Comments on Getafilm: REVIEW: Standard Operating Procedure (A-)

Thanks, Josh.Well, just goes to show how different...

2008-04-27T09:51:00.000-05:00

Thanks, Josh.

Well, just goes to show how differently SOP can be experienced. That's a good point about how he boiled the ambiguity down in the discussion to: "There's a truth in these photos, but it's my truth." I think he kind of went overboard, which I didn't get as much from the movie on its own. Still, I thought it was important and well made.

I have been behind on reading your blog Daniel, bu...

2008-04-25T20:34:00.000-05:00

I have been behind on reading your blog Daniel, but WOW, I think this is one of your best reviews yet. I am truly impressed.

Ha! I totally thought the Elfman music was from the next Spider-man sequel, especially at the beginning. Weird.

Having been at the screening also, I would not have been able to be as balanced as you were in your judgment of Morris and his film. I studied The Thin Blue Line in college, and I loved it and own a copy of it somewhere, but I have not seen it for many years now. I also got to see the premiere of Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control when that came out, and have only good memories of it too. Upon leaving the Walker after this film though, all I could think of was "ugghhhhh".

Even now, I would still give it a D+/C-. I definitely agree that he made the evening at least, if not the entire film, all about him.

Morris is an individual who clearly favors independent thinking, and as he stated in his comments, revels in the ambiguity of supposed moral and ethical constructs in modern life. What puzzled me was that for several minutes during his red-faced ranting after the film, he seemed to be rapidly spewing out the kind of stark, black-and-white absolutes that he supposedly thinks doesn't exist.

Anyway, I would agree that the film was indeed a noble failure, I also found it extremely manipulative; I just can't help feeling that Morris missed a great opportunity to make a better film that both the audience and the subject matter deserved.

Welcome, sartre! I'm humbled by your presence here...

2008-04-25T14:17:00.000-05:00

Welcome, sartre! I'm humbled by your presence here and honored by your astute comment. The participation of Morris at the screening was, as I said, very influential on my understanding of the film. Despite his best efforts, however, I still sit with you and Marilyn in the jury of judgment. The soldiers don't seem especially proud of what they did, but Morris either edits out or deliberately doesn't elicit any kind of apology. That's fine, but going further with it and saying that it doesn't really matter, that they had "nothing to do with" some of the offenses there, is, in my opinion, inappropriate and self-serving.

Somehow in all of this, he makes the film as much about him as anything else.

Really enjoyed your review Daniel, and how you sup...

2008-04-25T13:15:00.000-05:00

Really enjoyed your review Daniel, and how you supplemented it with descriptions of Morris at the screening.

I'm completely with marilyn. No amount of mitigation absolves one of volition. Not everyone would behave that way under those circumstances and as such the offenders are accountable for their actions. I'm a liberal but I find this apologist brand of left-wing ideology as naive and banal as so much found on the right.

Thanks a lot, Nick. I recommend SOP for awareness ...

2008-04-24T11:15:00.000-05:00

Thanks a lot, Nick. I recommend SOP for awareness building and the appreciation of professional filmmaking.

Very good review indeed, sounds like SOP is not to...

2008-04-23T23:13:00.000-05:00

Very good review indeed, sounds like SOP is not to be missed, if I can ever find it opening near me.

No worries, Craig. Like I said, you can grade this...

2008-04-23T17:42:00.000-05:00

No worries, Craig. Like I said, you can grade this anywhere along the scale and totally justify it. I wound up on the high side, mostly because of artistic and social considerations. It's not immediately clear, but you're right, he doesn't blame the soldiers. But then, blame them for what? The torture, or the photos, or the embarrassment? The entire Abu Ghraib situation is shrouded in ambiguity, despite Morris' best attempt to reframe the picture.

The blaming of Graner doesn't bother me as much, Marilyn, as does the fact that Lynndie England appears to still be in love with him.

