Believe It or Not...
Added 1/4/2010
If you are unfamiliar with the name "Abu Ghraib" then you shouldn't even be reading this review or considering this film for viewing. I would suggest getting some, less graphic information about this situation before venturing on.
I don't think anyone denies the attrosities that happened in this prison/interegation station. I think the only things that are still somewhat hidden/denied/ignored are the names behind the exact horrors and the depth of knowledge (of these actions) by those who should have been on top of every detail.
Be prepared for the real nitty-gritty. This documentary is not meant for an after-dinner social hour and certainly not for children, those who are squeemish or those people who are proud of the actions (or lack-there-of) of then President Bush, his Staff, our Government Officials and a few Generals.
Be prepared for some hard-core, hard hitting facts with picture proof.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Haunting
Added 10/19/2009
With all due respect to the reviewer who was so bitterly disappointed with the limited scope of this movie -- it doesn't identify any of the higher-ups who clearly enabled the abuses at Abu Ghraib -- this troubling documentary still reminds us of the ways a blighted tree bears rotten fruit.
I also wonder if that reviewer saw the DVD of S.O.P. Director Errol Morris' commentary here addresses many of the issues the reviewer raises, and indeed asks questions that any thoughtful American needs to consider.
These include: why were the photographs of abuses taken? According to letters home written by one of Rumsfeld's infamous "bad apples" at the time of the abuses, this soldier took the photos to document what was happening. To hide her intent, she would smile and give thumbs-up in the shots in which she appeared. Yet she also took the post-mortem photos of the prisoner killed by intelligence officers during interrogation -- none of whom have yet been held accountable for this murder of a prisoner not even proven guilty.
Another question Morris raises: did any of the harsh interrogation techniques yield valuable information? Apparently not -- Saddam himself was captured by soldiers on foot, unaided by prisoner confessions. The director also points out something that he claims is well known among the intelligence community: that the most effective Nazi interrogator -- the one who got useful information -- was the one who treated his interrogation subjects well. So much for Cheney's claim that harsh interrogation "works".
And finally: did the photographs help or hinder the investigation of abuses? On the one hand, they yielded irrefutable proof that prisoner mistreatment had occurred, defying the Geneva conventions and "basic human decency". At the same time, the only people who have yet been brought to justice were the whistle-blowers themselves -- the "bad apples" shown in the photos. This film makes it clear that the policies of prisoner mistreatment and degradation were already in place when the apples first came to the prison. In other words, the photos gave the higher-ups a visual scapegoat: see, those bad apples did this; they should be punished.
Meanwhile, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and all the "military intelligence" personnel go on to open self-laudatory libraries and make money giving speeches and writing memoirs.
Let us hope that the Obama Administration will root out the higher-ups who degraded the prisoners and disgraced America in the process. Until justice is done, every American is complicit in these shameful acts.
Yes, I cried tears of shame as I listened to Morris' sad commentary. I would like to think my response is not unique...
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Exploring the shadows and dark corridors of the Abu Ghraib episode
Added 10/5/2009
Engrossing and rife with the director's usual artistic flouishes, "Standard Operating Procedure" doesn't quite let those now infamous U.S. prison keepers at Abu Ghraib off the hook, but credibly purports that things were maybe a little more complicated than those equally infamous photographs seemed to indicate. Most chillingly, we see evidence that the most disquieting activities at the prison were the ones that weren't photographed, involving personnel who were too cagey and calculating to let themselves anywhere near a camera.
Due to Mr. Morris' balanced portrayal of the soldiers and honest attempt to get at the truth of the whole sorry mess, one actually comes to somewhat like- or at least feel a little sympathy for- the prison keepers who were interviewed, despite their unquestionably insensitive activities in the photographs. An audio commentary by Mr. Morris and a fascinating collection of deleted scenes further fuel the film's supposition that perhaps the net of blame should have been cast a little wider during that whole sad episode in the Iraq conflict.
"Standard Operating Procedure" looks and sounds great on standard DVD, with composer Danny Elfman's minimalist and haunting music somehow channeling the best work of Philip Glass, Mr. Morris' usual composer, on the moodily effective soundtrack.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Recipe for disaster.
Added 9/13/2009
Nutshell review - This documentary focuses on the story behind the photographs of prisoner abuse that occurred at Abu Grahib prison in Iraq. The core theme of this film is this; put a group of young soldiers in a violent war zone, give them power for which they are not ready, give them orders to do things for which they are not trained, throw in a bad apple (or two) and let them loose on prisoners in an insufficiently supervised environment. A recipe for disaster.
The film interviews the very soldiers accused of the abuse and shows the extensive photographic trail they themselves created leading up to their discovery. What is clear is that they did break the law. What is also clear is that there was a lack of oversight, supervision and a strong suggestion that other people further up the chain of command should have borne some responsibility but did not.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Imprisoned - The Paradox Of Trying To Maintain Ethical Behavior In Chambers Of Torture
Added 6/28/2009
This is an excellent film documenting abuses by the US Military and US Military Intelligence services at the Abu Ghraib prison during the Iraq War. For general background on the events at Abu Gharib, you can visit Wikipedia or do news article searches.
