[Closed] A Black Dog Named "Digger"?

Kettle's just boiled.

"The film is not about the dog. My big concern would be if they watered down what the Dam Busters had achieved."

If they want to have the film released in the states than they had to do it. pragmatic decision IMO.

Dunno why they are doing a remake tho the original film is great.

Have they ever heard a snoop dogg album?

Yawn

Not actually worth getting worked about, is my considered opinion, the dog's name just doesn't matter. I think only oversensitive people could be offended by it but only fools could get offended by changing it. The original film had a load of inacccuracy in it and I'm sure the new one will too so why is the dog's name such a make-or-brake point for people?

Seems sensible.

Retroactively changing the original film would've been wrong; the word was innocent back then, no offence was ever intended. Remaking it these days, it'd be inflammatory [i]not [/i]to change it. It's not a documentary, so artistic licence applies; if we can have Robin Hood with an American accent, we can change a pet's name to something phonetically similar without the world ending.

Dunno why they are doing a remake tho...

Apparently it had a racist dog in it.

Dunno why they are doing a remake tho the original film is great.

+1

Apparently it had a racist dog in it.

I think we all know the dog was the victim of racism. Plus, it's acceptable for Black dogs to call each other '****'.

Sensitive change to avoid unnecessary offence, or pointless rose-tinting of history?

sensitive change I reckon

Times change, things move on

its a simple change that means that the story can be enjoyed without causing a furore.

why cause an argument for the sake of it

I think we all know the dog was the victim of racism. Plus, it's acceptable for Black dogs to call each other '****'.

For realz dawg!

It doesn't make any difference, it would only get dubbed if they hadn't changed it

Besides, it's a stupid name for a dog.

It's like calling your dog 'Noir' anywhere other than France.

Was the dog from Nigg?

Dunno why they are doing a remake tho the original film is great.

Maybe they're going to make so it's closer to the truth,

Times change, things move on

Agreed, but I'm not sure that means we should pretend that unsavoury things didn't happen.

Some nice quotes from Mervyn Hallam (curator of RAF Scampton museum) and Jim Shortland (Dambusters historian) in [url= http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/14/dambusters_dog/ ]the coverage at El Reg[/url].

Have they ever heard a snoop dogg album?

You don't get this, do you?

You don't get this, do you?

You mean Snoop isn't a real dog?

There's a joke about something rhyming with Snoop that I will not relate here.

😉

Hang on. Does this mean Dr Dre isn't a proper doctor?

There's a joke about something rhyming with Snoop that I will not relate here.

By all means go for it.

Or.

Are.

You.

Chicken?

There used to be a fantastic red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon) from Chile called Gato Negro ... 🙄

Nahhh ... use the original name as that was the name used. P.C. shite.

TBF it is a sensible compromise and Digger is a pretty suitable and apt name for a dog anyway.

I did see the original on the Beeb a couple of years ago and they just edited out the dog's name repeatedly. Bloody stupid.

Does this mean Dr Dre isn't a proper doctor?

and Eminem isn't an M&M

There's a joke about something rhyming with Snoop that I will not relate here.

😀

some cultural history is bad, does that mean it has to be buried or does it serve a better purpose out in the open ?

pc bollox.

gaurdianista win.

they could call the dog barnaby, that does not detract from the historical accuracy of the events.

So what will the call a breach in the Mohne Dam?

they could call the dog barnaby, that does not detract from the historical accuracy of the events

yes it would. the fact that the word **** was used so openly helps to set the historical cultural context imho.

My daughter bought me a DVD of the original for fathers day a while back.... thought she was going to pass out when the name first came up...Very funny in retrospect

but bit of a strange one really, is it rewriting history and surpressing the truth to change it, perhaps a bit like denying the holocaust? Or is it simply sensitive to changes in society?

Personally I'm a bit uncertain about it.

My black Lab is called Digger* it's a fine name for a dog.

They needed to change it really not everybody is enlightened enough to view history as history and some poeple need the facts altering to protect them from the horror of the past.

*(well at least that's his official the name on his pedigree dooberry, well sort of it's actually Digger's Luck as his dad was called Digger)

Churchill didn't drink.
Brunel never smoked.
etc.

So would it be okay to reprise The Black and White Minstrel Show?

You don't get this, do you?

"The film is not about the dog. My big concern would be if they watered down what the Dam Busters had achieved."

So would it be okay to reprise The Black and White Minstrel Show?

i doubt that anyone would want to watch it. should all traces of it be removed from the national archives or should it have all the offending minstrels airbrushed out ? no.i think it seves a better purpose to know that people openly behaved like that.

