Errol Morris is one of my all-time favorite documentary filmmakers. Those of you who follow my recommendations should really consider adding his entire catalog to your Netflix queues. He is one of the best. "Standard Operating Procedure" deals with the now infamous photos taken at Abu Ghraib. It is about how photographs can be decieving, especially ones as repulsive as these, when they are presented without necessary context. The movie features interviews with most of the people involved and really takes you inside the prison and the mindset at the time. I don't think the film makes excuses for what took place, but it does explain the extreme conditions under which they occured. It was a film that grabbed me from the opening and never let go. There are also some very artful and clever graphics that help tell the story. Even though it is a difficult film to watch at times, I consider it a must-see.EDITED TO ADD: I just watched this for the second time, this time with the commentary track on. The commentary (which is excellent) continued into the closing credits. I wasn't really paying much attention until I noticed my brother's name listed. I knew he had worked with Errol Morris on commercials, but didn't know he had worked on this particular film. I called him to confirm it was him. He hadn't seen it yet and was unaware that he was in the credits.
Netflix link HERE.
4 comments:
Chris, do you have a top ten list of documentary's on you blog somewhere?
Dr. Z- No I don't. I was thinking about doing something like that, but it would be too tough to rank them. I might do a post about docs that I think everyone should see.
I've been waiting to see this. Thanks for the reminder. I think I've seen nearly all of Morris' documentaries so far, and each one is fascinating.
That sounds like a tough but good watch. Great about your brother too!
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