'Independence Day': The real story behind Bill Pullman's iconic Fourth of July speech in Roland Emmerich's film
Roland Emmerich's man v alien saga 'Independence Day' had one of the most iconic speeches that went on to become a cult classic. Bill Pullman's President Thomas Whitmore in the 1996 hit sci-fi film saw him deliver a speech that just still trumps Steve Rogers's lines in 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier'.
The scene starts with Whitmore saying good morning. He says it again and this time the people preparing for the war stop whatever they're doing and walk up to him to listen. "Good morning. Good morning. In less than an hour aircrafts from here will join others from around the world and you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind."
"Mankind, that word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can’t be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it’s fate that today is the 4th of July and you will once again be fighting for our freedom not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution but from annihilation."
"We’re fighting for our right to live, to exist, and should we win today the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American President holiday but is the day when the world declared in one voice..."
"We will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish without a fight. We’re going to live on. We’re going to survive. Today we celebrate our Independence Day!"
The Atlantic says this was a speech that had more to it than just the motivation and inspiration it aimed at providing. Emmerich along with co-writer and producer, Dean Devlin shed light on the story behind the speech which the site says was inspired by "legal concerns." While the world knows this flick as 'Independence Day' today, the film was originally set to be titled 'ID4' as Warner Bros owned the rights to the title Independence Day. Devlin & Co. wanted the film to have this as a title and they wanted 20th Century Fox to fight for it.
This saw them add in the epic speech which brought in one more reference to 'Independence Day' to the script with hopes of getting Fox to notice the change, look at the massive impact it may have, and also turn the tide of winning the title battle in their favor. Needless to say, the rights were won after two weeks. So it wasn't just the battle against the aliens that was won. The 1996 blockbuster had it all— the drama, slambang action, the odd humor, love, and an ensemble cast where almost every character was a fan- favorite.
The speech was just an icing on a cake. You can watch the speech (via JoBlo Movie trailers) here:
