The Fog Of War

Dec 18, 1:42 PM (ET)

By CHRISTY LEMIRE

Robert McNamara makes no apologies - he realizes it would be
pointless.

And in "The Fog of War," documentarian Errol Morris makes no excuses
for the man who served as defense secretary during the Vietnam War.

Both men are deeply analytical, though, and both seek to understand
the mistakes of the past in order to learn from them in the future.

Interviews with McNamara, 87, show that he's a man of surprising
candor and charisma with authority still lurking beneath his raspy
voice. And he still looks very much the part of the government man,
with his rimless eyeglasses, short, slicked-back hair and simple suit.


Morris also includes revelatory phone conversations between McNamara,
President Kennedy and President Johnson as well as archival footage to
create a film that's deceptively simple yet hauntingly powerful.

He's already proven himself as a master filmmaker with his previous
documentaries, including "The Thin Blue Line" and "Mr. Death: The Rise
and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.," but "The Fog of War," may be his
best film yet.

Much of that has to do with technology he created: the Interrotron, an
interviewing device that allows the subject to look into the camera as
if he were looking into your eyes. This becomes an especially
effective tool when McNamara stabs his pen at the air to make a point,
or when his chin trembles and his eyes well with tears at the
40-year-old memory of choosing the perfect spot to bury JFK at
Arlington National Cemetery.

The film traces McNamara's history - from his upbringing in the San
Francisco Bay Area, his education at Berkeley and Harvard and his
marriage and the birth of his children to his experience in the U.S.
Air Force during World War II, his ascension to the presidency of Ford
Motor Co. and finally his tenure as defense secretary from 1960-67.

For his intimidating intellect and his perceived arrogance, he earned
the nickname Mr. "I have all the answers" McNamara. By the time we
meet him, though, he's learned a few lessons that seem to have humbled
him. Among them: "In order to do good you may have to engage in evil"
and "There's something beyond one's self."

But the real drama comes from McNamara's recollection of the build up
to war and the desperate, bungled attempts at pulling out. (The
insistent score from Philip Glass, whose work was considered
overbearing in last year's film "The Hours," is the ideal
accompaniment here.)

McNamara and Kennedy wanted to get out of Vietnam; Johnson, once he
became president, admitted that he thought pulling out was a horrible
idea.

LBJ comes off as a clueless warmonger, which is how McNamara was
perceived back then, too. McNamara, however, has the luxury of being
alive and being able to reflect on the war with perspective.

"In the case of Vietnam, we simply didn't know them well enough," he
says.

It's not an apology or an excuse, and it probably won't satisfy a lot
of people, but it's insightful, and it's especially resonant now.

"The Fog of War," a Sony Pictures Classics release, is rated PG-13 for
images and thematic issues of war and destruction. Running time: 106
minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

>"In the case of Vietnam, we simply didn't know them well enough," he
(McNamara)
>says.
>

Pure arrogance on McNamara's part. When waging war, the commander in chief must
simply go for the jugular (Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi). GWB sent the tanks into
Baghdad and eventually got Saddam.

>It's not an apology or an excuse, and it probably won't satisfy a lot
>of people, but it's insightful, and it's especially resonant now.
>

It definitely doesn't satisfy me and it doesn't resonate either. McNamara's
name is attached to a failed enterprise. His thoughts are worthless.

Greg - [yammering again, eh! ted!] - LMAO

On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 1934 GMT, *Michael*
wrote:

If you have a little bandwidth, this page will give you a lot more
info too.
http://www.sonyclassics.com/fogofwar/


