The Fog of War
In this grimly compelling film, documentary filmmaker Errol Morris tackles one of his most puzzling and ambiguous subjects: former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, widely considered (and inspired by many) vilification of people) was the mastermind of the Vietnam War.
McNamara, the 80-year-old former Ford Motor Company chief executive who started working in government during World War II, shot the film using Morris’s invention, the interrotron, a device that allows interviewers and subjects to look into each other’s eyes And looking at each other while directly entering the eyes Camera can stare at the lens.
This allows the subject to maintain eye contact with the viewer and, given the often disturbing nature of McNamara’s revelations, makes for a rather eerie viewing experience.
He discusses at length the Allied campaign against Japan in World War II, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the costly and protracted conflict in Vietnam. From his reflections, Morris draws 11 lessons, which are presented one at a time to impose a structure in the film.
