Documentary 'Fog of War' clears the air

By Jeff Renfro

Errol Morris' new documentary, "The Fog of War," tells the story of former Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara. The film is built around two three-hour interviews sessions, conducted in the mid-2001. McNamara recounts his role in constructing American foreign policy and provides an incomplete history of the events that occurred under his watch.

Errol Morris is best known for his 1988 film "The Thin Blue Line," which focused on a murder case and resulted in the acquittal of the subject. The film made Morris a celebrity in the documentary world and introduced the style that marks all of his films. "The Fog of War" features an original score by Philip Glass, who has worked with Morris on all of his films.

The film begins with stock footage of McNamara preparing to address a group of reporters in a Vietnam-era press conference. He seems to be kind and engaging, which is the opposite of his generally-accepted public persona. McNamara began his relationship with the US military after becoming the youngest assistant professor in the history of Harvard. His ability to process and breakdown large amounts of data was deemed advantageous by the Air Force. McNamara was part of the decision making team that led bombings of Japan in WWII. McNamara admits to "being part of a mechanism that recommended" the firebombing of Tokyo that killed 100,000 civilians in a single night. He admits that if the United States had lost the war, he would have been prosecuted as a war criminal. McNamara left the military at the end of the war to become a highly paid executive at Ford.

When President Kennedy was elected, McNamara became the Secretary of Defense, where he oversaw the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War. McNamara was a target of the anti-war movement. His brash, cold attitude led to the claims that he lacked a conscience. His arrogance led many of his peers to dislike him. McNamara was fired/quit as the Secretary of Defense shortly before the end of Vietnam and went on to work at the World Bank.

"The Fog of War," which was recently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, has been criticized for its one-sided approach to the controversial historical events that it presents. The film features no counter evidence to dispute the claims of McNamara, instead, it allows him to shape the story, without making judgments. McNamara, now 87, seems to be offering an account of the events, with no care for how the story makes him look. He seems to be willing to own up to the mistakes of his past, but he conveys an attitude that is slightly off putting. McNamara was a notorious control freak during his years in the cabinet and that description sticks with him; he seems to be willing to face the past as long as he can do it on his terms.

The film offers a peak into the mind of a person who had a profound impact on the 20th century. He was responsible for decisions that could have entered the country into a nuclear war. Do not go into the movie expecting to see a History Channel style documentary. The film is intentionally one-sided, allowing for a more complete character study of a fascinating man.

Grade: B+

û Contact Jeff Renfro at (408) 554-4546 or jrenfro@scu.edu.