I used to have a dog called trigger, does that make me anti gun?

On a more serious note Haitians are commonly referred to as stupid ****s by their Dominican Republic neighbours, does that make everyone from dom rep racist?

some cultural history is bad, does that mean it has to be buried or does it serve a better purpose out in the open ?

That's pretty much my thought too.

I'm not convinced that pretending these things didn't happen is a good thing. They did and to our modern ears they are wrong.

Should they also remove any derogatory remarks made about the Germans?
"Huzzah, that's one in the eye for the [i]supporters of the German Nationalist Socialist party[/i]."
"Take that [i]people who enjoy fermented white cabbage[/i]".

It could be a child's face next time.

Some dogs are not racists.

[img] [/img]

perhaps a bit like denying the holocaust?

Yes changing the dog's name is exactly like that.

To be fair, all labrador's I've met are pretty racist anyway. Not as bad as alsatians, but they're up there.

Anyway, I think they should recast a cat in the role. It could yawn disinterestedly and go back to sleep at important plot twists

That's pretty much my thought too.

I'm not convinced that pretending these things didn't happen is a good thing. They did and to our modern ears they are wrong.

Should they also remove any derogatory remarks made about the Germans?
"Huzzah, that's one in the eye for the supporters of the German Nationalist Socialist party."
"Take that people who enjoy fermented white cabbage".

The dog is such an inconsequential part of the story your analagoy is ridiculous.

I used to have a dog called trigger, does that make me anti gun?

We had a cat called Trigger...that's what it said on his registration thingy. But we called him Dave.

Agreed, but I'm not sure that means we should pretend that unsavoury things didn't happen.

I don't think they are. After all they are showing how the attack killed thousands of civilians (and POWs and forced labourers) whilst having minimal impact on the German war effort aren't they?

yes it would. the fact that the word **** was used so openly helps to set the historical cultural context imho.

Surely, it's a film about dambusting, not culture. As such, insisting on calling the dog **** in the re-make serves no purpose other than to piss people off and keep people who get wound up by guardian readers happy. 🙂

To be fair, all labrador's I've met are pretty racist anyway. Not as bad as alsatians, but they're up there

Horses are the worst:

Times change, things move on

...history gets rewritten

Erm...it's a film. I bet there will be plenty of other factual inaccuracies in there too. I think I can handle the dog being renamed.

Changing the name of a dog in a dramatised film about a very well documented period is rewriting history?

The name of the dog will pail into insignificance once the film's made, and we see the crew of the B-17 squadron high-fiving each other as they'll all return safely over the channel after their successful mission. That's how these things usually go isn't it

...history gets rewritten

When I heard about the remake I was more concerned that it would be done by an American film studio and would be the American air force.

The fact that the dog's name is to be changed I'm not sure is going to have a drastic impact on the story.

Besides, the dog will die half way through. Just watch the second half if you're that bothered....you can assume the first half is just a sham.

The dog is such an inconsequential part of the story your analagoy is ridiculous.

The dog's name is the codeword used to signal that [u]the dam[/u] has been [u]busted[/u]. In the film, [u]The Dambusters[/u] some regard this as a fairly key moment 😀

Surely, it's a film about dambusting, not culture. As such, insisting on calling the dog **** in the re-make serves no purpose other than to piss people off

Well some might well reflect on the point that while we fought the "nasty racist Germans", things were not exactly PC back in Blighty.

Why is it better to pretend that we were above that, it didn't happen and Britain has always been the land of equal opportunities?

Changing the name of a dog in a dramatised film about a very well documented period is rewriting history?

It's all about the dog. It's always about the dog. Dog dog dog dog Dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog dog.

Dog.

The name of the dog will pail into insignificance once the film's made, and we see the crew of the B-17 squadron high-fiving each other as they'll all return safely over the channel after their successful mission. That's how these things usually go isn't it

Why not? After all the Dambusters are an American Squadron

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VFA-195

Surely, it's a film about dambusting, not culture.

i don't see that the two are mutually exclusive. would that mission, with its consequences go ahead in todays cultural environment ? unlikely i'd say.

setting the hideous events of wwii requires the setting of an historically accurate culutal backdrop. just my opinion.

Dr Dre is shite.
Snoop whatever dog is shite.
M&M is shite but not the chocolate as they taste good.

Public Enemy is funny so they are good.

The rest shite.

We should create a thread to discuss how we can combine...

This...

[img] http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTQQdN596UxYfXP8WU-iDpkhoriH4ZZ0T6YaV7nt_PA2_OklXxw [/img]

...and this...

