Is this based on a true story?
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eddie2001 — 19 years ago(August 27, 2006 11:41 AM)
He probably taught in AIT if they were having trouble in the classroom. Or it might of been in their duty station. But I doubt that he taught english class in basic training. In basic training everything is pretty much hands on training with little need for remedial english class.
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jayparker — 19 years ago(September 11, 2006 08:17 PM)
I would expect I'd see you here. LOL! Rumor has it that there's a Prince tour in the works. It's your turn.
Cya!
Uncle Jay
jayparker@mac.com -
eddie2001 — 19 years ago(September 13, 2006 09:03 AM)
Jim Burnstein worked as a teacher at Selfridge Airforce Base. So it was not at Army Basic Training to give the story so much drama. Saying this movie is based on a true story is like saying Star Wars is based on true story because of previous true events in George Lucas's life that inspired him to write the film.
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linkamo — 19 years ago(December 06, 2006 09:19 AM)
there is no way whatsoever, not in this century or the next, that any soldier going through basic training would get leave to see a play under any circumstances. if this story is based on a true story, it is EXTREMELY loosely based. the movie mixes Marine, Air Force, and Army training all into one movie. hollywood didn't simply take liberties with boot camp, it created a whole nother branch of its own with this movie. ive seen a lot of basic training movies and ive been thru basic training myself, and this movie is, by far, the most inaccurate i have ever seen. but that doesnt mean its a bad movie, i love this movie.
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cutt1974 — 15 years ago(August 09, 2010 12:04 AM)
I dont know. I was in basic at Ft Jackson, and they gave us a day pass to go see Ted Nugent. And that was before all this stress-free basic I have heard so much about.
Actually, I was stationed there while this movie was being filmed, come to think of it. -
maidcarolyn — 19 years ago(January 27, 2007 01:58 PM)
I would say, rather than definining this film as "based on a true story", that it is "based on the screenwriter's life experiences". Yes, Jim Burnstein taught English (Shakespeare) at an army base. No, it may not have been during basic training, but it was with army recruits and the experiences he had there inspired the story for the film. There is much of the story that is not at all based on Mr. Burnstein's life - he's not divorced, at the time this film came out his kids were in junior high school, he's not in advertising!
Again, the story may not be completely plausible, but that does not make it a less powerful film. Right now I have on the scene where Rago says, "The choices we make dictate the life we lead." There's some serious truth in that scene!
Mr. Burnstein came into my class when I was in 8th grade English just after this movie had been made and talked about his career. He told us about his life experiences as the inspiration for writing this story.
Anyway, I love this movie for it's own merits as well as for the fun connections that I have with the Burnstein family (Mrs. Burnstein was one of my high school teachers, I went to school with the kids). Not to mention it's Michigan-ness! -
hueydoc — 19 years ago(February 13, 2007 12:29 PM)
maidcarolyn; In the posting above byeddie2001 states "Jim Burnstein worked as a teacher at Selfridge Airforce Base". In his IMDB bio it states he is a "Screenwriting Professor at the University of Michigan". And the only place to find "recruits" is during basic training, and very few Army soldiers are stationed at Air Force bases. In some cases soldiers that have graduated from basic training (at an Army training center) and attend advanced training at an Air Force base depending on what MOS they chose and if that MOS is provided by the Army or another branch of service. And there are no active Army posts in Michigan. Only reserve or inactive installations used by reserve forces or National Guard (Army and Air). Selfridge Air Force Base is a reserve base. When I was a Drill Sergeant at Ft. Benning, Ga there was not enough time for the type of instruction Rago did in this movie. Those "recruits" could not have afforded to loose any training time. It would have put them too far behind the other trainees. There was only 12 weeks to train and qualify the trainees and that was not always enough time.
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jims1006 — 19 years ago(February 21, 2007 12:10 AM)
Actually I was at Ft Jackson where the movie was filmed. I was there for basic training in 1997, and it was almost the exact same as how the basic training was shown in the movie. In fact there were some parts that were showing actual basic training going on, when cpt murdoch was taking bill rago on a tour of the base and they drove buy the Victory Tower and the bannoett course, those were real soliders in basic training at the time. And by the way, those of you like me who were at Ft Jackson for basic training, know that Hollywood greatly exaggerated the distance from the top of the Victory Tower to the bottom on the repelling wall, it was only 35 feet high if I remember correctly
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dkrob — 17 years ago(June 22, 2008 11:30 AM)
Well if Mr. Burnstein taught as well as Rago did and your class had audience participation as well as Mr. Ragos class did you must have all found it interesting, thought provoking and you all turned out well. This movie is a classic to me. Why do these sort of movies never get Oscars and rubbish does.