Iraqi Freedom or Frustration?

By Lawrence A. Maxted, Gannon University Library, Erie, PA

-- Library Journal, 03/04/2009

Ahlaam (Utopia). color. 110 min. In Arabic w/English subtitles. Mohamed al-Daraji, Human Film, dist. by Pathfinder Home Entertainment, pathfinderpictures.com. 2008. DVD UPC 8-25307-91759-8. $24.98. F
This Iraqi-made feature portrays life under Saddam Hussein. Through flashbacks, we learn that a former soldier lost his best friend in an air attack and a bride saw her groom kidnapped on her wedding day. They both end up in a Baghdad mental hospital. A newly graduated doctor must settle for a job at the same facility because his father had opposed Hussein. Later on, the hospital is bombed during the 2003 U.S. invasion; the patients escape to cope in their new post-Hussein world. A bonus 23-minute documentary discusses the perils of making the film in war-torn 2004. As the dialog is in Arabic with English subtitles and the characters behave in the context of Hussein’s Iraq, Western viewers may have trouble discerning some of the plot nuances. The technical quality of the film—which has won several festival prizes—is surprisingly good considering the production environment. Recommended for foreign film devotees and libraries with extensive holdings on Iraq.

Bad Voodoo’s War. color. 60 min. Deborah Scranton, A Clover & a Bee’s Films, WGBH-Boston, dist. by PBS Home Video, 800-645-4727; shop.pbs.org. 2008. DVD ISBN 978-0-7936-9452-5. $24.99. MILITARY HIST
Broadcast in 2008 as part of the PBS series Frontline, this documentary covers National Guard platoon Bad Voodoo and its presence in Iraq from June 2007 through early 2008. The footage taken by unit members via dashboard-mounted cameras shows them on Iraqi roads providing convoy security, with commentary by platoon sergeant Toby Nunn and other personnel. Nunn and the stress he feels leading and caring for his men are the focus here. The most poignant moments are when the men talk about friends killed during prior tours of duty. The documentary does a fine job of showing how U.S. soldiers cope with deployment in Iraq, but it offers nothing different from portrayals in similar documentaries or on the nightly news. A more in-depth program is the ten-part Off to War: From Rural Arkansas to Iraq. Nevertheless, the reasonable price and timeliness of this film make it a suitable purchase for libraries wishing to stay current on U.S. troops in Iraq. Updates are posted at PBS.org.

Bush’s War. color. 270 min. WGBH-Boston, dist. by PBS Home Video, 800-645-4727; shop.pbs.org. 2008. DVD ISBN 978-0-7936-9443-3. $29.99. Closed-captioned. POLITICS
Another Frontline program, originally broadcast in March 2008, this documentary pulls together a wealth of news clips and interview excerpts from journalists, scholars, and participants to tell the story of how the Bush administration, following the 9/11 attacks,  went to war with Iraq. Part 1 covers the infighting among officials. Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld led the effort to justify attacking Iraq. CIA director Tenet is portrayed as overly compliant despite scanty and potentially unreliable intelligence. Secretary of State Powell and National Security Advisor Rice seem marginalized in the debate. Skipping the invasion itself, Part 2 recounts the lack of U.S. plans for managing post-Hussein Iraq and the blunders that created the chaos leading to the insurgency and ethnic/religious schisms that have been a hallmark of the country under U.S. occupation. This program is a significant record of our policy decisions on Iraq and is highly recommended for all audiences. The History Channel’s six-hour The Iraq War gives excellent coverage of the military campaign and should be a complementary purchase for all libraries. For a thorough judgmental examination of the U.S. occupation, see No End in Sight. Michael Gordon’s superb Cobra 2: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq is a comprehensive print account.

The Making of an Army. 52 min. In English, Arabic, and Kurdish w/English subtitles. Sigurd Falkenberg Mikkelsen. UPC 8-25307-91929-5. 
Taliban II: The Revival. 51 min. Yorgos Avgeropoulos. UPC 8-25307-91899-1. 
ea. vol: (Middle East Focus). color. dist. by Pathfinder Home Entertainment, www.pathfinderpictures.com. 2008. DVD $19.98. INT AFFAIRS
The Making of an Army covers the training in 2005 of Iraqi soldiers by American personnel. The instructors and recruits talk on camera about the training and their expectations. It is disheartening to view the lackadaisical attitude of the recruits even as instructors seem lost at times because of their inability to comprehend the local language and culture. When a recruit balks at getting his military-style haircut, he explains that the haircut will mark him as a target to insurgents when he goes home. Other recruits say they are motivated by pay rather than patriotism. Although the documentary provides insight into the early problems of training the new Iraqi army, its 2005 timeframe means its coverage is incomplete at best. Recommended only for larger collections.
     Though the 2007 production date of Taliban II makes it also somewhat dated, recent attacks in Afghanistan confirm the continued validity of its message: the supposedly beaten Taliban are making a comeback. The video explores the problems Pakistan has policing its Afghan border region, where the Taliban have found refuge from U.S. forces. The documentary demonstrates effectively that the Taliban maintain considerable support among the border’s conservative Islamic tribesmen by brutally enforcing Islamic law and eradicating supposedly negative Western influences. Local observers, experts, and Pakistani officials explain that government control over these independent-minded, well-armed tribesmen is virtually impossible. Oddly, the off-screen narration appears to be in Greek with English subtitles. This incisive investigation of the Taliban at work is recommended for most collections.

Soldiers of Conscience. color. 54 min. Gary Weimberg & Catherine Ryan, Lunda Prods., dist. by Bullfrog Films, 800-543-2764; bullfrogfilms.com. 2007. DVD  ISBN  978-1-59458-799-3. $250 (Rental: $85). Public performance; closed-captioned; public library discounts available. ETHICS
As producer/director Weimberg says in a DVD bonus interview, this is not an antiwar film. This thoughtful documentary instead probes the meaning of individual conscience in wartime. Several conscientious objectors (COs) from the present Iraq War explain what brought about the crystallization of conscience that would not permit them to kill the enemy. War footage, including graphic scenes of casualties, is intercut with the soldiers’ accounts to underline the types of stress they endured. The film expands upon their experiences to discuss how the U.S. military trains soldiers to kill and how it deals with COs. Comments by drill instructors, an army legal spokesperson, and a West Point professor help to define the meaning of justifiable killing in wartime. This evenhanded program offers perspectives on the taking of life in war, raising profound questions appropriate for all of humanity to consider. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.