"The Fog of
War" is an intriguing, at times powerful
documentary featuring "Eleven Lessons From the
Life of Robert S. McNamara," a former secretary
of defense under JFK. The film takes us through
many crucial events in this country's history,
including the Cuban crisis and many cold-war
events..."The Fog of War" is told entirely from
McNamara's perspective...it is McNamara talking
into the camera...with some incredible clips
accompanying him...including visual and
voice-over. This film is directed by the
legendary Errol Morris, and Morris truly
elevates this above many documentaries of a
similar style. Typically, I find this interview
format obnoxious, boring and self-centered on
behalf of the subject. This film, however, is
intriguing, generally interesting and framed in
such a way that McNamara appears to be sharing
rather than displaying narcissism. The colors
are bright, but soft...the musical accompaniment
by Phillip Glass fits the subject well. This
film won a 2004 Oscar for Best Documentary,
Features...and is, in fact, one of my favorite
documentaries. This is a surprise to me as I'm
not a big fan of this subject, am a
pacifist...and generally have always been bored
by this subject.
©
Written by Richard Propes
TC Candler's Comment
Interesting... but a slightly dull presentation
drags the overall effect down.
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
