The best film about war I've seen. This is not a film about 'a war' like the countless others I've seen, but something that truly addresses the issue of war itself. What is war? Is it a necessary part of human nature? Can one be a pacifist? Do I really care that people are being killed (in my name) in far-away lands?
Needless to say this film is as vibrant and shockingly relevant to the year 2010 as it was to 1968. Vietnam? Iraq? Afghanistan......?
Peter merges his 'fiction' seamlessly with stock footage, real people speaking, 'dramatic reconstructions'... even musical numbers. Again and again during the film I as the viewer am placed in front of myself. If you are open to the experience, you cannot watch this film passively. Peter has created a film which places myself and my 'opinions' in question.
I saw this film for the 1st time recently despite being a long-time admirer of Brook's work. It was screened at the Barbican in London. In order to reach the wide audience it richly deserves, this film should be re-released on DVD.