Live from Baghdad (2002)

CNN producer Robert Wiener, his colleague and their crew venture to the Iraqi capital to cover the Gulf War.

Director:

Mick Jackson

Writers:

Robert Wiener (book), Robert Wiener (teleplay)

Stars:

Michael Keaton, Helena Bonham Carter, Joshua Leonard

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 8 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Keaton	...	Robert Wiener
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Ingrid Formanek
Joshua Leonard	...	Mark Biello
Lili Taylor	...	Judy Parker
David Suchet	...	Naji Al-Hadithi
Bruce McGill	...	Peter Arnett
Michael Murphy	...	Tom Johnson
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Ed Turner
Hamish Linklater	...	Richard Roth
Michael Cudlitz	...	Tom Murphy
Robert Wisdom	...	Bernard Shaw
Pamela Sinha	...	Fatima (as Pamela Sinna)
Clark Gregg	...	Eason Jordan
Matt Keeslar	...	Nic Robertson
Kurt Fuller	...	Inky

Storyline

Dramatized version of the story of CNN's Gulf War coverage featuring "The Boys from Baghdad": the battle over access, the fight to keep the technology up and running.. and the decision whether to risk their lives behind enemy lines once the bombing starts, in order to get the story of a lifetime.

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Plot Keywords:

cnn | gulf war | iraq | reporter | reference to pepsi | 

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Taglines:

The Gulf War, 1991. No story is worth dying for - but this was the story of a lifetime.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

HBO - link to trailer, chatroom, etc.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 December 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

En direct de Bagdad

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Films,Industry Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dustin Hoffman stated in a 1994 interview with Larry King, that he was set to play Robert Wiener in this movie, directed by Barry Levinson. He also said that Levinson was considering Jeff Goldblum for the part of Peter Arnett.

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Goofs

When Robert is giving cash to the front desk clerk and the Egyptian translator in 1990, he is giving them the new U.S. notes which were not introduced until 1996.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[First lines spoken as characters in the film, preceded by title cards, archival movie dialog, and news announcements]
Robert Wiener: Baghdad is me.
Eason Jordan: You're supposed to be in Berlin.
Robert Wiener: Fuck Berlin. The wall's down. Baghdad is me, Eason.
Eason Jordan: You've never even been to Baghdad.
Robert Wiener: Close enough. Jerusalem.
Eason Jordan: I wouldn't bring up Jerusalem if I were you. It's not a point in your favor.

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Connections

Features Tremors (1990)

User Reviews

great movie with simple though often disrespected message

interesting behind-the-war-probe, portrayed by a tv crew looking for the news story of their lives but also the price to pay for it. great performances by keaton, carter, suchet and the remaining cast as well as very well done visual effects. especially the bombing scenes commented live are so realistic you could smell the death in the air. big kudos to robert wiener and mick jackson for attempts to present the unfortunate events from relatively ordinary people's perspectives and free of overly political propaganda. the story clearly shows the west and the east are different but unlike the east, the west doesn't almost bother learning to know and understand the differences and the history behind them. demonising the unknown then creates a perfect opportunity to present it as hostile. while the gulf war probably had its justifiable reason, the current war-like situation is simply missing it...