Review of The War on Democracy (2007) by Jim A — 20 Apr 2010

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]I don't quite understand why I have read so many great reviews of this movie. [/font][/color][/b].

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]"The War on Democracy" is John Pilger's 93 minute ode to his own vanity. It is a simplistic and deeply flawed movie of American foreign policy in Latin America and feeds off of current anti-Bush and anti-American sentiments over the last 7 years.[/font][/color][/b].

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]To be fair, this movie will play off of your political alignments. Those who lean far right will hate it because it is a vicious and unfair indict of American foreign policy over the last 100 years. Those on the far left will love it because it offers every reason why you should hate America.[/font][/color][/b].

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]From my perspective, I am a right leaning democrat. I've worked on democratic campaigns, am proud graduate of U.C. Berkeley am a strong critic of the Bush Administration, with particular rebuke towards how it has handled its foreign policy.[/font][/color][/b].

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]So I feel like I am a pretty good candidate to enjoy this movie.[/font][/color][/b].

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]But as an historian and student of foreign policy I actually felt deeply offended that someone would produce this movie, call it a documentary and attempt to play off of my emotions.[/font][/color][/b].

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]If you can do your homework (or even a simple Google search) you can find some pretty persuasive evidence on American foreign policy failures in Latin America.[/font][/color][/b].

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]But this film is lazy, and a good excuse for John Pilger to travel abroad and film himself wearing all of his old disco clothes from the 70s.[/font][/color][/b].

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]It is poorly researched, provides only circumstantial evidence for American responsibility for atrocities in Latin America and does it's very best to play off the emotions of the audience by interviewing the saddest souls in all of Latin America. [/font][/color][/b].

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]If Michael Moore had a little brother who was left back a couple of grades, it would be John Pilger.[/font][/color][/b].

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]I take particular issue with Pilger's easy way out with conspiracy after conspiracy, which goes from different forms of media working in concert with one another to the National Endowment for Democracy for being a front for American CIA efforts.[/font][/color][/b].

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]As a movie-goer I think it is important to remember that conspiracies are the easiest way to reign in an audience: They are based on circumstantial evidence, conjecture and high emotions, but leave enough plausibility to feed your appetite for explanation. As a result they are the easiest to offer and easiest to accept, but the shallowest ideas to propose.[/font][/color][/b].

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]I also feel the film was extremely irresponsible in its portraying Hugo Chavez as a kind, misunderstood crusader for democracy and the people. It completely ignores the fact that he is a continued threat to his neighbors, an unpopular despot in his own country and a leader who is isolating his country from the rest of the world.[/font][/color][/b].

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]John Pilger would have you believe he is a kind cuddly bear that you want to name your first born after.[/font][/color][/b].

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]I feel compelled to use this opportunity to go on the line by line to indict this film and quite honestly I will likely blog about its major flaws. But this is a movie review, not a history paper.[/font][/color][/b].

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]As a reviewer I do not recommend you spend money on this film. I do encourage you to watch it online for free and consider how this movie tries to manipulate you in to believing America is truly the evil empire. From its black and white and evil music scenes of the Washington Monument to its giving Chavez face time to tell some cute jokes, its efforts in propaganda motives are extremely clear.[/font][/color][/b].

[b][color=#aeeff9][font=Tahoma]Like I said, there are lots of reasons to critique American policy in Latin America. This film offers nothing to anyone who can think for themselves. Pilger is a lazy movie maker, his shallow techniques to persuade by playing on emotions are clear and should actually offend anyone (right or left) who try to objectively understand history.[/font][/color][/b].