Brian De Palma Tackles Iraq War

"Redacted" Depicts Images Of War With Aim To Change Hearts And Minds

(AP)  Director Brian De Palma presented his new film "Redacted," a harrowing depiction of the horrors of the Iraq War, at the Venice Film Festival on Friday.

The director of "Carrie," "Scarface" and "Casualties of War" began the project after reading about a March 2006 incident in Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, when a group of U.S. troops in the 101st Airborne Division raped a 14-year-old girl before setting her body alight and shooting dead her parents and 5-year-old sister.

Other events retold in the film include the fatal shooting of a pregnant Iraqi woman at a military checkpoint as her brother drives her to hospital.

The film ends with a montage of real-life photographs of Iraqi war victims, including maimed and dead women and children; the final picture is an image of the real-life 14-year-old rape victim.

De Palma said he hoped seeing such images would alert Americans to the truth of what is going on in Iraq.

"Why doesn't American learn from its past mistakes?" he said at the festival. "Boy, that's a good question, because the architects of this war were right there on the ground during Vietnam; of course they didn't serve, but they've observed, and they kind of feel that maybe we should have stayed in Vietnam, we would have won that war.

"I don't know, it's just one of those questions - you just sort of shake your head: 'Are we doomed to repeat history over and over again?'

"It seems quite obvious to me, we shouldn't be there."

The film's title refers to the process of editing out material for legal or other reasons.

Legal constraints meant some material in the film was itself redacted - the faces of the victims in the closing photographs are partially blanked out.

De Palma believes it's these harrowing pictures that hold the key to stopping the war:

"I remember picking up Life magazine and seeing pictures that would horrify me about the Vietnam War. We don't have those pictures in America [today], I don't even know if you have them in Europe, but we certainly don't have them.

"The pictures are what will stop the war, and if we can get these pictures in front of a mass audience, and get these stories in front of a mass audience, maybe we'll have some effect."

De Palma cast relatively unknown actors as the Army recruits and filmed on location in Jordan.

The two soldiers who carry out the rape do so after a night drinking whisky and playing cards, just as their real-life counterparts did.

They embark on their rape-and-murder spree to take revenge after a colleague is blown up by a roadside bomb.

Two of the U.S. soldiers involved in the Maymudiya attack have been jailed for a total of 190 years.

The alleged ringleader, Steven Green, was honorably discharged from the Army due to a personality disorder and is awaiting trial as a civilian. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty if he is convicted.

[ecm1980]

Well, that is going to be a movie that will evoke A LOT of emotions from all types of people. It will be interesting to hear everyones opinions once we all get to see it.

[shumanee]

Maybe Depalma should do a film of an American being beheaded. No, he would spend his time an effort depicting one isolated brutal act rather than show the effort that is being made by many brave Iraqi''s and Americans to rebuild a strong democratic nation.

[klifton2-2009]

US Government has been bombing, invading, destroying, and carrying out every conceivable aggressive actions against other nation states and sovereign governments for years. Direct interference and covert operations against governments that it perceives as "unfriendly" have always and will always be the policy of the US. Think about it!

[shumanee]

Why don''t you move out then if the US is the evil empire you imagine it to be.

[perimogi]

De Palma said knew he had a story when he heard about this crime, I am wondering if he thought he had a story when he heard that Saddam was grinding live people up in meat grinders? When the Rowanda killings were going on, did he think about a story? Is there a story for him on Darfur? What these soldiers did was wrong, and to paint the all the military as complicit, which is what he has done, is wrong. But I would expect nothing less than that from him.

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by perimogi,

De Palma may or may not have considered these incidents, but the bottom line is none of them were done in our name as an American citizens.

In fact, your post implies that it is OK to do such things only because others have done them.

If Saddam, or the leaders in Darfur and other countries were actually American citizens, then I too would call for their arrest, trial, and appropriate sanction. but what they do to their own is their own problem, what we are doing to others is ours.

[perimogi]

Brianbwb,

In no way do I condone what they did, and nothing in my post indicated that. But, if atrocious behavior is what he thinks is movie worthy, then those acts I described are movie worthy. Interesting you say "but what they do to their own is their own problem", I wonder what you think of Hitler killing German Jews, I guess it was his business and no one elses. I will disagree with that opinion.

