The War Tapes

I don't even know what to say about this film.

Every unit has a different experience in Iraq, but I'm not sure I can say that unit's experience or bearing well represents the Army experience in Iraq. More, I'm not sure I'd want to be rolling with a bunch of guys consumed with filming themselves.

There's also an undercurrent of self-pity in the film--my favorite example is the Sgt with carpal tunnel syndrome. Well, at least he still has a carpal tunnel (or two) to bitch about.

Just one man's opinion.

13 Fox

I think it was a mistake to put somebody like him on the movie. Producers probably wanted to invest a difference in opinions by letting him in, but if so they happened to be completely off the mark. Was it so hard to find a soldier who is really taking hard deaths of American soldiers (and\or Iraqi civilians) and, although performing his duty, opposes war and therefore Bush? Instead of that they found an unprincipled egoist, whom i cant recall expressing any hard feelings to fallen soldiers or suffering civilians throughout the movie. All he needs there is a combat (his words). He has a respect for insurgents (again nearly a quote). Why? He explains: because situation is no different as if Canada invaded US to overthrow Bush and Americans start defending their country. He missed here all which differ free society from despotism, where despot constantly committing genocide towards controlled population. He missed that considerable part of insurgents are not Iraqi nationals and has no "country-defending" goals. But more important than all he missed that insurgents generally are barbarians who has not a smallest respect for life (including their fellow countrymen), and constantly performing deliberate mass killings of innocent civilians. Could anyone who has a slightest moral feelings miss this last point and therefore feel respect to these maniacs? Not a chance.

All in all the only ones who can appreciate Zack Bazzi's part of movie i guess are those who made hatred to Bush (or to USA for foreigners)their religion, which far surpass any moral or sense of reality. However the major part of the film make it really worth watching.

Deborah Scranton put digvid cameras in the hands of several members of a New Hampshire National Guard Unit deployed to Iraq early in 2004. She then guided their filming of experiences there, reviewing footage fed back via Internet, responding with tips on improving their photography and complementing the content. The Unit stayed in country for 16 months, and was involved in highly dangerous missions, i.e., the invasion of Fallujah in November, 2004, and escorting supply truck convoys here and there. Scranton distilled 900 hours of tapes to yield this 97 minute film that focuses on the experiences of three soldiers.

The footage succeeds in capturing the unpredictability, fear, chaos and ugliness of war. But the scenes that depict these matters make up just part of the film – the most revealing and unique part. Much of the remaining footage is just so-so, not up to the quality seen in professionally shot docs like Gunner Palace or Iraq in Fragments. Still, Scranton's bold experiment, moving beyond freelance or "embedded" photojournalism to the recruitment of soldier-journalists, is a worthwhile effort. My grades: 6.5/10 (low B) (Seen on 10/12/06)

Let me repeat it here: do yourself a favor and read how this documentary was made before watching it. It will enhance your experience by 1000s.

Just consider this: the editing team got some 800 hours of footage.

Hours, not minutes, mind you.

First hand footage from real soldiers deployed to Iraq. No camera operators with decades of experience, no skilled directors able to gently push a certain character to perform a certain way, no audio guy.

The director was able to equip a bunch of soldiers who agreed to get some filmmaking training and record their life on the front. (with the army OKeing everything of course). Those were simple cameras. Camera functioning with tape. Crazy. It seems to me they kind of created a gopro camera before it became mainstream.

The emotions are real, and raw. The footage is brutal as well as the dialogues.

Amazing documentary edited together by extremely talented people.

Must see.

I have seen a lot of the other documentaries that have come out, gunners palace was good, but this film really captured what soldiers roles were and what they were being forced to protect.

The story goes from pre deployment to post deployment which focuses on a few soldiers lives and families as well.

The film also spotlights where the money is being made in Iraq. Either way, if you care about the war in Iraq, I would strongly suggest watching this film.

Again, it is providing us with another point of view needed to understand whats going on. Great Film.