Why We Fight (2005)

Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki's shrewd and intelligent polemic would seem to give an affirmative answer to each of these questions.

Director:

Eugene Jarecki

Writer:

Eugene Jarecki

Stars:

Ken Adelman, John Ashcroft, John McCain

4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ken Adelman	...	Himself
John Ashcroft	...	Himself (archive footage)
Osama bin Laden	...	Himself (archive footage)
George Bush	...	Himself (archive footage)
George W. Bush	...	Himself (archive footage)
Robert Byrd	...	Himself (archive footage)
Frank Capra	...	Himself (archive footage)
Dick Cheney	...	Himself (archive footage)
Joseph Cirincione	...	Himself
Bill Clinton	...	Himself (archive footage)
Anh Duong	...	Herself
Gwynne Dyer	...	Himself
Dwight D. Eisenhower	...	Himself (archive footage)
John S.D. Eisenhower	...	Himself
Susan Eisenhower	...	Herself

Storyline

He may have been the ultimate icon of 1950s conformity and postwar complacency, but Dwight D. Eisenhower was an iconoclast, visionary, and the Cassandra of the New World Order. Upon departing his presidency, Eisenhower issued a stern, cogent warning about the burgeoning "military industrial complex," foretelling with ominous clarity the state of the world in 2004 with its incestuous entanglement of political, corporate, and Defense Department interests.

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Plot Keywords:

american foreign policy | military industrial complex | propaganda | anti propaganda | superpower | 

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Taglines:

It is nowhere written that the American empire goes on forever.

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Genres:

Documentary | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing war images and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

BBC - Storyville [uk] Sony Classics [us]

Country:

USA France UK Canada Denmark

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

January 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dlaczego walczymy

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$53,571 (USA) (20 January 2006)

Gross:

$1,436,279 (USA) (12 May 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arte, BBC Storyville, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Karen Kwiatkowski: We have a congress that failed, in every way, to ask the right questions, to hold the president to account. Our congress failed us miserably, and that's because many in congress are beholden to the military-industrial complex.

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Connections

Features Meet the Press (1947)

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Soundtracks

"I Fought In A War"
(uncredited)
Performed by Damien Rice
Written by Belle & Sebastian

User Reviews

More successful than Fahrenheit 911

This is truly a remarkable film. In its subtlety, and its poetry it outshines "..9/11". While Moore's film remains an extraordinary piece of work - the criticisms could be spun by the right as a 'liberal rant'

• largely due to Moore's obvious, and justified frustration.

Why we Fight presents a lyrical and devastatingly haunting portrait of a system that has failed the west - specifically America - time and time again in a repeating cycle. The narrative carefully builds an historical context for the present administration's actions, and unfolds a story of how Americans, even the most staunch supporters of Bush's policies, have gradually learnt that they've been lied to, lied about and then lied to again as the administration is called on to answer for their lies.

With extraordinary research, and some incredible interview contributors, the facts are again repeated - indeed, they gain, perhaps even greater impact because of the historical context - and the warnings of past leaders.

It is above all a film which at once makes you terribly sad - and frustrated. But the surprise - for me at least - was that my anger became levelled not so much at the arrogance of our governments, and those in the positions of power - but at the stupefying inaction of the voting public.

I need only direct you to another of the 'reviews' of this film to underline just how poisoned the populous is, and just how stupid people have allowed themselves to become.

-------- The director spoke at Sundance about how he consciously prevented this breathtaking documentary from being screened before the election in 04 - largely because he felt the message of the film is not partisan, and not about a particular administration - but it is about the system. My only frustration about this is that I can only imagine what the snowballing effects of this film might have been had it been allowed to swiftly follow 'Fahrenheit 911'.