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:

Gore Vidal, John McCain, Ken Adelman

4 wins & 3 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:

political superpower | war crime | war criminal | american imperialism | military industrial complex | 

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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:

Sony Classics [United States]

Country:

UK France Denmark Canada USA

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

January 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dlaczego walczymy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$53,571, 22 January 2006

Gross USA:

$1,439,972

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,439,972

Company Credits

Production Co:

ARTE, BBC Storyville, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Charles Lewis: We have this idea that we have lots of information available. There's so much that's not available and so much of the truth, quote, unquote, is obscured by political actors who don't want the world to see what they're doing.

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Connections

References War Comes to America (1945)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Very interesting and revealing, but not complete

As a European I've wondered about America's preoccupation with war and military. Most Europeans oppose military solutions, even when there's a good case for it, probably because of our history of many, many bloody wars.

This movie explains the historic, financial and political reasons for America's enormous military spending (but I'm still left wondering why the people of USA want it).

Eisenhower's farewell speech was very insightful. I had no idea he had seen the dangers already 40 years ago. Using this speech as the base, the filmmaker looks at how the military-industrial establishment has grown to enormous proportions. The military is a part of American society in a way completely different from most European countries.

I would like to see a sequel to this movie, dealing more with American society, perhaps contrasting it with some other big countries (England, France, Germany).