Documentary Film Review: The Tillman Story

The Tillman Story is an inspiring film made by Amir Bar-Lev dealing with dedication, courage, and conspiracy with the government. It is a film about a man who was a pro football player but decides to put his career aside for his country and serve in Afghanistan. It shows how the government could have used Pat as pro-war propaganda, by lying to the public about his death. His mom was outraged when she found out that the government had lied about his death and that her son’s death was actually from friendly fire. The George W. Bush administration decided to tell the tale of Tillman’s death by stating that he was under heavy enemy attack, and he was fatally wounded by incoming fire. The film is structured non-sequential, showing us that Pat died at the beginning of the film then showing us his life was before he went to Afghanistan. Then they proceeded to show what happened after he enlisted and then concluded with the effect on the family after his death.

By putting his career to side and serving in Afghanistan, Pat Tillman is showing a great deal of dedication to his country. He is willing to give up his amazing life in America with many friends and a great career ahead of him to serve for his country and put himself in great danger. The film is biased because it is from the view of Pat Tillmans family. The government used Pat to help rally the public around him and around the military efforts in general. He is undoubtedly a hero, many state though that he is not heroic for the reasons reported by the Bush Administration to the American public. We will never know the actual size of the Tillman cover-up, but I believe that the films view is probably closer to the truth than that of the military’s, yet still speculative.

I liked the views that the film had and the point of view it took. It had many great interviews that proved its points well and were very effective. I thought that the footage from the NFL was a great input to the film. It showed the authenticity and what it would be like for a pro football player to drastically change his life like Pat Tillman. The documentary did not loose my attention and it stayed exciting throughout. One scene was particularly interesting where we see the actual footage from a reception for Pats death where a captain speaks and tells the truth about his death, friendly fire, where the family first finds out that the government lied to them. It is very fascinating because we get to see what the family saw that day and the moment they found out the truth, after being lied to for weeks.

This film questions the honesty of the government and shows how easy it can be for them to lie to the public. Although there is a positive light to the story, the film focus’s more on the fact that the government lied to us. It is inspiring to see a public figure such as a football player like Pat go to war and serve for his country. He is a hero and an idol to many Americans. On the other hand, it is disturbing to see that the government would lie about something like this. We learn what it could be like for a family in an awful situation like this.

Killing Us Softly Response

Please write a concise, well-thought out 500 word response to the following question. Please include a picture or illustration that you feel works well with the topic.

Jean Kilbourne comments that the impossible, ideal image presented by advertisers “wouldn’t matter so much if it didn’t connect with the core belief of American and Canadian culture that such transformation is possible; that we can look like this if we just try hard enough, buy the right products. If we’re not beautiful, or thin, or rich, or successful, it’s because we’re just not trying hard enough.” Explore this statement further. In what ways is transformation a central principle of American and Canadian society? What is the connection between advertising’s impossible image of ideal beauty and the American/Canadian belief in transformation?

Kilbourne discusses the different personalities that companies use for men and women when advertising their products and the ideal person that we desire so badly to be. These ideal persons are in commercials, videos, movies and TV shows that are shown to us every day. We can try so hard to reach this goal of the ideal being but in reality it is most likely impossible to copy and achieve, this is transformation. Kilbourne analyzes many advertisements and clips from movies to display the many gender stereotypes. She shows us that there is a relationship connecting advertising and the many more broad issues related to the media and makes us question how much of what we do is influenced by this content that we are exposed to every day.

The way others perceive you will contribute to transformation. The media and all of the screens, posters, and advertisements you see will influence you, but also your peers. You will want to look good for the people around you because you know that you will be judged. I believe that the desire for beauty is much greater for women because we see these ideal women in our everyday lives and have a desire to be or to have that woman. Of course, this should not be how it is but this is how the media made it out to be. Kilbourne helped us realize this.

She states that the women are often seen as objects and further, they focus on a certain part of the female, such as the breasts or buttocks. This statement is very strong and outlines what the companies are basically saying when we read between the lines. Many advertisements or movies will show female breasts, buttocks, and the crotch to attract the man and get the consumers to buy their product. We see this a lot in beer commercials. An example is shown on the next page. As you can see, the woman in this photo is basically a part of the beer. This is completely objectifying her. Also, there is a seductive and sexual look to her, to try and attract men even more. This is an attractive ad for many men and they will want to look at it when they see it. This is exactly what the advertisers want. When we as consumers buy the products of these companies they use these tactics more and continue their advertising on a similar path.

This shows us that this method advertising where they choose target market and advertise specifically for that market it is effective. An example is shown on the next page. It is an Omega watch ad with James Bond as the model. They chose this man as the model because he is a sign of excellence, success, bravery, and numerous traits that many men desire to be. This is, as well, a stereotype. Men would be attracted to buy this product because it is a sign of wealth and a sign of power.