>Dec 18, 1:42 PM (ET)
>
>By CHRISTY LEMIRE
>
>Robert McNamara makes no apologies - he realizes it would be
>pointless.
>
>And in "The Fog of War," documentarian Errol Morris makes no excuses
>for the man who served as defense secretary during the Vietnam War.
>
>Both men are deeply analytical, though, and both seek to understand
>the mistakes of the past in order to learn from them in the future.
>
>Interviews with McNamara, 87, show that he's a man of surprising
>candor and charisma with authority still lurking beneath his raspy
>voice. And he still looks very much the part of the government man,
>with his rimless eyeglasses, short, slicked-back hair and simple suit.
>
>
>Morris also includes revelatory phone conversations between McNamara,
>President Kennedy and President Johnson as well as archival footage to
>create a film that's deceptively simple yet hauntingly powerful.
>
>He's already proven himself as a master filmmaker with his previous
>documentaries, including "The Thin Blue Line" and "Mr. Death: The Rise
>and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.," but "The Fog of War," may be his
>best film yet.
>
>Much of that has to do with technology he created: the Interrotron, an
>interviewing device that allows the subject to look into the camera as
>if he were looking into your eyes. This becomes an especially
>effective tool when McNamara stabs his pen at the air to make a point,
>or when his chin trembles and his eyes well with tears at the
>40-year-old memory of choosing the perfect spot to bury JFK at
>Arlington National Cemetery.
>
>The film traces McNamara's history - from his upbringing in the San
>Francisco Bay Area, his education at Berkeley and Harvard and his
>marriage and the birth of his children to his experience in the U.S.
>Air Force during World War II, his ascension to the presidency of Ford
>Motor Co. and finally his tenure as defense secretary from 1960-67.
>
>For his intimidating intellect and his perceived arrogance, he earned
>the nickname Mr. "I have all the answers" McNamara. By the time we
>meet him, though, he's learned a few lessons that seem to have humbled
>him. Among them: "In order to do good you may have to engage in evil"
>and "There's something beyond one's self."
>
>But the real drama comes from McNamara's recollection of the build up
>to war and the desperate, bungled attempts at pulling out. (The
>insistent score from Philip Glass, whose work was considered
>overbearing in last year's film "The Hours," is the ideal
>accompaniment here.)
>
>McNamara and Kennedy wanted to get out of Vietnam; Johnson, once he
>became president, admitted that he thought pulling out was a horrible
>idea.
>
>LBJ comes off as a clueless warmonger, which is how McNamara was
>perceived back then, too. McNamara, however, has the luxury of being
>alive and being able to reflect on the war with perspective.
>
>"In the case of Vietnam, we simply didn't know them well enough," he
>says.
>
>It's not an apology or an excuse, and it probably won't satisfy a lot
>of people, but it's insightful, and it's especially resonant now.
>
>"The Fog of War," a Sony Pictures Classics release, is rated PG-13 for
>images and thematic issues of war and destruction. Running time: 106
>minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

"But now is the time for the younger men to lock in rough encounters,
time for me to yield to the pains of old age. But there was a day I shone among the champions."

Homer, The Illiad, 23.715-719 (800 BC). King Nestor of Pylos.

"GrgLnsctt" wrote in message
news:20031218150352.26112.00001026@mb-m15.news.cs.com...
> >"In the case of Vietnam, we simply didn't know them well enough," he
> (McNamara)
> >says.
> >
>
> Pure arrogance on McNamara's part. When waging war, the commander in chief
must
> simply go for the jugular (Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi). GWB sent the tanks into
> Baghdad and eventually got Saddam.
>
> >It's not an apology or an excuse, and it probably won't satisfy a lot
> >of people, but it's insightful, and it's especially resonant now.
> >
>
> It definitely doesn't satisfy me and it doesn't resonate either.
McNamara's
> name is attached to a failed enterprise. His thoughts are worthless.
>
> Greg - [yammering again, eh! ted!] - LMAO

Yeah.

When is Mr. Bush sending the tanks into Pyongyang?

ted

On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 23:41:06 GMT, "Ted Gittinger"
wrote:

>
>When is Mr. Bush sending the tanks into Pyongyang?

Have you written your congressman?

I had no idea we had a Fog of War ?
I just had a backache, double vision and
one hell of a headache all the time.
Guess I just didn't see that Fog.
If I shot into it I must of hit something ?


