"The War Tapes" Shows War from a Soldier's Perspective
You must see this movie. The War Tapes provides a unique window into the war in Iraq. A war documentary filmed by soldiers, it does not have a political agenda to forward. It is the tale of the daily drudgery, fear, camaraderie, humor, profanity, and confusion experienced by American troops serving in Iraq. Two years ago, director Deborah Scranton had the opportunity to be embedded in a National Guard unit in Iraq. Instead she gave cameras to 10 soldiers and asked them to shoot at will during their deployment. The War Tapes is the compelling result.
From the 800 hours of film collected, The War Tapes has been tightly edited to focus on three soldiers to more coherently tell the story. Sgt. Zack Bazzi of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is one of the three soldiers prominently featured. He thought the project was interesting but had reservations about how it might affect his duty during combat. Mounting the camera in his humvee solved the problem for the naturalized American citizen whose family fled from Lebanon's civil war 20 years ago. "It didn't interfere with my duties, my motivation or my focus," he said. "Pretty soon, I wasn't conscious of the camera being there. To me, that lends a certain amount of realism and credibility to the movie."
With the camera as invisible witness, the soldiers talk and behave unguardedly. It is revealing to hear them discuss the war, why they're there, and whether they think they are making a difference in Iraq. "In the most profound way, these guys thought a lot about what was going on. They thought about the way the war is being conducted, and they didn't put blinders on when they went overseas. In individual ways, they really wrestle with what they were doing," said the film's editor Steve James.
In public appearances supporting the film, Bazzi has tried to explain what it is like to be a soldier in Iraq. "It's not easy. Soldiers are a reflection of America. We come in shades of liberal, shades of conservative and shades in between. Some have misgivings; some wholly support it. Some love our president; some don't. And some of the guys just don't give a damn about politics. It's a testament to how great our Army is. Regardless of your views, you do your job and you serve your country honorably. Soldiers on the ground have no politics. When you're out there in the field, you're not doing it for a political cause or for a flag. You're doing it for your buddies, left and right. That's how it's always been and that's how it should be."
If you are trying to understand the war in Iraq, see this movie. Does it have the answers? Does it provide the insightful revelation that explains it all. No. But it does show the reality, the daily grind, the fear, and the futility of this war. It provides those of us removed from the daily struggle in Iraq with a modicum of understanding of what both soldiers and Iraqis face every day. This is a war with no easy answers. But after seeing this film, I wonder if our politicians are asking the right questions.
From the 800 hours of film collected, The War Tapes has been tightly edited to focus on three soldiers to more coherently tell the story. Sgt. Zack Bazzi of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is one of the three soldiers prominently featured. He thought the project was interesting but had reservations about how it might affect his duty during combat. Mounting the camera in his humvee solved the problem for the naturalized American citizen whose family fled from Lebanon's civil war 20 years ago. "It didn't interfere with my duties, my motivation or my focus," he said. "Pretty soon, I wasn't conscious of the camera being there. To me, that lends a certain amount of realism and credibility to the movie."
With the camera as invisible witness, the soldiers talk and behave unguardedly. It is revealing to hear them discuss the war, why they're there, and whether they think they are making a difference in Iraq. "In the most profound way, these guys thought a lot about what was going on. They thought about the way the war is being conducted, and they didn't put blinders on when they went overseas. In individual ways, they really wrestle with what they were doing," said the film's editor Steve James.
In public appearances supporting the film, Bazzi has tried to explain what it is like to be a soldier in Iraq. "It's not easy. Soldiers are a reflection of America. We come in shades of liberal, shades of conservative and shades in between. Some have misgivings; some wholly support it. Some love our president; some don't. And some of the guys just don't give a damn about politics. It's a testament to how great our Army is. Regardless of your views, you do your job and you serve your country honorably. Soldiers on the ground have no politics. When you're out there in the field, you're not doing it for a political cause or for a flag. You're doing it for your buddies, left and right. That's how it's always been and that's how it should be."
If you are trying to understand the war in Iraq, see this movie. Does it have the answers? Does it provide the insightful revelation that explains it all. No. But it does show the reality, the daily grind, the fear, and the futility of this war. It provides those of us removed from the daily struggle in Iraq with a modicum of understanding of what both soldiers and Iraqis face every day. This is a war with no easy answers. But after seeing this film, I wonder if our politicians are asking the right questions.
