A thought-provoking and original film, “The Fog of War” is highly controversial. The critical reception of the film reflected both some historical disagreements over the Vietnam and Cold Wars and appraisal of its ability to speak to universal and contemporary questions. The director, Errol Morris, was accused of presenting a historically inaccurate and self-serving narrative and being too lenient on the major figure of his film. On the other hand, “The Fog of War” won an Academy Award for being the best documentary. In general, the film tells the audience about grueling problems in ethics, politics, and contemporary history. It raises numerous specific issues, including the place of morality and ethics in political decisions, the importance of communication in social relations and international politics, and the art of statesmanship. “The Fog of War” is a powerful reminder that each action in international politics provides stimulus for learning and reflection. “The Fog of War” is a film worth seeing for its insights into controversial historical events and reflections on the war, whose ghosts people still cannot get rid of, and for its impressions of the difficulties one man is forced to face while making decisions, both beneficial and harmful to thousands of the citizens.
“The Fog of War” begins with a reserved, poised, and slick-looking McNamara, who seems to begin a Pentagon press briefing during the Vietnam War. Perhaps, this is his dominant image throughout the film: bright and excellent. However, the film closes with a resolute McNamara refusing to continue the further discussion about Vietnam, set to footage of the aged and bleak-looking man driving his car around Washington DC. Nevertheless, in between these covers of the film, the director takes the audience through important historical events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and the World War II. Besides, McNamara’s enthralling voice is accompanied by various historical documents, re-enactments, and the background in the form of the rolling tape recorder.
Robert McNamara is a former WWII officer, Harvard Professor, President of Ford, the Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War, and Head of the World Bank. In “The Fog of War,” McNamara tells about major events during his life, some recollections from the age of two, the celebrations at the end of WWI, the university years at Berkeley, the beginning of his academic career at Harvard, and his work in the Ford Motor Company. Besides, he also talks about his position of an advisor to the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, his departure from the government, and involvement in the Vietnam War. Morris has presented the film as eleven lessons of this man, including a prologue and an epilogue. Indeed, McNamara, who took part in resolving numerous international crises in the second half of the twentieth century, undoubtedly has ample material to discuss. Morris succeeds in presenting the major events in the life of McNamara and creates a provocative and insightful film. In the interview, the man makes various statements about the nature of death, life, and several difficult decisions he had to make. He says, “None of our allies supported usIf we can’t persuade nations with comparable values of the merit of our case, we’d better reexamine our reasoning” (The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara). Thus, he conveys tragically the difficulty of learning from someone’s mistakes.
However, “The Fog of War” is too sympathetic to a historical figure who was responsible for the American involvement in the Vietnam War and fifty thousand deaths there. Besides, there are numerous contradictions exposed in the interview. The former Secretary of Defense comments on the Cuban Missile crisis and declares, “It was luck that prevented nuclear war. We came that close to nuclear war at the end. Rational individuals, Kennedy was rational, Krushev was rational, Castro was rational” (The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara). This commentary raises a lot of questions, for example, was it luck or rationality that prevented nuclear war or can rationality guarantee the finding of universal truths? One thing is known for sure, as the title of the documentary suggests, war is a complex phenomenon, and it is too difficult for a human mind to comprehend all the possible variables. It is also clear that Morris’s attitude to the most controversial aspects of the Vietnam War, the Cuban Crisis, and the role of McNamara in American international politics has also caused debates among historians and statesmen. Bliddal writes, “ it can be persuasively argued that Morris succeeds in unsettling ingrained prejudices. Yet, what redeems the film is the effect that Morris achieves with his audience: critical reflection” (245). Indeed, the film encourages its spectators to evaluate several current situations and conflicts all over the world.
Works cited
Bliddal, Henrik. Classics of International Relations: Essays in Criticism and Appreciation. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2013. Print.
The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara. Dir. Errol. Morris. Perf. Robert S. McNamara. Freedocumentaries.org. N.p., 2003. Web. 14 Aug. 2016.
