Rating  - Balanced and Well Done
This video is exceptionally well done. Aside from the supurb documententation and interviews, this video portrays the relational dynamics in play in the President's inner circle in the aftermath of 9-11. Viewers soon recognize that conflict was inevitable; not in Iraq, but in the cabinet. That conflict and anxiety metastasized in ways that were contagious. This film describes and reveals it without making strong judgments about it. I shared my copy with a friend with a viewpoint on Iraq that is opposite my own and he too concurred, "well done."
Rating  - Meticulous and insightful
This covers the post 9/11 period and exposes the processes and infighting involved with the 'War on Terrorism' and how we slipped (or were pushed) into it. The arguments are rational and credible so they give a good version of events.
It would have got 5 stars except for the annoying noise in the background - for what reason I do not know. Perhaps it was to keep us awake but it was certainly distracting and annoying (as well as being pointless).
However, a classy doumentary (that does not need 'musical' help - I use the word 'musical in its very widest sense).
Rating  - Great Interviews; Some Questions About Editing
There are some fine interviews on this DVD. If you have watched Frontline in the past, then most of this DVD will seem familiar since it relies on the Frontline shows since 9/11.
I hesitate on my rating because I'm a bit skeptical of the construction of this documentary. It is made by PBS, the same folks who brought us Buying the War by Bill Moyers. Moyers, PBS, and other media outlets have been saying that the media treated Bush with kid gloves following 9/11, and that the press did not do enough to actively oppose going to war. This DVD leaves you with the same impression: Bush and company was allowed to take us to war, and did so by design. The troubling aspect is, there are many studies out there that say the exact opposite. I was hoping this documentary would take an attitude of exploration; it does not.
Given this history, I wonder about who was editing these interviews and how they were putting them together. Are we getting the real picture? For example, after reading Bush's War: Media Bias and Justifications for War in a Terrorist Age I simply don't trust the media when it reports on the war on terror. In great detail this book argues that the news media began as early as 8 weeks after 9/11 to frame Bush as an enemy, and to actively oppose the war. It covers the same period as Moyers and the Frontline DVD, but comes to very different conclusions looking at some of the same material. Moyers and the media have ignored this study. Something is just not right.
All this makes me wonder about the media's quick interpretation about the war on terror. Seems to me that it will be some time before we know what really happened; we need memoires to be published, and folks who really know what happend to feel safe coming forward to tell their stories. After all, it took years before we had a solid picture about Vietnam, and there are still holes there. This Frontline DVD just presents too tidy of a picture.
Those issues aside, this is a quality production. If you have missed the Frontline shows, or don't have high-speed access to the PBS website, then this DVD can prove invaluable if you are interested in first hand accounts from those who lead us to war. Some of those interviewed include Richard Armitage, John Ashcroft, Dick Cheney, Richard Clarke, Richard Haass, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Tom Ridge, and Paul Wolfowitz.
Rating - How Decisions Are Made
Without regard to your view of the Iraq War in particular and the War on Terror in general, this documentary will provide a fascinating look at the inner workings of President Bush's White House and its relationships with the Pentagon, Justice Department and CIA. More than half of the interviews and recorded speeches/meetings involve the subjects themselves. This is not your typical documentary full of opinions by third parties juxtaposed with quick soundbytes, but rather an explanation, in their own words, of how the principals of our government moved from 9/11 to the War in Iraq. My only regret is that PBS did or could not get interviews with George Tenet and Donald Rumsfeld, as most of their actions are told through others. Adding their perspective would have been interesting. This DVD represents excellent reporting which, although a criticism of the Bush Administration, sticks to the facts and provides the viewer with a valuable insight into the give-and-take of Washington.
Go to the Product Information page
Customer Reviews for PBS (Direct),841887009447,0841887009447,B00169E5J6, |
