Interview with Editor

1. How did you go about assembling the eclectic list of contributors?
Two methods of attack: from existing writers and colleagues who I had known from previous projects and new authors whose experience and background suited Under Fire. For example, I have known Kim Newman for over ten years and he had contributed to my first book, Eaten Alive! – The Italian Cannibal and Zombie Movie that was published by Plexus in 2002. I have met others at film festivals and functions such as James Mottram, James Evans, Sean Hogan and Tom Dawson who have become firm friends and whose knowledge of cinema is without equal. However, I also wanted to concentrate on periods of war cinema that are often ignored such as the Korean War; hence Paul Edwards’ chapter ‘Missing in Action: Where was John Wayne?’ In this case Google is your friend. Having a hunch for experience and writing talent, I approached Edwards who happened to be the Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of the Korean War at Graceland University. He also served in the conflict and was only too happy to take part for which I am eternally grateful. And the cherry on the cake was the foreword by Mark Goldblatt, the Oscar-nominated editor of Rambo: First Blood II and Starship Troopers. I have known Mark for years, has become a good friend and we share a common interest in violent Italian horror movies by the likes of Lucio Fulci, Dario Argento, Mario Bava and Sergio Martino. Everyone should see Suspiria and Zombi 2 at least once.

2. To what extent were you responsible for choosing the subjects for the chapters?
A multi-author book such as Under Fire is an organic process in such that authors come to me with ideas that they believe are suited to the project. In a number of cases, I asked the author to consider my original idea for a chapter while balancing the subjects in terms of colour, historical importance and range to suit a century of war movies; of course, the topic would engage and fuel the writer to pen an engaging, intelligent and entertaining work. On the other hand, a number of writers expressed their interest in topics that were leftfield and played outside the usual sandbox. As a consequence, Daniel Etherington studied the U-boat ala Das Boot in his chapter ‘Under Pressure: Depth-Charging, Confined Drama and Life On and Under the Water in the Submarine War Movie’ and compared the claustrophobic metal interior to that of trench warfare. And then James Evans delighted me with a proposal on ‘Not So Silent Night’, a chapter dedicated to war films during the festive season. I’m damned sure it’s a world first.

3. You’re a well-known horror journalist, so why a book on war movies?
Yes, I write for Fangoria and The Dark Side on the latest genre movies, but it’s important for me as a writer/editor to tackle new areas that I consider to be challenges. That said, the war movie is just as fascinating to me as the horror genre and I was exposed to the former at an early age. Both can be dark and primal feeding off basic human mechanics as well as being ultimately tragic. However, there is redemption, salvation and glory that strike emotional chords that attracts me such as the Steadicam charge in The Thin Red Line; the pointless human sacrifice in taking Hamburger Hill; the twisting and spiraling dogfights in Battle of Britain between Spitfire and yellow-nosed Messerschmitts, the underwater cat and mouse game in the Das Boot that carves the tension thickly sliced; Sam Peckinpah’s gritty and unflinching details to the horrors of war in Cross of Iron, the unbearable finale in Come and See and so many more. And who can forget Ralph Richardson’s opening speech in Battle of Britain where the Empire faced its darkest hour: “If you think we’re going to gamble on Herr Hitler’s guarantees, you’re making a grave mistake. All those years in England seems to have left you none the wiser. We’re not easily frightened. Also we know how hard it is for an army to cross the Channel. The last little Corporal who tried came a cropper. So don’t threaten or dictate to us until you’re marching up Whitehall… And even then we won’t listen.” Brilliant.

4. The picture research must have been exhaustive. How and where did you get the vast number of film stills?
I have my own library of stills and posters, most have been stored digitally. Also, some were donated to me by filmmakers who I know such as Enzo G. Castellari who is a famed spaghetti western director of Keoma, for example, as well as the outlandish Bronx Warriors. I got to know Castellari well when he accepted my invitation to attend a spaghetti western festival with Franco Nero and Alex Cox. Of course, Castellari has been in the limelight recently when Tarantino remade his The Inglorious Bastards. As for other images, they were supplied courtesy of The Kobal Collection.

