The Fog of War

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Movie
German title The Fog of War
Original title The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2003
length 95 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Errol Morris
script Errol Morris
production Errol Morris
Michael Williams
Julie Ahlberg
music Philip Glass
camera Robert Chappell
Peter Donahue
cut Doug Abel
Chyld King
Karen Schmeer

The Fog of War (Original: The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara ) is an American documentary film directed by Errol Morris . The film is about the life of the former defense minister of the United States , Robert McNamara during the Cold War . He has won various awards, including the Academy Award for Best Documentary .

The film portrays Robert S. McNamara's life primarily in the years 1961–1968. As US Secretary of Defense, he played a key role in the decisions made during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was also jointly responsible for the course of the US involvement in the Vietnam War .

Concept and content

The basis of the film is an interview with McNamara, which shows him sitting on a chair in close-up. The questioner (the director Errol Morris) can be heard but not seen. For the most part, however, it is a monologue by McNamara, which is hardly interrupted in his flow of speech. The in-between pop-historical film clips, sound files and images serve as underlying assets for McNamara's designs and are of Morris in "eleven lessons" ( eleven lessons ) divided the McNamara from his life and in terms of political and military leadership during the Cold War have drawn. McNamara sheds light on his personal vita and his rise to the position of Secretary of Defense as well as his assessment and characterization of other political figures such as John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson . He illustrates and partially defends military positions and ways of thinking in connection with the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War , but also expresses criticism of individual decisions made by his former employers and superiors. His self-criticism usually remains general and cryptic. Already at the beginning of the film he emphasizes that all people make mistakes and that he too made many mistakes in his life, but without becoming more specific. The close-up shots capture the sometimes very emotional reactions of McNamara to his own memories, for example when he laboriously suppresses tears and reports about the assassination attempt on Kennedy. Since the film was released in 2003, i.e. at the same time as the beginning of the Iraq war , McNamara was asked several times about this and the relation of his statements to the current conflict. However, he always refused to take a stand. He said it was not his job to judge today's Secretary of Defense. In the documentation itself, however, there is a passage in which McNamara explains that if many states with value systems similar to that of the USA come to different assessments of international conflicts than you do yourself, you have to question your own position. This was often understood as an indirect statement on the Iraq war.

Emergence

Director Errol Morris said he was inspired to make the movie after reading McNamara ’s book Wilson's Ghost: Reducing the Risk of Conflict, Killing, and Catastrophe in the 21st Century . He then began interviewing the former defense minister, resulting in recordings of over 20 hours.

Morris and McNamara did not always agree on the interpretation of the film. This resulted in the release of a bonus DVD containing ten additional teachings from Robert McNamara.

reception

“… Only in Fog of War it soon becomes clear that McNamara admits just as much moral responsibility as is tolerable for his peace of mind. Morris, undoubtedly a technically excellent filmmaker, degrades himself to a vicarious agent. Along with McNamara's autobiography In Retrospect, Fog of War functions as the life testimony of a man who, given the political scope of his decisions, lacks critical distance. He wrestles serious self-assessments such as that if the United States had lost World War II, he and General Curtis E. LeMay would most certainly have been charged with war crimes - a little later in the film, when the question of responsibility for the napalm carpets, again to dive into the mist of oblivion. The answer to Morris' question as to who ultimately bore political responsibility for the Vietnam War is clear: The President. "

- Andreas Busche

Awards (selection)

literature

  • Matthias Steinle: "In the fog of postmodern documentary films - Errol Morris: The Fog of War (2003)", in: Harro Segeberg (ed.): Reference in the media. Documentation - simulation - docutainment. (GfM series of publications, vol. 16) Marburg: Schüren 2009, pp. 223–239.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Article on the Berkeley University film
  2. ↑ http://www.filmzentrale.com/rezis/fogofwarab.htm www.filmzentrale.com