The Fog of War

Sunday 14th September 2008 at 4pm| Double bill with Standard Operating Procedure book tickets

1hr 46. USA 2003.  Directed by Errol Morris.

Errol Morris brings his formidable documentary skills to this timely study of former US Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara, who served in both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Morris structures the film as ‘11 lessons from the life of Robert McNamara’, who, at the age of 85, reflects back on the political processes at play in several of the key conflicts of the 20th century - the Second World War, the Bay of Pigs and Vietnam. Lucid and candid, McNamara emerges as a man smart enough to recognise the tragedy of serious errors of judgement, both his own and others, but also proud of his achievements. Originally granted an hour of interview time, Morris ended up filming over twenty, making this a complex and involving exploration of the broader moral, emotional and philosophical issues at stake. Assembling an extraordinary array of archive material, and setting it alongside the beautifully photographed interview footage, Morris has constructed an unmissable film, more engrossing than any drama. Factual filmmaking really doesn’t get any better than this.

click here to watch the trailer