Body of War by Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue

This is a great story, or rather a great story within a story within a story.  This is film, which is a brand new documentary--and part of the proliferation of excellent recent documentaries dealing with different aspects of the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, critiquing recent foreign and domestic policies emanating from the Bush White House, and so on--follows the journey of an extraordinary young man who is severely wounded as an enlistee in Iraq and who becomes a persuasive and compelling anti-war activist as a consequence of his experiences.  

Phil Donahue of talk show fame a decade or more ago met Ellen Spiro, one of the all-time great documentary filmmakers (and I don't just say this because she was my student at Buffalo and one of my favorite people in the world) on a plane and hatched the idea of doing this project.  I became aware of it when I saw them discussing it and showing clips on Bill Moyer's Show--another location I keep an eye on so far as trying to follow what is going on in this country and the world.   

I haven't seen the entire film yet but I've seen enough to know that it is something crucial to see.  It was aired on Veteran's Day on the Sundance Channel and Phil (yes, I know him too!) was on a range of television and radio promoting the film.  But I am slow because I thought it would get a major release and run in the theatres.  How could anybody not want to see this--admitted it might be a little difficult for people who can't deal with severe disability challenges but that should be nobody given how eager most of us are to send people into harm's way, right?

Of course, the film is basically invisible now.  However it is available on dvd, and once it has made the round of the film festivals, it will be on netflix I imagine.  If you need a copy right away, here's the link to buy the dvd: http://www.bodyofwar.com. 

MORE ON BODY WAR:

I hadn't seen this film when I wrote this but now I have and it is so wonderful to have seen it, fascinating this young man and his physical challenges.  His courage and the purity of his absolute political clarity about opposing the war.  

Saw it on HBO in Demand I think together with a number of other special things about war and recruitment.  I believe HBO in Demand had it in the Documentary section together with another wonderful film about a recruitment station where many high school graduates have been sent to Iraq.  By the time I got finished watching this, I was worried about the draft, the inevitability of its return.  Which would be deeply boring since then I might have to start attending public protest demonstrations again.  Tedious but else could one do?

So in the meanwhile, if you get a chance, take a look at these two films and all the other wonderful documentaries that have been made and are being made about the various wars the United States has gotten itself involved in the course of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st.  Every bit of it is deeply intriquing to me now  after having been deeply bored by it for the entire first half of my life.  

What I liked to do most when I was young was read Balzac, Henry James and William Faulkner and tons and tons of stuff like that.  My deepest fear was running out of novels.  Geez.  But then there really weren't any video, dvds or computers.   And there certainly weren't any blogs.  Even now I can hardly read my own handwriting.