WASHINGTON — World War 2 was fought by the “Greatest Generation.” The Iraq War was fought by the “9/11 Generation.”
One was fought by a nation of draftees — celebrities and athletes included. The other was fought by a small percentage of volunteer citizen soldiers.
One was broadly backed by a willing nation which saw direct ties to Pearl Harbor. The other was deeply controversial to a divided nation, which questioned whether there were any ties to 9/11 at all.
Somewhere in this swirling vortex of U.S. military history, two very different war stories inspired two very different books, which in turn inspired two very different films in the same year.
“American Sniper” chronicles Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in U.S. history. The 2012 memoir was written by Kyle, Jim DeFelice and Scott McEwen, then adapted by screenwriter Jason Hall into a 2014 movie, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley Cooper. The film earned six Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.
“Unbroken” chronicles former Olympic track star Louis Zamperini, who survived a plane crash in the Pacific during WW2, spent 47 days on a raft, and suffered more than two and a half years as a Japanese prisoner of war. The 2010 book was written by Laura Hillenbrand, then adapted by the Coen Brothers into a 2014 movie, directed by Angelina Jolie and starring Jack O’Connell. The film earned three Oscar nominations: Best Cinematography, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.
Both veterans passed away before their respective films hit theaters, so WTOP caught up with other key figures behind the scenes of the book-to-film phenomenons.
Listen below for our chat with DeFelice, co-author of “American Sniper.”
Listen below for our chat with Luke Zamperini, son of “Unbroken” hero Louis Zamperini.
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