Artistic ideas
From Brett
United Nations film
An intense United Nations movie (of the not too far future esp.) where the forces are truly integrated, showing bravery, etc., reconciliation with the locals (who can see it is an integrated force and thus a little bit more willing to accept the intervention).
Not merely a multi-racial U.S. group, but a truly international group who eventually demonstrate a willingness to die for another (e.g., U.S. for Chinese and vice versa); could be an aggressor nation which is stockpiling weapons or transgressing firmly fixed international borders. But the initial distrust and cultural flavor and attitudes should really be sharply drawn and not easily or even completely overcome among all, yet also it shouldn't resign in cynicism; there should be real sacrifice shown.
It can't be some wimpy situation where U.N. troops are merely keeping peace and have no authority to act. And I think the setting should be after the U.N. has firmly agreed on borders and agreed to collectively agreed for any violations, regardless of location (and by the time vested interests or skepticism by the non-interventionist hesitant larger powers have been overcome with determined leadership).
The world needs very concrete conceptions of a world government and envisioning international cooperation working powerfully with the tougher issues of our times, and not always the excessive if not ridiculous paranoia about Orwellian domination; it is our mutual distrust and lack of action which is the greatest tyranny we now face.
I think parallels with George Washington (like in a conversation debating whether George Washington would support a world government (emphasizing in the end that excluding social prejudices of the time, he was a man who was impatient for a wider union): see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articles_of_Confederation for potentially good quotes of Washington or others of the time). A little historical narration could also work powerfully here too.
It would be particularly interesting I think, if the film included separate but intertwined story lines of both aggressive but principled statesmen (some true leaders)--and stateswomen!--as well as average soldiers and civilians (and not an overly sentimental or simplistic view of grateful civilians being rescued by the soldiers, though a little bit of that might not hurt).
I hope the film may cause people to stop the popular thinking that there is a need for aliens to come and fight us in order for us to unite (though a view of earth from space could be a cool way to solidify the sensation as at the end--while also developing the theme earlier in the film by showing "world citizenship" taught in schools, the U.N. flag being displayed prominently even over national flags; though doing so would now violate a no-penalties U.S. law, it could be made clear that by that time the U.S. amended the Constitution/voted to amend the laws with their interests being adequately represented and of course showing other flags similarly subordinated; but it must be not in some creepy uniformity sense, but showing diverse classrooms around the world maybe reciting the inspiring Preamble to the U.N. Charter, with normal youth having no problems identifying with a federated world union that includes them and their other world brothers/sisters, etc.). We already have aliens to the good of our existing international order; they are called terrorists and aggressors who already attack across boundaries. We also already have the skeleton for a united order; it's called the United Nations. Let's see these bones get some flesh added to them by our attention being drawn its potential to adequately settle conflicts! We can't wait for the leaders to do it all, we need visionary artists to skillfully and powerfully concretely demonstrate how these dreams might look to a public audience, and create a hunger and demand for this. I think the element of brotherhood/sisterhood among different nations and not merely different races (as some films already have thankfully shown) will be critical.
Although the phrase has already been used by Barack Obama and Jackson, Jr. (and used in a different film concept), I think "A More Perfect Union" would be one interesting title to consider, given its superimposing the values of the original U.S. United States with a similar more strongly federated vision for the world. Or maybe "The Union Army" or just "The Union" to borrow similar concepts. Or "A Wider Union". Dunno... By whatever name... While something like "The Union" might be more succinct, "A More Perfect Union" might better conjure up some of the hopefully tasteful emotional elements (which won't be sappy if the film stands strongly enough on its own)...
Wonder if a new female rendition of "Universal Soldier" (Buffy Sainte-Marie) set in the present (lamenting the lack of our current realization of this)... A good ending song (maybe a little bit into the credits) I think could be "One World, One People" by Xcultures.
Also, this cannot be some one-sided thing which comments on the U.N. today in claiming that it would be practical today to always go through its veto-heavy, potentially vested interest Security Council permanent members or dictators-get-a-vote-too system as can occur today. This vision of the near-future, while on the one hand, ala "Universal Soldier" has to indeed show a strong movement away from uniliteral action, also has to support the need for toothed treaties and then conventions and constitutions which compel action and enforcement against any security violation, including preemptive action if determined by the international and representative members, but with "permanent membership" banned in the future due to pressure and practical requirements of smaller countries who won't support the enforcement otherwise(and also extreme dictatorships banned from membership at all). This has to be a sober film both about how the future came about (a mix of protests, leaders who brought sufficient incentives to bear, and especially situations that forced their hands), and what happens in that future, including how their system deals with problems of that time (sometimes controversial or uneven, yet through the rule of law and effectively forceful, as in police action within a country today).