[grumpas]

Maybe Depalma should do a film of an American being beheaded. No, he would spend his time an effort depicting one isolated brutal act rather than show the effort that is being made by many brave Iraqi''''s and Americans to rebuild a strong democratic nation.
Posted by shumanee

From what I have read this is not a isolated incident! It has been happening all to frequently with our troops. And every time it does it brings out more hatred from Iraqi''s! Unfortunately they are not building a strong democratic nation. You can''t force-feed democracy to people who don''t want it, have their own idea''s on how to run their own country and are ruled by religion and middle eastern traditions!

[hschwarz2]

Its easy to dismiss such films as depiciting "isolated" incidents. But hundreds of thousands have died in Iraq because we want to bring so-called freedom. This is not a war. Not our war anyway.We are just policemen,trying to keep people from killing each other. Who is our "enemy"? The insurgents are fighting for one of the 3 factions for the right to rule. As in Vietnam, we are in the middle of "their" war. We send poorly trained reservists,who after several weeks are fatigued to the point where their judgement is on edge. They shoot to kill civilians if there is any chance they might be carrying weapons or a bomb. Who can blame them? It''s just a survival mechanism. Maybe this film will create some of these pictures that will wake up America, and stop this violence, and bring our sons and daughters home.

[j_flood]

Once again I''m reminded of what it says on a building in Washington - "where past is prologue". Somebody knew this to be a truism, politicians apparently don''t. And worst of all, people that ran on a platform to end the Iraq war haven''t lived up to their word. There used to be a word ''moxie'' that mean they had the real stuff to do what they had to do. We could use some leaders with moxie.

[rkahk]

In that picture, Mr. De Palma looks quite pleased with himself,smugly sure that what he has done is good. He chose not to portray the horrors of Saddam''s meat shredders, etc., the sawing off of human heads, the practice of using razor wire to slice off the faces of victims. Why? Because these little horrors were done by our enemies. De Palma must be one of these strange people who must take a proctologist''s view of America, examining only the dark places to find what is wrong with us and with our brave fighting men as if any people or any army did not have by virtue of the human condition some members who varied from the ideal. On the other hand, they see our enemies as victims, where anything is excused as understandable.

If this man is responsible for the deaths of any of our good men who are risking everything to protect us, then I would say what I first thought when I heard of this disgusting movie, may he and all his kind rot in Hell, or, alternatively, may he be the first to be captured and beheaded if his wishes for this war are fulfilled. In the meantime, and for what it''s worth, I''m sure the cowardly Europeans will love him.

[bobgee_1999]

"He chose not to portray..."

Have you seen the film? Personally, I haven''t and don''t intend to, so I can''t say what he didn''t choose to portray. All I know is what is in this article, which doesn''t claim to be a complete synopsis of the film. I doubt DePalma suggests Saddam was a nice guy, but that is entirely beside the point.

This tendency to point to Clinton to excuse bad Republican behavior, or Saddam to excuse the behavior of our soldiers is childish and irrelevant. And so what if the film depicts "isolated events?" Maybe the story is ABOUT isolated events. Most stories are. There is NEVER an excuse for raping a 14-year old child (and murdering her family, which included her 6-year sister, by the way), and anyone who says there is is basically damaged. Did that rape and murder somehow serve the war effort, or help to eliminate Saddam? Anyone who defends or seeks to ameliorate these actions in any way, shape or form should be utterly ashamed and shunned.

"Why don''t you move out then..."

Is just more dimwitted Love It Or Leave It logic. Sorry, punk, that''s not how America works. Patriots are obliged, if they don''t love it, to FIX IT, not to leave it---that is fundamental to America''s foundation, and if you''re too thick to grasp that, then it is YOU who should pack your bags.

[likeitis5050]

Why don''''t you move out then if the US is the evil empire you imagine it to be.
Posted by shumanee at 10:25 PM : Aug 31, 2007


Not the way it''s done here. This country was founded on rebels and patriots who chose to stay and defend and fight for what they want. To criticize this country is not to say it''s worthless. Quite the contrary. We have fought for the right to criticize and speak out. And simply telling an American to shut up or to leave is not American.

This notion that if you don%u2019t agree with an idea then you must be Anti-American is being put to bed. Good night.