"patricktee" wrote in message news:h324uv8k92k72d70jnm8m4gobitg4oglp0@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 1934 GMT, *Michael*
> wrote:
>
> If you have a little bandwidth, this page will give you a lot more
> info too.
> http://www.sonyclassics.com/fogofwar/
>
>
> >Dec 18, 1:42 PM (ET)
> >
> >By CHRISTY LEMIRE
> >
> >Robert McNamara makes no apologies - he realizes it would be
> >pointless.
> >
> >And in "The Fog of War," documentarian Errol Morris makes no excuses
> >for the man who served as defense secretary during the Vietnam War.
> >
> >Both men are deeply analytical, though, and both seek to understand
> >the mistakes of the past in order to learn from them in the future.
> >
> >Interviews with McNamara, 87, show that he's a man of surprising
> >candor and charisma with authority still lurking beneath his raspy
> >voice. And he still looks very much the part of the government man,
> >with his rimless eyeglasses, short, slicked-back hair and simple suit.
> >
> >
> >Morris also includes revelatory phone conversations between McNamara,
> >President Kennedy and President Johnson as well as archival footage to
> >create a film that's deceptively simple yet hauntingly powerful.
> >
> >He's already proven himself as a master filmmaker with his previous
> >documentaries, including "The Thin Blue Line" and "Mr. Death: The Rise
> >and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.," but "The Fog of War," may be his
> >best film yet.
> >
> >Much of that has to do with technology he created: the Interrotron, an
> >interviewing device that allows the subject to look into the camera as
> >if he were looking into your eyes. This becomes an especially
> >effective tool when McNamara stabs his pen at the air to make a point,
> >or when his chin trembles and his eyes well with tears at the
> >40-year-old memory of choosing the perfect spot to bury JFK at
> >Arlington National Cemetery.
> >
> >The film traces McNamara's history - from his upbringing in the San
> >Francisco Bay Area, his education at Berkeley and Harvard and his
> >marriage and the birth of his children to his experience in the U.S.
> >Air Force during World War II, his ascension to the presidency of Ford
> >Motor Co. and finally his tenure as defense secretary from 1960-67.
> >
> >For his intimidating intellect and his perceived arrogance, he earned
> >the nickname Mr. "I have all the answers" McNamara. By the time we
> >meet him, though, he's learned a few lessons that seem to have humbled
> >him. Among them: "In order to do good you may have to engage in evil"
> >and "There's something beyond one's self."
> >
> >But the real drama comes from McNamara's recollection of the build up
> >to war and the desperate, bungled attempts at pulling out. (The
> >insistent score from Philip Glass, whose work was considered
> >overbearing in last year's film "The Hours," is the ideal
> >accompaniment here.)
> >
> >McNamara and Kennedy wanted to get out of Vietnam; Johnson, once he
> >became president, admitted that he thought pulling out was a horrible
> >idea.
> >
> >LBJ comes off as a clueless warmonger, which is how McNamara was
> >perceived back then, too. McNamara, however, has the luxury of being
> >alive and being able to reflect on the war with perspective.
> >
> >"In the case of Vietnam, we simply didn't know them well enough," he
> >says.
> >
> >It's not an apology or an excuse, and it probably won't satisfy a lot
> >of people, but it's insightful, and it's especially resonant now.
> >
> >"The Fog of War," a Sony Pictures Classics release, is rated PG-13 for
> >images and thematic issues of war and destruction. Running time: 106
> >minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.
>
> "But now is the time for the younger men to lock in rough encounters,
> time for me to yield to the pains of old age. But there was a day I shone among the champions."
>
> Homer, The Illiad, 23.715-719 (800 BC). King Nestor of Pylos.

Is Bill up and around, I sent him nice FREE CAD
Program for buldings, in fact anything.


