The Fog of War

The Fog of War Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara is a 2003 American documentary film about the life and times of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara illustrating his observations of the nature of modern warfare. The film was directed by Errol Morris and features an original score by Philip Glass. The title derives from the military concept of the fog of war depicting the difficulty of making decisions in the midst of conflict.

Using archival footage, United States Cabinet conversation recordings, and an interview of the then eightyfiveyearold Robert McNamara, The Fog of War depicts his life, from his birth during the First World War remembering the time American troops returned from Europe, to working as a World War II Whiz Kid military officer, to being the Ford Motor Companys president, to serving as Secretary of Defense for presidents Kennedy and Johnson including his involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War.In a 2004 appearance at U.C. Berkeley, Errol Morris said his inspiration for the documentary derived from McNamaras book with James G. Blight, Wilsons Ghost Reducing the Risk of Conflict, Killing, and Catastrophe in the 21st Century 2001. Morris originally approached McNamara for an interview for an hourlong television special. That was extended multiple times and Morris decided to make a feature film. Morris interviewed McNamara for some twenty hours the twohour documentary comprises eleven lessons from In Retrospect The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam 1995. He posits, discourses upon, and propounds the lessons in the interview that is The Fog of War. Moreover, at the U.C. Berkeley event, McNamara disagreed with Morriss interpretations in The Fog of War, yet, on completion, McNamara supplemented the original eleven lessons with an additional ten lessons they are in The Fog of War DVD. ........

Source: Wikipedia