[img] http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSyrcNM8adb76nfV48nn1QBJ6cp1z-wYnmjSjQ9HVsGfTF9Di3SQA [/img]

chewkw:
Dr Dre is shite.
Snoop whatever dog is shite.
M&M is shite but not the chocolate as they taste good.

Public Enemy is funny so it is good.

The rest shite.

I come for the service, but I stay for Chewkw's special brand on nonsense.

Doesn't that go along the lines of 'What's black and rhymes with Snoop'?

The version I'm familiar with is "what's brown and rhymes with 'snoop'?" - giving us the obvious straight answer of "poop" and thus adding a little misdirection in order to add comedic value and avoid foreshadowing the punchline.

Hm, jokes are like frogs.

all new copies of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn have had all the N word references removed. I don't know what they've changed it to. maybe this:
http://rutube.ru/tracks/3952243.html

I think they should change the film title to "Dyke Smashing" it may sell a few more.

Oh dear my black lab's run away "Coon, where are you"? (named after an evergreen plant called a coontie, i'll have you know.)

Agreed Cougar - I am crap at telling even half a joke.

😀

Hm, jokes are like frogs.

They come apart when ****ed?

The dog's name is the codeword used to signal that the dam has been busted. In the film, The Dambusters some regard this as a fairly key moment

Changing the dog's name wouldn't change this plot device one jot.

I come for the service, but I stay for Chewkw's special brand on nonsense.

Ironic then, that you'd say that the first time he's ever written anything vaguely correct. (-:

They come apart when ****ed?

They die when dissected, yes. I'm sure that's what you meant.

(-:

Well some might well reflect on the point that while we fought the "nasty racist Germans", things were not exactly PC back in Blighty.

Would "some reflect" on that really? Would they bollocks. There are plenty and better opportunities to get people to reflect on our racist past than by insisting that the dog still gets called "****".

setting the hideous events of wwii requires the setting of an historically accurate culutal backdrop. just my opinion.

Fair enough, and I mostly agree with you on these kinds of things, but I suspect we won't be seeing or hearing much about the true horrors of WW2 in this film...moreover, it'll be a celebration of the raid and the planning. And as such, the name of the dog would matter less than say, it was a film similar to "Schindlers List" or the like.

I see a lot of PC and non-PC handwringing by people who have probably never experienced racism.

I always wanted two dogs. One called Nboogie and one called Myface.

That way, when they were playing up and jumping on the furniture, I could yell out, "Get down, Nboogie!"

Or, perhaps in the park, when one dog was lagging behind, I could shout out, "Come on, Myface!"

whilst having minimal impact on the German war effort

Really? I knew you usually talked rubbish, but that's quite exceptional...

GrahamS - Member

The dog's name is the codeword used to signal that the dam has been busted. In the film, The Dambusters some regard this as a fairly key moment

The dambusting, yes. The actual [i]codeword[/i] used is not key to anything except kneejerking.

Forget the name, that dog drinks beer 8)

would that mission, with its consequences go ahead in todays cultural environment ? unlikely i'd say.

Consequences: Reduced power output in the Ruhr valley for around a month. 1650 people dead*, over 1000 of which were allied prisoners of war or forced labourers.

Unlikely I'd hope.

(* though obviously in the film the dead will all be Imperial Stormtroopers, orcs and zombies).

Why not? After all the Dambusters are an American Squadron

They were nothing to do with the subject of the Dambusters film though.

Times change, things move on

They should have used a white dog and called it Cracker 😆

Am I now banned?

all new copies of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn have had all the N word references removed.

Aaaaargh! That's half the frickin point of Huckleberry Finn.
Should I look forward to the rewrite of "Uncle Tom's Cabin"?
Or perhaps "Othello: the tanned gentleman of Venice"

Would "some reflect" on that really? Would they bollocks

I just did 😀

I just did

Good point. 😕

Am I now banned?

Yes.

but I suspect we won't be seeing or hearing much about the true horrors of WW2 in this film...moreover, it'll be a celebration of the raid and the planning.

yup, i can't see the true extent of the human suffering of the raid being depicted by a production company squeamish about the dog's name.

Consequences:

Many factories destroyed, lots of labourers re-allocated to fix the mess when they were supposed to ahve been working on France's coastal defences, a lot of wasted effort working out how to stop us doing it again.

Clearly a quite useless mission then 🙄

whilst having minimal impact on the German war effort
Really? I knew you usually talked rubbish, but that's quite exceptional

Normally at this stage you would be expected to provide some evidence to support your response

Edit: ok see your response now