"patricktee" wrote in message news:h324uv8k92k72d70jnm8m4gobitg4oglp0@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 1934 GMT, *Michael*
> wrote:
>
> If you have a little bandwidth, this page will give you a lot more
> info too.
> http://www.sonyclassics.com/fogofwar/
>
>
> >Dec 18, 1:42 PM (ET)
> >
> >By CHRISTY LEMIRE
> >
> >Robert McNamara makes no apologies - he realizes it would be
> >pointless.
> >
> >And in "The Fog of War," documentarian Errol Morris makes no excuses
> >for the man who served as defense secretary during the Vietnam War.
> >
> >Both men are deeply analytical, though, and both seek to understand
> >the mistakes of the past in order to learn from them in the future.
> >
> >Interviews with McNamara, 87, show that he's a man of surprising
> >candor and charisma with authority still lurking beneath his raspy
> >voice. And he still looks very much the part of the government man,
> >with his rimless eyeglasses, short, slicked-back hair and simple suit.
> >
> >
> >Morris also includes revelatory phone conversations between McNamara,
> >President Kennedy and President Johnson as well as archival footage to
> >create a film that's deceptively simple yet hauntingly powerful.
> >
> >He's already proven himself as a master filmmaker with his previous
> >documentaries, including "The Thin Blue Line" and "Mr. Death: The Rise
> >and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.," but "The Fog of War," may be his
> >best film yet.
> >
> >Much of that has to do with technology he created: the Interrotron, an
> >interviewing device that allows the subject to look into the camera as
> >if he were looking into your eyes. This becomes an especially
> >effective tool when McNamara stabs his pen at the air to make a point,
> >or when his chin trembles and his eyes well with tears at the
> >40-year-old memory of choosing the perfect spot to bury JFK at
> >Arlington National Cemetery.
> >
> >The film traces McNamara's history - from his upbringing in the San
> >Francisco Bay Area, his education at Berkeley and Harvard and his
> >marriage and the birth of his children to his experience in the U.S.
> >Air Force during World War II, his ascension to the presidency of Ford
> >Motor Co. and finally his tenure as defense secretary from 1960-67.
> >
> >For his intimidating intellect and his perceived arrogance, he earned
> >the nickname Mr. "I have all the answers" McNamara. By the time we
> >meet him, though, he's learned a few lessons that seem to have humbled
> >him. Among them: "In order to do good you may have to engage in evil"
> >and "There's something beyond one's self."
> >
> >But the real drama comes from McNamara's recollection of the build up
> >to war and the desperate, bungled attempts at pulling out. (The
> >insistent score from Philip Glass, whose work was considered
> >overbearing in last year's film "The Hours," is the ideal
> >accompaniment here.)
> >
> >McNamara and Kennedy wanted to get out of Vietnam; Johnson, once he
> >became president, admitted that he thought pulling out was a horrible
> >idea.
> >
> >LBJ comes off as a clueless warmonger, which is how McNamara was
> >perceived back then, too. McNamara, however, has the luxury of being
> >alive and being able to reflect on the war with perspective.
> >
> >"In the case of Vietnam, we simply didn't know them well enough," he
> >says.
> >
> >It's not an apology or an excuse, and it probably won't satisfy a lot
> >of people, but it's insightful, and it's especially resonant now.
> >
> >"The Fog of War," a Sony Pictures Classics release, is rated PG-13 for
> >images and thematic issues of war and destruction. Running time: 106
> >minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.
>
> "But now is the time for the younger men to lock in rough encounters,
> time for me to yield to the pains of old age. But there was a day I shone among the champions."
>
> Homer, The Illiad, 23.715-719 (800 BC). King Nestor of Pylos.

Is Bill up and around, I sent him nice FREE CAD
Program for buldings, in fact anything.


