DVD
Review | Live From Baghdad
Written by: Kage
Alan
I sat on this disc for a little while before
watching it only because there were a couple of blockbusters I wanted
to check out first. Well, it was the wrong choice to have made,
especially with the events over in Iraq that have been going on.
While I wasn’t entirely sure what this film was going to be about, I
was riveted to the screen from the opening shot. Yes, folks, it’s
THAT good and I sat there mesmerized until the credits started to
roll.
CNN was just a struggling 24-hour news network back
in 1990 that rarely got taken seriously. All of that was about to
change, however, as events in the Gulf began to heat up. Producer
Robert Wiener (Michael Keaton, “Batman”) wants a shot at covering the
story, which would later be termed “the Gulf War”. He’s good at what he
does, but he’s not got the best reputation around. Opportunity knocks
and he’s soon off with his crew, executive producer Ingrid Formanek
(Helena Bonham Carter, “Human Voices”), Mark Biello (Joshua Leonard,
“The Blair Witch Project”), Judy Parker (Lili Taylor, “Dogfight”) and a
number of others. Setting up office in one of the hotels, it’s up to
the motley group to find a translator, uncover all the bugs in their
room and try to figure out what is going on in a part of the world that
could erupt in war at any time.
Wiener holds things together while trying to give a
unique spin on the news events that the other networks aren’t covering,
dealing with the threat of being kicked out of the country at any time
while also creating a relationship with the Ministry of Information.
It’s his contact with the director there that becomes a unique recurring
part of the film. Who is using who, what’s real and what’s propaganda
and can they keep both sides of the world talking so that a war can be
averted? The crew, while trying to get a story each day and plan the
next, doesn’t compromise their integrity or ethics. They aren’t made
out to be heroes, though. This is a job, survival is a part of it and
the dangers and politics of it are very real.
One of the questions that went through my mind
while watching the film was how far events were sensationalized. Did
the director keep it true to the facts or did the studio Hollywoodize
it? My fears subsided a bit though to find out it was based off of the
book by Robert Wiener himself, was produced by the man and his name is
listed as one of the people who had a hand in the script. There is a
mixture of genuine news footage combined with the rest of the film that
makes it that much more real, especially where Saddam Hussein is
concerned.
HBO has delivered a topnotch Widescreen transfer of
“Live In Baghdad”. Video and audio quality are very good here, so no
complaints. As for extras, aside from a few cast and crew biographies,
there’s a very informative audio commentary with Director Mick Jackson.
There’s barely a quiet moment with Jackson and he’s full of information
about the actors, the script, the story and why he shot the film the way
he did. He’s wonderful to listen to!
One of
the lessons learned in the film is that everybody uses everybody else,
but it’s not always a bad thing. There is a means to an end and while
it may not always be for the greater good, sometimes it works out.
Welcome to the world of reporting. It’s not all glamour, but sometimes,
if you’re lucky, you can make history. “Live From Baghdad” shouldn’t be
missed!
Film Rating:
A-
DVD Special Features: B
|
