The Fog of War

Errol Morris creates fascinating documentaries. He doesn’t often use a narrative style, choosing instead to tell stories through the interview process. His first film was 1978’s Gates of Heaven, a film about pet cemeteries. Since then, Morris released several critically acclaimed documentaries. Perhaps the best known is 1988’s The Thin Blue Line. Much was made about a lack of Academy Award nomination for the film, but the Academy argued that the movie was “non-fiction” but not a documentary. Go figure. With 2003’s The Fog of War, there was no doubt and Morris picked up the Oscar for the documentary.

The film covers the life and times of former United States Secretary of Defence Robert S. McNamara. It uses archival footage, White House recordings, and an interview with the 85-year-old McNamara to construct its story. Lesser documentaries would have buzzed around collecting extra sources and other interview subjects to flesh the story out, but Morris uses a simplistic approach that helps create a concise narrative.

The Fog of War covers McNamara’s work during World War II as one of the “Whiz Kids,” a group of information managers who wound up becoming Ford executives in 1946. The film goes on to detail McNamara’s work at Ford, then follows through to his appointment by JFK to the position of Secretary of Defence. McNamara served under Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. The brutality of the Vietnam War and the complications of the conflict are explained by McNamara in the interview segment.

The movie uses the framework of eleven “lessons” as outlined by McNamara to guide the proceedings. McNamara’s lessons were created by Morris through various statements the former made in the interviews. Morris interviewed McNamara for over 20 hours, filing the footage down extensively for the piece. In the end, McNamara complimented Morris on the eleven lessons and added ten more for the DVD release of the film.

Errol Morris uses an interesting technique to interview McNamara here. For those who know Morris’ work, you likely have heard of the “Interrotron.” The Interrotron is a video device that allows Morris to look into his subject’s eyes during the interview and also look directly at the camera’s lens. It is a similar device to a teleprompter and further descriptions of it can be found on the illustrious Wikipedia. The beauty of The Fog of War lies in its process, as the interview seems genuine and yet at times intimidating. Morris is even-handed and his voice comes from a distance, adding to the effect.

McNamara makes for one hell of an interesting subject. He is a spry 85-year-old, that’s for sure. Still fit and alert, McNamara continued to ski the hills at Aspen. He has the supernatural sensation of a man thinking before he speaks, choosing his words but never running out of what to say. McNamara is well-spoken, compelling, and introspective. He wonders aloud about the choices he’s made, but he doesn’t speak regretfully or mournfully. His thoughts are organized, hence the eleven lessons, and his backtracking always makes sense and deliberately leads to what he is about to say. The seemingly unnecessary tangents always lead somewhere.

The visuals of the film are fantastic and they move with Philip Glass’ score beautifully. Morris conducts the images carefully, adding a chart here or a dizzying array of Vietnam War images there to aid in the formation of the overall palette. Despite some parlour tricks, Morris’ film moves smoothly and is never forced. We never feel manipulated into a corner or as the victims of an over-baked hypothesis. It is a concise and careful documentary, constructed with care and simplicity. The Fog of War presents its subject clearly and allows McNamara the chance to say what he wishes as he wishes. That the documentary remains true to its own form throughout its runtime is a testament to Morris’ professionalism and to the quality of the film.

Trailer: