Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (2007)

An examination of the prisoner abuse scandal involving U.S. soldiers and detainees at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison in the fall of 2003.

Director:

Rory Kennedy

Writers:

Jack Youngelson, Mark Bailey (story editor)

Stars:

Israel Rivera, Megan Ambuhl Graner, Javal Davis

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Israel Rivera	...	Himself
Megan Ambuhl Graner	...	Herself
Javal Davis	...	Himself
George W. Bush	...	Himself (archive footage)
John Yoo	...	Himself
Alberta Mora	...	Himself - Navy Department
Scott Horton	...	Himself - New York Bar
Mark Danner	...	Himself - Author
John Hutson	...	Himself (as Rear Adm. John Hutson)
Donald Rumsfeld	...	Himself (archive footage)
Dick Cheney	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ken Davis	...	Himself - MP
Anthony Lagouranis	...	Himself
Mohammad Talal	...	Himself
Roman Krol	...	Himself

Storyline

Examines the abuse, torture, and murder of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison at the hands of U.S. military police in the fall of 2003 and debunks the "bad apples" theory. The film asks: how can decent young soldiers take these actions, and, what orders came from the chain of command. The filmmaker interviews former detainees, soldiers, and MPs involved in photographed degradation. He references Dr. Stanley Milgrim's early 60's experiments. The film also traces memoranda from Secretary Rumsfeld, General Sanchez, and the U.S. Department of Justice allowing various interrogation methods along with a 2003 visit to Abu Ghraib by General Miller, who had been running Guantanimo.

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Plot Keywords:

title directed by female | 

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Taglines:

The Chilling Firsthand Account of Iraq's Most Notorious Prison

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Genres:

Documentary | History | War

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 January 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Abu Ghraib kísértetei

Filming Locations:

Turkey

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Documentary Films, Moxie Firecracker Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Donald Rumsfeld was approached to be interviewed, but turned said offer down.

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Quotes

[Screen Text]: In 1961, and experiment was conducted by Dr. Stanly Milgram a psychologist at Yale University.
[Fade]
[Screen Text]: Participants responded to a newspaper advertisement.
[Fade]
[Screen Text]: The purpose of their 'obedience study" was to observe an individual's willingness to inflict pain when ordered to do so.
[Fade]
[Screen Text]: The participants did not know that the "victim" was an actor and that the shocks were not real.
[Fade]
Research Subject #2: ...who's going to take responsibility if anything happens to him?
Researcher: I'm going to take responsibility. Please ...
[...]

User Reviews

This is a MUST SEE Film!!!

After seeing this film at Sundance 07 all I can say is, Wow! Rory Kennedy directs a stunning documentary that examines the horrors and human atrocities of the notorious Abu Ghraib prison. The interviews with the US Soldiers involved and the Iraqi victims will leave the view speechless as we are left to ponder how could such things happen. What would make ordinary Americans do such terrible things to another person? How can the United States hold itself out as a beacon of freedom condone this type of treatment.

Ms. Kennedy does a phenomenal job of exploring this tragedy and looking for whom is accountable, all the way up to the President of the United Stated.

This film is a must see!!