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thenewgreen · 4790 days ago · link · · parent · post: How far car safety has come: head on collision test, 1959 Chevy Bel Air v. 2009 Chevy Malibu
I appreciate his style, very much so. I actually loved the Fog of War for this reason. It's just difficult for some people to let go of the anger they have toward someone like McNamara, I don't think he took issue with Errol Morris at all. Like you say, "His philosophy of documentary making is to set up a camera and get his interview subjects to talk as long as possible", he can't be held accountable for what they say and what they don't.
And I think its reasonable for a lot of people to despise him. If I were forced to go half way around the world to fight a meaningless war for unclear reasons, I also would despise those responsible for it. Basically, the US government was saying to all these young men, "Your life is so worthless to us, that we'll send you to war, even though we're not even sure what it is we're fight for."
Unfortunately, we didn't learn the lesson we all thought we did. I think that's one of the reasons Morris made the movie. It was a direct finger wagging at the Iraq War.
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thenewgreen · 4789 days ago · link ·
Some mistakes we are doomed to repeat, it seems. This discussion has made me want to re-watch it.
IMO the tough part about watching McNamara in The Fog of War, was that he was trying to speak across a chasm. It was as if he was trying to make the public understand why we kill young kids over political maneuvers and diplomatic misunderstandings. As if he just told it how it is, some sense might be made of it. The public is not going to understand that.
They really don't need understand it either. It made little to no sense. Generals rationally wage irrational wars, and I think they sometimes confuse strategy with the rationale.
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I also felt that. "Here's a guy who is trying to be understood", I thought. Towards the end, when Morris asks him Do you feel in any way responsible for the War? Do you feel guilty?, he's just too tired of explaining himself again and again: I don't want to go any further with this discussion. It just opens up more controversy. I don't want to add anything to Vietnam. It is so complex that anything I say will require additions and qualifications.
Has anyone seen Path to War? It's about the Lyndon Johnson Administration, and much of it concerns the Vietnam War. It has Alec Baldwin as McNamara. Good movie.