"patricktee" wrote in message news:h324uv8k92k72d70jnm8m4gobitg4oglp0@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 1934 GMT, *Michael*
> wrote:
>
> If you have a little bandwidth, this page will give you a lot more
> info too.
> http://www.sonyclassics.com/fogofwar/
>
>
> >Dec 18, 1:42 PM (ET)
> >
> >By CHRISTY LEMIRE
> >
> >Robert McNamara makes no apologies - he realizes it would be
> >pointless.
> >
> >And in "The Fog of War," documentarian Errol Morris makes no excuses
> >for the man who served as defense secretary during the Vietnam War.
> >
> >Both men are deeply analytical, though, and both seek to understand
> >the mistakes of the past in order to learn from them in the future.
> >
> >Interviews with McNamara, 87, show that he's a man of surprising
> >candor and charisma with authority still lurking beneath his raspy
> >voice. And he still looks very much the part of the government man,
> >with his rimless eyeglasses, short, slicked-back hair and simple suit.
> >
> >
> >Morris also includes revelatory phone conversations between McNamara,
> >President Kennedy and President Johnson as well as archival footage to
> >create a film that's deceptively simple yet hauntingly powerful.
> >
> >He's already proven himself as a master filmmaker with his previous
> >documentaries, including "The Thin Blue Line" and "Mr. Death: The Rise
> >and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.," but "The Fog of War," may be his
> >best film yet.
> >
> >Much of that has to do with technology he created: the Interrotron, an
> >interviewing device that allows the subject to look into the camera as
> >if he were looking into your eyes. This becomes an especially
> >effective tool when McNamara stabs his pen at the air to make a point,
> >or when his chin trembles and his eyes well with tears at the
> >40-year-old memory of choosing the perfect spot to bury JFK at
> >Arlington National Cemetery.
> >
> >The film traces McNamara's history - from his upbringing in the San
> >Francisco Bay Area, his education at Berkeley and Harvard and his
> >marriage and the birth of his children to his experience in the U.S.
> >Air Force during World War II, his ascension to the presidency of Ford
> >Motor Co. and finally his tenure as defense secretary from 1960-67.
> >
> >For his intimidating intellect and his perceived arrogance, he earned
> >the nickname Mr. "I have all the answers" McNamara. By the time we
> >meet him, though, he's learned a few lessons that seem to have humbled
> >him. Among them: "In order to do good you may have to engage in evil"
> >and "There's something beyond one's self."
> >
> >But the real drama comes from McNamara's recollection of the build up
> >to war and the desperate, bungled attempts at pulling out. (The
> >insistent score from Philip Glass, whose work was considered
> >overbearing in last year's film "The Hours," is the ideal
> >accompaniment here.)
> >
> >McNamara and Kennedy wanted to get out of Vietnam; Johnson, once he
> >became president, admitted that he thought pulling out was a horrible
> >idea.
> >
> >LBJ comes off as a clueless warmonger, which is how McNamara was
> >perceived back then, too. McNamara, however, has the luxury of being
> >alive and being able to reflect on the war with perspective.
> >
> >"In the case of Vietnam, we simply didn't know them well enough," he
> >says.
> >
> >It's not an apology or an excuse, and it probably won't satisfy a lot
> >of people, but it's insightful, and it's especially resonant now.
> >
> >"The Fog of War," a Sony Pictures Classics release, is rated PG-13 for
> >images and thematic issues of war and destruction. Running time: 106
> >minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.
>
> "But now is the time for the younger men to lock in rough encounters,
> time for me to yield to the pains of old age. But there was a day I shone among the champions."
>
> Homer, The Illiad, 23.715-719 (800 BC). King Nestor of Pylos.

Want ACAD 14 from AutoDesk?

--

"The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before
them, glory and danger alike, and notwithstanding go out to meet it."-
Thucydides


"fob" wrote in message
news:yNrEb.643$Vv2.325535@news1.news.adelphia.net. ..
Is Bill up and around, I sent him nice FREE CAD
Program for buldings, in fact anything.


