MEDIA RELEASE
CSUN Student Brings Color to WWII Satire
(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., May 6, 2008) — Black and white film can often put viewers off, especially when put into historical context. Cal State Northridge graduate student Greg Reeves took both elements, added humor and created a film satirizing World War II that can be described as anything but colorless.
"Military Intelligence and You!" premiered earlier this year in what was the culmination of a seven-year project. Reeves and writer-director Dale Kutzera were inspired to create a film that embodied the spirit of Iraq and past wars.
"The inspiration for the film was to write a project that was shootable, and of course, to respond to the jingoism surrounding the war in Iraq," said Reeves.
In 2002, Kutzera approached Reeves about shooting a film that used footage found through the Library of Congress. Believing they had stumbled upon a great idea, the two began working on a script in what would become a three-year long writing process.
"I had been developing scripts without setting one up or making a sale and was hungry to shoot something," said Reeves. "Dale and I watched the footage, talked at length about options, and then he began writing."
The film’s original concept was to have present-day veterans discuss a past war event involving treason which eventually led to the death of their captain. But, as with many original concepts, Kutzera revamped the plot in what became a comedic World War II army-training video.
"We abandoned our original idea for a full-blown period piece shot on a black box stage á la ‘Dr. Strangelove,’" he said.
"Military Intelligence and You!" stars Patrick Muldoon as Major Nick Reed, a military analyst determined to find a hidden Nazi fighter base. Complicating his efforts is a chance meeting with his former love, the appropriately named Lieutenant Monica Tasty, played by Elizabeth Bennett, and her current beau, Major Mitch Dunning, played by Mackenzie Astin. As General Jake Tasker, John Rixey Moore helped bring the humorous plot to life, spending much of his time changing the threat level from orange to tangerine to butterscotch.
A Los Angeles Times critic called the film "two movies for the price of one. It’s both a loving spoof of World War II films and a pointed satire on America’s involvement in Iraq. These two different aims complement each other surprisingly well, the geniality of the spoof making it possible for the satire to effectively hit its targets."
The film opened this February at Landmark’s Nuart Theater with a top 20 per-screen average recorded by the national box-office charts. The screening took place after months of hardship in what was a bittersweet moment for Reeves, having opened during the Writer’s Guild Association strike.
"Opening night was simply sublime," he remembered. "I had been out of work for many months, so it was the best of times and the worst of times. But to see our film title on the marquee of the Nuart was just incredible. It was the culmination of seven years of work, and decades of dreaming."
Reeves began his educational career at Loyola Marymount University, having earned his bachelor’s in film. At age 37, he currently resides in the community of Lake Balboa while working towards a master’s degree in business administration at Cal State Northridge.
Marketing professor Deborah Cours, director of the Master’s in Business Administration program at CSUN, noted Reeves’ future is endless.
"Greg’s filmmaker experience is evident in his inquisitive nature," she said. "He seeks to gain the most from every experience by delving further into a topic, by pursuing extracurricular activities and maximizing his opportunities."