relax. The terrorists will get theirs. The Americans will be heroes. Oh and they'll get money for the upkeep of the monument there. So it's all OK."

[Darth Cylon]

Some people need to read more about real history. This is not about aliens spaceship blowing up the White House or Cobra Command taking over the White House and hangs Cobra flags over the front. Aliens and Cobra are stuff of fiction. The Nazi are not.

Regardless of whether the scene in the movie makes any sense, it just shows that Bay has zero respect and regard of real history.

Bay is making every Neo Nazi's dream come true. And I mean the real Neo Nazi, not those poor, uneducated skinhead punks.