"patricktee" wrote in message
news:h324uv8k92k72d70jnm8m4gobitg4oglp0@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 1934 GMT, *Michael*
> wrote:
>
> If you have a little bandwidth, this page will give you a lot more
> info too.
> http://www.sonyclassics.com/fogofwar/
>
>
> >Dec 18, 1:42 PM (ET)
> >
> >By CHRISTY LEMIRE
> >
> >Robert McNamara makes no apologies - he realizes it would be
> >pointless.
> >
> >And in "The Fog of War," documentarian Errol Morris makes no excuses
> >for the man who served as defense secretary during the Vietnam War.
> >
> >Both men are deeply analytical, though, and both seek to understand
> >the mistakes of the past in order to learn from them in the future.
> >
> >Interviews with McNamara, 87, show that he's a man of surprising
> >candor and charisma with authority still lurking beneath his raspy
> >voice. And he still looks very much the part of the government man,
> >with his rimless eyeglasses, short, slicked-back hair and simple suit.
> >
> >
> >Morris also includes revelatory phone conversations between McNamara,
> >President Kennedy and President Johnson as well as archival footage to
> >create a film that's deceptively simple yet hauntingly powerful.
> >
> >He's already proven himself as a master filmmaker with his previous
> >documentaries, including "The Thin Blue Line" and "Mr. Death: The Rise
> >and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.," but "The Fog of War," may be his
> >best film yet.
> >
> >Much of that has to do with technology he created: the Interrotron, an
> >interviewing device that allows the subject to look into the camera as
> >if he were looking into your eyes. This becomes an especially
> >effective tool when McNamara stabs his pen at the air to make a point,
> >or when his chin trembles and his eyes well with tears at the
> >40-year-old memory of choosing the perfect spot to bury JFK at
> >Arlington National Cemetery.
> >
> >The film traces McNamara's history - from his upbringing in the San
> >Francisco Bay Area, his education at Berkeley and Harvard and his
> >marriage and the birth of his children to his experience in the U.S.
> >Air Force during World War II, his ascension to the presidency of Ford
> >Motor Co. and finally his tenure as defense secretary from 1960-67.
> >
> >For his intimidating intellect and his perceived arrogance, he earned
> >the nickname Mr. "I have all the answers" McNamara. By the time we
> >meet him, though, he's learned a few lessons that seem to have humbled
> >him. Among them: "In order to do good you may have to engage in evil"
> >and "There's something beyond one's self."
> >
> >But the real drama comes from McNamara's recollection of the build up
> >to war and the desperate, bungled attempts at pulling out. (The
> >insistent score from Philip Glass, whose work was considered
> >overbearing in last year's film "The Hours," is the ideal
> >accompaniment here.)
> >
> >McNamara and Kennedy wanted to get out of Vietnam; Johnson, once he
> >became president, admitted that he thought pulling out was a horrible
> >idea.
> >
> >LBJ comes off as a clueless warmonger, which is how McNamara was
> >perceived back then, too. McNamara, however, has the luxury of being
> >alive and being able to reflect on the war with perspective.
> >
> >"In the case of Vietnam, we simply didn't know them well enough," he
> >says.
> >
> >It's not an apology or an excuse, and it probably won't satisfy a lot
> >of people, but it's insightful, and it's especially resonant now.
> >
> >"The Fog of War," a Sony Pictures Classics release, is rated PG-13 for
> >images and thematic issues of war and destruction. Running time: 106
> >minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.
>
> "But now is the time for the younger men to lock in rough encounters,
> time for me to yield to the pains of old age. But there was a day I shone
among the champions."
>
> Homer, The Illiad, 23.715-719 (800 BC). King Nestor of Pylos.

On Fri, 19 Dec 2003 00:39:58 GMT, "fob" wrote:

>Is Bill up and around, I sent him nice FREE CAD
>Program for buldings, in fact anything.

Yea, he is fine. Just working on something extracurricular I guess. I
just got an email an hour ago.

