The Fog of War

It’s a brave man who can look back through the years and say he was wrong... and when that man was the Secretary of Defense for the US Government, it gets a little more frightening.

Robert S. McNamara was the Secretary of Defense for seven years during the Kennedy and then Johnson Administrations. This is a feature length edited interview in which he demonstrates how he managed to avert disaster in the Cuban Missile Crisis and got his hands dirty during the Vietnam War.

"He, and I’d say I, were behaving as war criminals…"

As this quote above will attest, McNamara knows everything he did and everything he was responsible for. Yet, there’s still a humble man beneath who is of the belief that everything he did he did for the bigger picture and not solely for America’s interests. He goes into detail about his time in the administrations of both Presidents and speaks honestly about his emotional state during various horrors, his thinking and his choices. The documentary then supports his dialogue through meticulously researched archival footage and tapes of the age, as well as unearthing some truly ancient television.

This is an important film and one that is as horrifying in its truth as it is enlightening for its honesty. McNamara, now in his 80s, is as alert as he has ever appeared and still feels the weight of his decisions so far along in his history. There is no sloppy sentimentality here though, just an honest man expressing his opinions and his choices, regardless of how they may sound to the public. Although, by the end, you may well be thankful this man was there in power at the time. He’s no warmonger, no glaring-eyed ghoul cast down from above, but a regular guy of well-above average intellect who has been asked to reflect on his time in power. And the honesty with which he discusses certain matters is entirely refreshing compared to the generic, stock-standard answers and clichés we usually hear from political press conferences.

The Fog of War (lifted from a line by T. S. Eliot) is, as noted, an important film and one that brings us a new angle on the entire JFK thing, the Vietnam thing and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Plus, he throws in some home truths about World War II that are truly mortifying. It does start slowly but when it warms up, we find ourselves truly compelled to see it through. At least, those of us who care about the truth will.

Recorded last year, the film footage of McNamara speaking is very clear and excellently presented. An equal half of the film is told through archival footage of the time and this goes through varying stages of decay from almost pristine to wholly ruptured. However, this is in fitting with the doco theme and so doesn’t really matter so much. Delivered in 1.85:1 with anamorphic enhancement the general delivery is sound and better than average for a quite simple interview documentary.

This is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround and this is very cleverly used to exact emotion from the viewer – though only to enhance emotional content rather than create it where it doesn’t exist. Some of the sound is presented from ancient audiotape and sounds appalling, but I imagine this can’t be helped or rescued. Also, if it sounded pristine would we be so willing to accept it as genuine?

Sound effects are well treated here being lent an impactful or echoing feel while the score by Philip Glass is superb. Progressively tense, ethereal and full with brooding deep strings and mournful piano, this is an exacting soundtrack that really suits the film’s story. The surrounds carry it around a lot whilst the subwoofer rumbles softly to itself for much of the film, getting louder as situations demand.

There are a few here, though nothing truly incredible.

Firstly the brilliant Dolby Space trailer opens the film and gives us that cinema feeling at home, which we really appreciate. I mean, we have so much choice on a DVD of the sound system they feel they need to advertise it and remind us that they have the monopoly. Brilliant.

Ten pages of DVD text entitled Robert S. McNamara’s Ten Lessons have an optional intro from Mr. McNamara, though this does little to enhance the reading experience. With the film’s subtitle being Eleven Lessons From The Life Of Robert S. McNamara, this is the document from which the idea of the film was spawned. Worth a read, but maybe a little while after seeing the film as they are different, but not entirely.

25 additional scenes covering all manner of things are next and these are unenhanced and feature more of McNamara’s confessions of truth. They total an extra 37:55 all up and while I found them a little bit too much after watching the film, it’s nice that they’ve been included here.

Finally, a theatrical trailer plus two TV Spots for the film total around another three minutes of stuff. But they’re trailers after all – big deal.

Robert S. McNamara is a definite character in modern history and one who is brave enough to face the truths of his actions while in political power. That’s certainly not a common feature among the politicians of the world, and while he is by no means perfect, at least he has the courage of his convictions and the balls to stand by what he has done in the name of peace.

This is a fascinating document of a fascinating man and one well worth checking out next time you’re after a little truth instead of the usual bullshit politicians like to spoon feed us.