This film is valuable not only because it reveals more information about the events, but also because it allows some of the Military personnel involved to tell their own stories. These stories may be true or they may simply be self-serving tales (the soldiers coloring their involvement in a light most favorable). It is fascinating to watch the people involved as they shape and reveal their involvement, actions, and justifications.
The film gives some sense of the timing of events and the long hours, days, and weeks of conduct. The film also shows video footage of the events, video that is less known than the photos.
It takes courage to admit you've participated in unethical or criminal actions. I admire the courage and decisions of everyone who agreed to participate in telling their own stories.
The events at Abu Ghraib are horrific. Corruption often comes because leadership is either corrupt or indifferent to corruption. It's difficult to be less corrupt than the leadership you are required to follow.
Abu Ghraib was a place where people became marred, damaged, and imprisoned - both the guards and the inmates.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Believe It or Not...
Added 1/4/2010
If you are unfamiliar with the name "Abu Ghraib" then you shouldn't even be reading this review or considering this film for viewing. I would suggest getting some, less graphic information about this situation before venturing on.
I don't think anyone denies the attrosities that happened in this prison/interegation station. I think the only things that are still somewhat hidden/denied/ignored are the names behind the exact horrors and the depth of knowledge (of these actions) by those who should have been on top of every detail.
Be prepared for the real nitty-gritty. This documentary is not meant for an after-dinner social hour and certainly not for children, those who are squeemish or those people who are proud of the actions (or lack-there-of) of then President Bush, his Staff, our Government Officials and a few Generals.
Be prepared for some hard-core, hard hitting facts with picture proof.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Haunting
Added 10/19/2009
With all due respect to the reviewer who was so bitterly disappointed with the limited scope of this movie -- it doesn't identify any of the higher-ups who clearly enabled the abuses at Abu Ghraib -- this troubling documentary still reminds us of the ways a blighted tree bears rotten fruit.
I also wonder if that reviewer saw the DVD of S.O.P. Director Errol Morris' commentary here addresses many of the issues the reviewer raises, and indeed asks questions that any thoughtful American needs to consider.
These include: why were the photographs of abuses taken? According to letters home written by one of Rumsfeld's infamous "bad apples" at the time of the abuses, this soldier took the photos to document what was happening. To hide her intent, she would smile and give thumbs-up in the shots in which she appeared. Yet she also took the post-mortem photos of the prisoner killed by intelligence officers during interrogation -- none of whom have yet been held accountable for this murder of a prisoner not even proven guilty.
Another question Morris raises: did any of the harsh interrogation techniques yield valuable information? Apparently not -- Saddam himself was captured by soldiers on foot, unaided by prisoner confessions. The director also points out something that he claims is well known among the intelligence community: that the most effective Nazi interrogator -- the one who got useful information -- was the one who treated his interrogation subjects well. So much for Cheney's claim that harsh interrogation "works".
And finally: did the photographs help or hinder the investigation of abuses? On the one hand, they yielded irrefutable proof that prisoner mistreatment had occurred, defying the Geneva conventions and "basic human decency". At the same time, the only people who have yet been brought to justice were the whistle-blowers themselves -- the "bad apples" shown in the photos. This film makes it clear that the policies of prisoner mistreatment and degradation were already in place when the apples first came to the prison. In other words, the photos gave the higher-ups a visual scapegoat: see, those bad apples did this; they should be punished.
Meanwhile, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and all the "military intelligence" personnel go on to open self-laudatory libraries and make money giving speeches and writing memoirs.
Let us hope that the Obama Administration will root out the higher-ups who degraded the prisoners and disgraced America in the process. Until justice is done, every American is complicit in these shameful acts.
Yes, I cried tears of shame as I listened to Morris' sad commentary. I would like to think my response is not unique...
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Exploring the shadows and dark corridors of the Abu Ghraib episode
Added 10/5/2009
Engrossing and rife with the director's usual artistic flouishes, "Standard Operating Procedure" doesn't quite let those now infamous U.S. prison keepers at Abu Ghraib off the hook, but credibly purports that things were maybe a little more complicated than those equally infamous photographs seemed to indicate. Most chillingly, we see evidence that the most disquieting activities at the prison were the ones that weren't photographed, involving personnel who were too cagey and calculating to let themselves anywhere near a camera.
Due to Mr. Morris' balanced portrayal of the soldiers and honest attempt to get at the truth of the whole sorry mess, one actually comes to somewhat like- or at least feel a little sympathy for- the prison keepers who were interviewed, despite their unquestionably insensitive activities in the photographs. An audio commentary by Mr. Morris and a fascinating collection of deleted scenes further fuel the film's supposition that perhaps the net of blame should have been cast a little wider during that whole sad episode in the Iraq conflict.
"Standard Operating Procedure" looks and sounds great on standard DVD, with composer Danny Elfman's minimalist and haunting music somehow channeling the best work of Philip Glass, Mr. Morris' usual composer, on the moodily effective soundtrack.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
