IN ANNOUNCING The War Tapes winner of the “best documentary feature” at the Tribeca film festival in New York in May, judge and documentary filmmaker Ken Burns labeled the film a “remarkably clear-eyed view of what’s going on there.” I’ve been over there doing my own war taping and he’s right. The movie is a desperately-needed antidote to the mainstream media-produced baloney broadcast daily into our homes that rarely includes anything but (1) bombs exploding in Baghdad; (2) bombs exploding in Baghdad; and above all (3) bombs exploding in Baghdad.
Critics have described the film as “disturbing,” “humbling,” and “truly a grunt’s eye view of the war.” Believe it or not, that last one was criticism. It came from leftist screenwriter-director Nora Ephron. The views of grunts and embedded reporters are worthless, Ephron says, because they’re “too close” to the war. Better, apparently, to do all the reporting out of Baghdad’s Al-Rashid Hotel or–better still–from ivory towers. (Stunningly, Ephron also thinks embedding was an evil idea dreamed up for this war. Ever hear of Ernie Pyle, Nora?)
