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	...	Self
Megan Ambuhl Graner	...	Self
Javal Davis	...	Self
George W. Bush	...	Self (archive footage)
John Yoo	...	Self
Alberta Mora	...	Self - Navy Department
Scott Horton	...	Self - New York Bar
Mark Danner	...	Self - Author
John Hutson	...	Self (as Rear Adm. John Hutson)
Donald Rumsfeld	...	Self (archive footage)
Dick Cheney	...	Self (archive footage)
Ken Davis	...	Self - MP
Anthony Lagouranis	...	Self
Mohammad Talal	...	Self
Roman Krol	...	Self

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rory Kennedy initially planned on making a documentary on genocide.

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Quotes

Rear Admiral John Hutson: There is no such thing as a little bit of torture.

User Reviews

Surprise, surprise Americans are the Terrorists

Well, well, well... another anti-USA film by a documentary film maker who has been born into every privilege in America has to offer and I guess its still not good enough to say Thank you, America, and Thank you, armed forces, for keeping me and mine safe and sound while we gallivant around on Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod and make films that would never be financed without my royal American family name.

I have seem Ms. Kennedy's films before (just saw another one about a nuclear power plant in NY state) and most of them are very liberal along the lines of every Republican is evil and every Democrat is a saint trying to right all the wrongs (perpetrated by evil Republicans, of course). In this one, Rumsfeld is the Villain.

I know it there were some pretty awful things done to the prisoners, but do we have to parade it out there again? When is enough enough, when is it time to just stop all the self-flagellation? I mean, punish those who committed crimes, don't let it happen again, and move on. It doesn't make what these maniac terrorists did any better, does it? In addition, some of the things considered "torture" according to this film are really pretty mild, considering.

I'm really tired of all the anti-American military "documentaries" out there-- its really nothing more than liberal propaganda if you ask me. I am pretty certain Ms. Kennedy has made a nice and tidy profit off of this type of stuff too. See it if you must, but you've been warned.

I may just have to go and see "Hillary's America" to erase the bad feelings.

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