Other Titles • Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, • The Fog of War • The McNamara Project • The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons of Robert S. McNamara
Synopses for Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, (2003)
1.
The Fog of War, the movie that finally won Errol Morris the best documentary Oscar, is a spellbinder. Morris interviews Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, and finds a uniquely unsettling viewpoint on much of 20th-century American history. Employing a ton of archival material, including Lyndon B Johnson's fascinating taped conversations from the Oval Office, Morris probes the reasons behind the U.S. commitment to the Vietnam War--and finds a depressingly inconsistent policy. McNamara himself emerges as--well, not exactly apologetic, but clearly haunted by the what-ifs of Vietnam. He also mulls the bombing of Japan in World War II and the Cuban Missile Crisis, raising more questions than he answers. The Fog of War has the usual inexorable Morris momentum, aided by an uneasy Philip Glass score. This movie provides a glimpse inside government. It also encourages skepticism about same. --Robert Horton
On the DVDThe Fog of War DVD piles on 24 additional scenes (38 minutes total). They're short and random, but those interested in the film will find it worthwhile to hear McNamara discuss what it was like to work with JFK and who he feels was ultimately responsible for Vietnam. There's also a text-only list entitled "Robert S. McNamara's 10 Lessons," which he introduces by saying that the 11 lessons in the movie were not his own. Some of them, however, are not that different (movie lesson no. 1: "Empathize with your enemy." McNamara lesson no. 9: "If we are to deal effectively with terrorists around the globe, we must develop a sense of empathy--I don't mean 'sympathy,' but rather 'understanding'--to counter their attacks on us and the Western world."). --David Horiuchi
(45 votes)
2.
IN THEATRES: DECEMBER 19, 2003 (NY/LA)
Documentary expert Errol Morris directs THE FOG OF WAR, a captivating look at Robert S. McNamara, who served as the Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The movie does not exclusively focus on this part of McNamara's career, however, and instead gives a broad overview of the man he was, his multitude of roles--a Harvard Business School graduate, a Colonel in the Air Force during WWII, president of Ford Motor Company--and his opinions on a variety of historical topics. Inspired by two books written by McNamara--IN RETROSPECT (1995) and WILSON'S GHOST (2001)--Morris gives McNamara a forum to talk about the decisions he made and the influence he had during his career. At the age of 85, McNamara has gained necessary perspective to do just that. Sharp as a tack, packed with charisma, and generally fascinating, McNamara easily carries the film with his revealing interviews. Meanwhile, Morris' use of archival footage along with with maps and other effective visual aids add context to McNamara's commentary. Finally, Philip Glass's ominous pulsing score gives the film's important subject matter the gravity it deserves.
This movie screened in October 2003 as part of the 41st New York Film Festival organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
(42 votes)
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