Brad Pitt’s director sorry for filming Nazi scenes on Remembrance Day
The director of Brad Pitt’s new movie has offered his “heartfelt apologies” after filming Nazi war scenes in an Oxfordshire village on Remembrance Day, provoking outrage.
US film-maker David Ayer staged pre-dawn explosions and had extras act out battle scenes dressed as Nazis as the rest of the UK readied itself to honour the nation’s fallen heroes.
The team behind the film, called Fury, were said to have refused to stop filming over the weekend, despite a plea from the nearby Watlington Parish Council.
Producers sent residents leaflets last month warning them to expect gunfire and explosions, according to the Daily Mirror.
But Ayer expressed his sorrow online after a backlash. He wrote: “My heartfelt apologies for any disrespect on Remembrance Day. I am a veteran myself. It is an honour to film here in the UK.”
He also posted a picture of servicemen at a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
The inappropriateness of the filming had earlier been condemned.
Parish council chairman Ian Hill said: “Whoever is responsible is insensitive. A letter has been sent to express our feelings of how inappropriate it was for Sherman tanks to be rolling across the countryside while explosions were being let off. Local people are very angry.”
Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said the decision to film was disrespectful.
“At the very time a nation pays tribute to those who gave their lives to stop Nazis rampaging across our land it seems grossly insensitive to impose such scenes on villagers,” he told the Mirror.
“A director whose film is profiting from the sacrifices made by 800,000 British and American soldiers in the Second World War has a duty to ensure his crew are allowed to pause to pay proper respect to the dead.”
Shadow defence minister Kevan Jones said: “I’m astonished producers would not consider it to be inappropriate to film such scenes on Remembrance Sunday.
“And it is outrageous appeals from locals to reconsider plans to film on such an occasion were ignored.”
The film’s producer Sony did not respond to efforts to seek a comment.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