5. What’s your favourite war movie and why?
That’s a tough one. It all depends on my mood at the time – sometimes I am in the mood for a serious drama, a balls out horror movie, a comedy or a Japanese monster flick of a giant lizard giving Tokyo some serious grief. I guess it comes to a war movie that I return to time and time again instead of one with powerful visuals and set-pieces that fails to engage. It’s going to be head-to-head between The Thin Red Line that shows both sides of the conflict as civilians caught up in the storm of war and Das Boot with its gripping scenes of tension and underwater chaos with a very Germanic score. I also recommend Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker – awesome. And if it’s a Friday night with a cheeky beer, give me Antonio Margheriti’s Italo popcorn fantasy The Last Hunter where David Warbeck takes on an anti-war stance against the Viet Cong with explosions and convincing model effects. And being an Italian action movie of the early Eighties, it’s cheap as chips and all the more enjoyable for it. Go. See. Now.    

6. What’s your least favourite and why?
There’s so many! David McCallum in Mosquito Squadron is pretty bad, considering it’s a rip-off of the equally dire 633 Squadron. I find Saving Private Ryan to be heavily flawed although effective – dripping with sugary Spielberg sentimentality and lip gloss, the conclusion plays like a first person shooter videogame where nasty Nazis do the machine gun cha-cha. And I have never understood how Stanley Kubrick earned a dog-eared auteur status as a filmmaker. Kubrick was not adept at the horror genre, hence The Shining was stale and lacked all suitable elements to scare – an extremely overhyped film devoid of tension and atmosphere. The same goes for Full Metal Jacket. Personally, I found it be an unsatisfactory whole consisting of two parts that jar considerably. The last component adds some much needed zest and visual punch, but it was too little, too late. And as for the dire Eyes Wide Shut, every DVD copy should be shattered for the greater good of mankind.

7. Is there a plan to release movie books covering other genres?
Yes, there is talk of more books in the series. Sir Christopher Frayling and other notable writers have already expressed their interest to contribute. Watch this space.

8. Which conflict do you feel is underrepresented in the war movie genre?
I never understood why the Korean War was ignored by Hollywood studios and the same goes for the Crimean conflict as many stories of bravery and heroic deeds can be told. But there is room for opportunity as Russell Crowe seized the attention of the masses with Master and Commander, so there is hope. And perhaps Peter Jackson’s production of Dambusters will spur the mainstream to access other periods of war movies as well as question the politics and social history behind the conflicts.

9. Was it difficult editing a book that had such a varying selection of writing styles?
It had its moments, yes. I always knew that Under Fire was going to attract writers of a magazine and book background as well as those of a more academic nature. My main concern was to keep the content and direction balanced and even as well as tempering writing styles so that it would be accessible to a casual reader as well as students and academics – with that in mind, I do believe that we succeeded admirably. The book was never meant to be a straight-laced read with one ‘voice’ as it were. The whole point from the start was to edit the most comprehensive book on the war movie from a number of writers and experts who are the leading light in their specific subject. My experience on comprehensive movie books is that an author might excel in one area, but fall down flat on another, relying on lists of films and quotes from sources to add a grain of credibility. Therefore, the tone may not be in unison, but it certainly adds flavor, character and colour. And most importantly, knowledge told in the most entertaining and accessible manner.

10. And finally, Mr Slater, if you were fighting in a war, would you be in the air, on the ground, or on the sea?
I’d be strapped in a Spitfire during the dark days of the Battle of Britain in 1940. Scramble, a dogfight followed by a few jars in the mess with the lads and a night out chasing the local girls. Of course, it wasn’t like that but I can fantasise. And as I am the reviews editor for Combat Aircraft and Aviation magazines, it’s a logical process, really.

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