>
>"patricktee" wrote in message news:h324uv8k92k72d70jnm8m4gobitg4oglp0@4ax.com...
>> On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 1934 GMT, *Michael*
>> wrote:
>>
>> If you have a little bandwidth, this page will give you a lot more
>> info too.
>> http://www.sonyclassics.com/fogofwar/
>>
>>
>> >Dec 18, 1:42 PM (ET)
>> >
>> >By CHRISTY LEMIRE
>> >
>> >Robert McNamara makes no apologies - he realizes it would be
>> >pointless.
>> >
>> >And in "The Fog of War," documentarian Errol Morris makes no excuses
>> >for the man who served as defense secretary during the Vietnam War.
>> >
>> >Both men are deeply analytical, though, and both seek to understand
>> >the mistakes of the past in order to learn from them in the future.
>> >
>> >Interviews with McNamara, 87, show that he's a man of surprising
>> >candor and charisma with authority still lurking beneath his raspy
>> >voice. And he still looks very much the part of the government man,
>> >with his rimless eyeglasses, short, slicked-back hair and simple suit.
>> >
>> >
>> >Morris also includes revelatory phone conversations between McNamara,
>> >President Kennedy and President Johnson as well as archival footage to
>> >create a film that's deceptively simple yet hauntingly powerful.
>> >
>> >He's already proven himself as a master filmmaker with his previous
>> >documentaries, including "The Thin Blue Line" and "Mr. Death: The Rise
>> >and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.," but "The Fog of War," may be his
>> >best film yet.
>> >
>> >Much of that has to do with technology he created: the Interrotron, an
>> >interviewing device that allows the subject to look into the camera as
>> >if he were looking into your eyes. This becomes an especially
>> >effective tool when McNamara stabs his pen at the air to make a point,
>> >or when his chin trembles and his eyes well with tears at the
>> >40-year-old memory of choosing the perfect spot to bury JFK at
>> >Arlington National Cemetery.
>> >
>> >The film traces McNamara's history - from his upbringing in the San
>> >Francisco Bay Area, his education at Berkeley and Harvard and his
>> >marriage and the birth of his children to his experience in the U.S.
>> >Air Force during World War II, his ascension to the presidency of Ford
>> >Motor Co. and finally his tenure as defense secretary from 1960-67.
>> >
>> >For his intimidating intellect and his perceived arrogance, he earned
>> >the nickname Mr. "I have all the answers" McNamara. By the time we
>> >meet him, though, he's learned a few lessons that seem to have humbled
>> >him. Among them: "In order to do good you may have to engage in evil"
>> >and "There's something beyond one's self."
>> >
>> >But the real drama comes from McNamara's recollection of the build up
>> >to war and the desperate, bungled attempts at pulling out. (The
>> >insistent score from Philip Glass, whose work was considered
>> >overbearing in last year's film "The Hours," is the ideal
>> >accompaniment here.)
>> >
>> >McNamara and Kennedy wanted to get out of Vietnam; Johnson, once he
>> >became president, admitted that he thought pulling out was a horrible
>> >idea.
>> >
>> >LBJ comes off as a clueless warmonger, which is how McNamara was
>> >perceived back then, too. McNamara, however, has the luxury of being
>> >alive and being able to reflect on the war with perspective.
>> >
>> >"In the case of Vietnam, we simply didn't know them well enough," he
>> >says.
>> >
>> >It's not an apology or an excuse, and it probably won't satisfy a lot
>> >of people, but it's insightful, and it's especially resonant now.
>> >
>> >"The Fog of War," a Sony Pictures Classics release, is rated PG-13 for
>> >images and thematic issues of war and destruction. Running time: 106
>> >minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.
>>
>> "But now is the time for the younger men to lock in rough encounters,
>> time for me to yield to the pains of old age. But there was a day I shone among the champions."
>>
>> Homer, The Illiad, 23.715-719 (800 BC). King Nestor of Pylos.

"But now is the time for the younger men to lock in rough encounters,
time for me to yield to the pains of old age. But there was a day I shone among the champions."

Homer, The Illiad, 23.715-719 (800 BC). King Nestor of Pylos.