Meet Edmund Milligan Marcus | Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Edmund Milligan Marcus and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Edmund, can you tell us about an impactful book you’ve read and why you liked it or what impact it had on you?
WAR IS A RACKET – by General Smedley D. Butler

Living in a world that has been engaged in one war or another since time immemorial, it can be easy to take for granted the idea that humans will always be finding new ways to blow each other up. When my close friend Milo Imrie died by his own hand after serving in Afghanistan as a Marine, this kind of normalisation was shattered for me. Shortly before embarking on the process of making a documentary about Milo, a friend recommended a small book, a pamphlet really, called WAR IS A RACKET. This book helped me decode and make some sense of the emotional rollercoaster I was now on. It is the most extraordinarily clear and blunt assessment of war’s true, underlying purpose, namely that it is a phenomenally lucrative business venture. General Butler might know a thing or two: he is one of only 19 men in history to receive the Medal of Honor twice, and is commonly referred to as “America’s most decorated soldier”. In my view, the General’s pamphlet should be taught in every classroom in America – it’s only 53 pages with a gigantic typeface – and yet very few even know of its author, let alone the warnings made within its pages. Should you question General Butler’s assertions, remember that President Dwight D. Eisenhower, himself a decorated general and veteran, warned about the potential for misuse of power by the Military Industrial Complex and made this the the crux of his final speech as President. As the military strategist Carl von Clausewitz wrote: “War is nothing but a continuation of politics”. General Butler’s book makes it all too clear that it is high time we inflicted the penalty of political failure on those who have failed, rather than the innocent young citizens who have always been made to do the dirty work. The General finishes his book by addressing the notion that war cannot be dispensed with because of its immense profitability: “We can all make more money out of peace than we can out of war — even the munitions makers. So… I say, TO HELL WITH WAR!”

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I make films, which are notoriously complex, expensive, logistical undertakings as well as challenging artistic ventures. Together with my parents Donald Marcus and Lisa Milligan, both of whom have a rich history in the performing arts, I formed a writer-director-driven film production banner, The Ark Picture Company. Sticking together as a family has been essential and enormously rewarding on an artistic and emotional level, despite the occasional, operatic disagreement. I imagine it’s true for everyone that the creative process is at times an effortless, soaring cruise across a sparkling lagoon and at others a torturous, barefoot slog up a thistle-covered mountain. Einstein said “everybody is a genius”. Of course he didn’t mean that everybody can come up with the Theory of Relativity, but that each of us has something unique to offer, a gift to the world which only we can give, and which is up to each person to identify and protect even when not a single other person understands or believes in it. I have followed and relied on this idea and it has served me well, and when I have not done so, it has been cause for regret. In my view, this is our sacred duty as the artists, creatives, entrepreneurs, business leaders, designers and conceptualists of today and tomorrow: we must listen to that quiet (sometimes cacophonous) voice inside that is telling us what is true and right, often in direct contradiction to market research and the hypnotizing allure of fame and fortune. I hope that in this way we can create a post-pandemic Renaissance to rival the achievements of Da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo, Caravaggio and Brunelleschi, most of whom did not seek or attain the kind of anesthetising comforts we are so encouraged to pursue today. I suspect the cost of allowing our inner voices to be ignored or whittled-down will be an endless, bleak, cultural graveyard of rehashed ideas, compromised visions and profit-driven product that will increasingly be unrecognizable as the kind of creative and artistic legacy that is worth being a part of and which we hope to leave for coming generations.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If we’re talking about LA (some of these may be temporarily closed due to that thing that happened): – Arclight Cinemas. The finest projection quality and technical standards of any mainstream cineplex you’ll find. Classic film screenings are a particular favourite. Who doesn’t want to watch 2001: A space Odyssey from the front row at the Cinerama Dome?
– Soot Bull Jeep. Authentic charcoal-fueled Korean BBQ. Multiple Korean friends of mine attest that it is as good or better than the food in their home country. A cross between an opium den and a garage, in a good way.
– Tiki-T. Los Feliz Tiki bar, its secrets are better discovered for oneself.
– The Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena. Fine collection of world art from multiple periods and geographical areas, a beautifully designed museum and grounds, ample parking. Also in Pasadena:
– Art Center College of Design. Full disclosure, my alma mater. Multiple galleries of student work are very much worth a visit to this beautiful campus nestled in the Bougainvillea-bestrewn hills overlooking Pasadena. Try not to trip on any of the students attempting to catch some shut-eye after their third consecutive all-nighter.
– Griffith Park. Get lost in the wilderness while fleeing harmless, miniature coyotes and then pop out in front of a historic landmark from world and cinema history (Rebel Without a Cause/Griffith Observatory), all for free.
– LACMA. Always some glorious exhibition to be found, and the permanent collection is nothing to sniff at. Just down the street:
– The LaBrea Tar Pits. I’ve been going since I was a little kid. The museum has a diverse and beautifully maintained collection of bones and dioramas, documenting the rich seams of prehistoric life once present in the area.
– Sushi Gen. If you want to push out the boat a bit, you may not want to return to harbour after eating here. The sushi, service and ambience are transcendent, causing one of my friends to exclaim upon leaving: “money CAN buy happiness!”. In this case, I tend to agree with her.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My Shoutout goes to Andrea Ou, a Bay Area filmmaker/writer/photographer and all-around wonderful human being. She and I met in film school, and I was immediately drawn to her utterly unique storytelling and sense of humour. Her short documentary film GRANDMA GRANDMA is one of the finest pieces of non-fiction cinema I’ve ever seen, an inspiring, heart-breaking, hilariously surreal examination of Andrea’s two grandmothers on different sides of the family. Her talents, insights and perspectives on film, particularly documentary, have been a guiding light throughout the process of making my current film, LUCKY MILO. In addition to all this, she has been a stalwart friend and mensch throughout what have been some challenging times for me personally and professionally. It is people like Andrea Ou who make it possible to believe in the goodness of the world.

Website: luckymilo.com

Image Credits
Image 1 (portrait): Stephanie Zollshan / The Berkshire Eagle Image 2-6: The Ark Picture Company