Narrated by Sean Penn and based on the work of media critic and best-selling author Norman Solomon, who traveled with Penn to Baghdad just before the war to call attention to the dangers of a U.S. invasion, WAR MADE EASY r... more »eaches into the Orwellian memory hole to expose 50 years of government spin and media collusion that has dragged our country into one war after another from Vietnam to Iraq. With remarkable archival footage of official distortion and exaggeration from LBJ to George W. Bush, the documentary exposes how presidential administrations of both parties have relied on a combination of deception and media complicity to sell one war after another to the American people.
Giving special attention to parallels between Vietnam and Iraq, WAR MADE EASY sets government spin and media collusion from the present alongside virtually identical patterns from the past, guided by Solomon s meticulous research and tough-minded analysis. Rare footage of political leaders and journalists from the past includes Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and news correspondents Walter Cronkite and Morley Safer. According to Solomon, whose work has been praised by The Los Angeles Times as brutally persuasive, the positive attention the film has received may indicate a new willingness to counter years of pro-war media spin and government deception. These deep patterns of ongoing perception management must be demystified and decoded if we're going to move beyond the horrors of perpetual war, he said. The way War Made Easy is being embraced could be an important step in that direction.
An Official Selection of 2007 s International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam and the 2007 Montreal and Vancouver International Film Festivals, WAR MADE EASY, directed by Loretta Alper and Jeremy Earp, is an invaluable introduction to war propaganda and public relations that transcends partisan politics, and raises serious questions about the role of journalism and political communication in our society.« less
Actors:Norman Solomon, Sean Penn Directors:Loretta Alper, Jeremy Earp Genres:Documentary Sub-Genres:Politics Studio:The Disinformation Company Format:DVD - Color,Widescreen DVD Release Date: 03/25/2008 Original Release Date: 01/01/2008 Theatrical Release Date: 01/01/2008 Release Year: 2008 Run Time: 1hr 12min Screens: Color,Widescreen Number of Discs: 1 SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 1 MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated) Languages:English See Also:
"Excellent documentary that talks about the way the media and the American government heave misled the American people into the Vietnam and Iraq wars and then actively rewrite history to cover the facts.
How many times have we heard, "no one could have known Iraq didn't have WMDs" or "if i knew then what i know now." The fact is, we did know the chances were extremely low, and the protesters before the war began numbered in the millions. The media, rather than investigating and out of fear of being "unpatriotic" fell in lockstep with the administration.
Times right now are scary, and this movie shows how the freedoms we take for granted are being grievously abused. Watch this movie to be reminded of how the media and the government should work in relation to one another.
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Great examination of factors (mis)leading us into war
Mike Hersh | Maryland | 02/03/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Norman Solomon is a thoughtful scholar and his powerful analysis makes clear the many factors which let government officials (mis)lead us into war. A must see! Also read the book: War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death"
Just saw it today -- must have it!
M. Coleman | 03/15/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"My wife and I went to a peace rally today where Barbara Lee and Daniel Ellsberg talked, and then this movie was shown. It's wonderful, in a depressing way. We must have it to show to friends -- an anyone who supports the war."
Definitely a "Must See"....
Salvador A. Delarosa III | San Antonio, Texas United States | 03/27/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I agree with the others who have seen the film, this is most definitely a must see documentary.
Tired of all the lies being told by bush (he doesn't even deserve a "capital b") concerning the war in Iraq? Then watch this film and learn how the government has lied before (Vietnam) in order to get us into a war and how they continue to do so to this day.
As for the "conservative reviewer" who gave this film only one star, have you even seen the film? And do you know how to spell and structure sentences correctly? Funny how alot of those right wingers have trouble spelling (probably due to too much inbreeding).
Anyway, Joe Bob says (concerning this film)"check it out!""
War Made Easy documentary DVD
Robert W. Simmons | Madison WI USA | 08/10/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sometimes we think George W was the first and only U.S. President to lie to us in order to go to war. T'ain't so. Lyndon Johnson did it with a straight face, and Nixon, and George H.W, Bush. This documentary is beautifully put together, searing, compelling, chilling. In every way it rates AAAAA+++++"