It's Just Movies

— by BEV QUESTAD —

You will never look at politics the same way. You will never look at government-delivered reasons for being in a war the same way. Your world view will be unalterably changed after viewing this documentary.

This is the kind of film that transforms thinking.

In his book, “The Trial of Henry Kissinger,” upon which this documentary (with an s on “Trial”) is based, Christopher Hitchens finds fault with everything. As a matter of fact, his writing is so passionately critical that the reader suspends belief in his message … until the end is reached.

Christopher Hitchens is a stringent critic and Eugene Jarecki, in his documentary based on Hitchens’ book, has made a concerted effort to tone down Hitchens’ outrage to focus on the facts. He makes maximum use of archived news footage and interviews to back up each of Hitchens’ contentions that Dr. Kissinger has been involved in plots to significantly undermine American attempts at peace and justice throughout the world.

Jarecki and Hitchens work to prove that Kissinger was instrumental in lengthening U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War resulting in about a million more deaths. They also prove with a string of documented facts that Kissinger was responsible for political coups and illegal activities in South America.

In both the film and the book, evidence implicating Kissinger in prolonging the Vietnam War is so laboriously and extensively elaborated that the audience is not only convinced, but upset.

Who paid Kissinger? What part did Rockefeller, the Republican party and U.S. politics in general have to do with the reasons the U.S. intervened in the ’60s and 70s around the world and what are the reasons the U.S. intervenes around the globe now?

After viewing this documentary and reading this book and you will find yourself thinking on a greater, more complex dimensional canvass.

Actors: Brian Cox, Anna Chennault, Amy Goodman, Alexander Haig, Seymour Hersh

Run Time: 80 minutes

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