You put forth a great analysis about his method. McNamara was a scapegoat as well. He and Nubar Alexanian spoke at length about Mr. Death, so much so that they had to be asked to discuss the film at hand.

Actually, that reminds me of what my second point was going to be earlier: Part of the reason Errol Morris draws out such candid quotes and facial expressions from his interviewees is because he pauses so often in his speech. Like you mention in your comments on your post of your interview with him, he really sits on every word. Every word means something. The best interviewers are often the best listeners, not the best questioners. In fact, he said he never prepares any questions for any of the interviews in his film. He just talks to the people. Combined with the Interro-tron, it's a fascinating method.

Actually, blaming it all on a man made my eyes rol...

2008-04-23T16:28:00.000-05:00

Actually, blaming it all on a man made my eyes roll at first, but she was only 20. I remember how much power men had over me at that age, so it doesn't bother me as much now.

Morris asserted he only wanted to talk to the scapegoats (and I agree that's what they were). He likes to take a notorious individual and be a contrarian. He believes in thesis + antithesis = synthesis. That's really what this approach was all about. In this case, though, his subjects were pretty unsympathetic (unlike Fred Leutcher in Mr. Death, who just seems weird) and he didn't achieve synthesis. As you say, it's a noble failure.

You don't have to have military training to know that not all soldiers do these things, even in the worst circumstances.

I should've gone to see this last night, but I had...

2008-04-23T16:25:00.000-05:00

I should've gone to see this last night, but I had a bad feeling about it for some reason.

Maybe it was some middling reviews out of Berlin. I've got to stop paying attention to advance buzz...has Blueberry Nights taught me nothing???

What's interesting is that I don't think I was expecting his take on the subject...from what you've said it appears he doesn't blame the soldiers at all...am I reading that right? I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise since he didn't pass judgement on McNamara either.

Very interesting. Nice review.

Thanks, Justin. The film may be easily misundersto...

2008-04-23T15:49:00.000-05:00

Thanks, Justin. The film may be easily misunderstood, even by me, but it's certainly thought-provoking. The poster is kind of clever, isn't it? There's a different one that shows some photos, but I think this one is more symbolic.

Thanks, Marilyn. Your review and interview with Errol Morris are excellent reading as well.

You make a good point about the letters. I didn't consider that they may have been misused - I just didn't like the style of them. And about the apologies, yes, I find it really troubling that he thinks they don't have anything to apologize for (but even if they did, would it be to the detainees or to the U.S.?). He doesn't prove well enough that they were uncontrollably influenced by their orders, or love (in England's case - and did that make you sick, or what?), or naivete or anything else. Had he made a more convincing case that the soldiers were brainwashed, I might have been more sympathetic to them.

Just to clarify, I have no military experience.

There are two other thoughts I had that I didn't mention in my review. First of all, whatever happened to the Abu Ghraib detainees - are they free, imprisoned, dead? If they're out there, why is no one talking to them? Guantanamo detainee Moazzam Begg, for example, was featured in Taxi to the Dark Side, but we don't know much about what happened to those at Abu Ghraib, or at least we don't hear from them. Couldn't they be given a safe forum to shed some light on the details?

Now I've forgotten my second thought...

Thanks for your take on the film, Daniel. I don't ...

2008-04-23T10:51:00.000-05:00

Thanks for your take on the film, Daniel. I don't understand why Morris can't accept that the MPs did own these men an apology. Their superiors and the government certainly sanctioned what they did, but to pretend that the people who did it were mindless puppets is part of Morris' progressive naivete. He wants to turn the focus back to the government with this film, but it's not going to happen. I think he would have strengthened his case a lot if he showed the torture memos instead of Sabrina's letters.

Wow. I haven't seen S.O.P. but I bet this review w...

2008-04-23T10:29:00.000-05:00

Wow. I haven't seen S.O.P. but I bet this review was almost as enlightening as it. Well done.

As a side note, I really like the poster for this film. Kind of bland and obvious, but still relevant and sharp.