[mcvet]

If this man is responsible for the deaths of any of our good men who are risking everything to protect us, then I would say what I first thought when I heard of this disgusting movie, may he and all his kind rot in Hell, or, alternatively, may he be the first to be captured and beheaded if his wishes for this war are fulfilled. In the meantime, and for what it''''s worth, I''''m sure the cowardly Europeans will love him.
Posted by rkahk at 04:17 PM : Sep 01, 2007

Iraq had NO Weapons! Iraq was NO threat to this nation! There was NO reason for this nation to Invade that Country and bring all the death and distruction to it. We have surpassed Saddam long ago in total distruction and death but the real kicker is that CHENEY HIMSELF knew all this... he stated it in an interview in 1994. What this man is doing is showing YOU the death and distruction WE the PEOPLE are responsible for... we brought to a country that did nothing to us nor was in anyway involved in the attack on us! WE invaded and occupied that Country, you can NOT change the fact no more than you can change the FACT that our nation is being lead by a FASCIST! Sieg Heil Bush!!

[usaisdway189]

glad brian depalma wasn''t around during world war II as the photos of dead GIs would convince him to surrender to talk to herr hitler.

no wonder why nancy allen divorced him. a loser.

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by perimogi,

About Hitler? What he did was wrong, just as Bush is doing is wrong, but Bush is doing it now, while you think about Hitler. Bush''s, and by extension, our crimes are worse, because we should have learned the lessons of a herd mentality behind a megalomaniac.

If a movie can help to break the trance we are in, and contribute to ending this madness, it is a sick commentary on our ability to think, but I''m all for it.

[usaisdway189]

mcvet,

why don''t you put down the champipple you''ve been gulping with RandyBoBS, hoist a white flag over your home - or apartment - and call up the local Islamonazi extremist in your neighborhood.

Maybe he won''t slit your dumb throat. Then again, maybe he will.

Iraq had weapons, bozo. Iraq was training terrorists at Salman Pak, bozo - everyone from Hamas and Hizbullah to Al Qaeda were there, presided on by their benevolent buddy Saddam. But a drunk, discredited clown like you don''t want to know. Just believe what MoveOn.Org tells you.

Even your idol Clinton - I suppose you''ll call the draft dodger a fellow vet next - believed Iraq was a threat so much that he carpet bombed the place for almost a week.

But please continue your lies and you obviously so manure spewing of Sieg Heils. Interesting that the Left and their fellow manure-consuming bozos like you,brianbwb, ainttaken, feeljihadi, and RandyBoBS, always spout Hitlerian s_hit - it reflects exactly what you are.

Go to Iran, or if they don''t want you, go to Germany - maybe you can dig your uncle ''dolf''s bones up. You''re about his speed with your appeasement of Islamonazis.

[usaisdway189]

for brianbwb as in bozo.

Since you like to compare the President of the United States to Adolf Hitler, maybe we should compare you to Eichmann, or Pol Pot.

Oh yeah, you''d prefer Osama but you might have to fight FeelJihadi for that one, little brain dead bozo.

Funny, we don''t compare Clinton to Hitler. Maybe that''s because we already know he was a coward and pervert. Even if his power-hungry shrew couldn''t figure that one out.

[ioweign]

USAisdway189,

Too much caffine intake today !

Enlist - you talk the talk - well then walk the walk !!

[likeitis5050]

USAisdway189 does you psych know you''ve run out of meds? The first step in recovery is to realise everything we know exists in thoughts..change your thoughts and change your reality. That will be $200 dollars.

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by USAisdway189,

The comparison to Hitler is an based on a long list of similar tactics both used to start what should be considered by any sane person (which automatically excludes USAisdway189)as illegal wars, and crimes against humanity.

As for comparing me to Pol Pot, please list any orders I have given to any military that resulted in the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of innocent people, then I will accept your comparison.

Please also list the illegal wars started by Mr. Clinton. While I can agree with the coward part of your assessment, he also has given no orders to our military to invade and occupy a sovereign state that was no threat to us.

As Joe Friday (Jack Webb) was so fond of saying; "Just'' the facts, ma''am, just the facts".

Chrrrp, Chrrrrp. (sound of crickets)


Thought as much. You bring weak logic to a debate, much like bringing a butter knife to a gunfight.

[brianbwb-2009]

to USAisdway189,

Still waiting...


Chrrrp, chrrrp,


Chrrrp, chrrrp,


Just like a fake neocon sheep, run away instead of presenting facts.

[bobgee_1999]

Showing the ugly side of war is valid, no matter who it indicts. Because war IS ugly. For a nation that pretends to abhor war, it''s strange how many we seem to get into. I had hoped that 11 Sept 01 would show America how ugly it is when your own people die in the street, but obviously it didn''t. That it has the opposite effect shows us something pretty ugly about the American character.