Customer Reviews

National Geographic: Afghanistan Revealed [VHS]

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I strongly recommend this video to anyone that would like to learn about what was going on in Afghanistan prior to September 11th. Author Sebastian Junger & the famous photographer Reza are both in this film. We are introduced to Ahmed Shah Massoud-Afghanistan's last hope, who was mortally wounded a few days before America was attacked by the terrorists. Mr. Massoud tried to warn the world of what was to come, but no one cared to listen. I was deeply moved by this
documentary.

If you are looking for a National Geographic Special about the people, land or culture of Afghanistan...this ISN'T it. Instead, this is an interesting take on the endless war of Afghanistan, and the ultimate martyrdom of a great leader, Ahmed Shah Massou, the 'Lion of Panjshir'.

I have ordered this tape because I have seen the show on the National Geogrphic Channel and was very impressed with the bravery displayed and insight gained by both journalists into Massoud's struggle.
As a result I have been very impressed with Massoud's achievements, his nature and charisma and have been deeply sadend by his murder. One of the unparalleled individuals in history.
So if you want to learn more about Ahmad Shah Massoud and the historical run-up to his struggle, this documentary is very good.

It can be convincingly argued that Afghanistan is the wildest country on Earth. Under the Taliban, the social structure reverted to one closely resembling that of five centuries ago. For example, women could not be educated; they had to remain fully clothed and could not be treated by male doctors. Centuries old religious artifacts that were not Islamic were destroyed. Some of the ideas and practices of the Taliban leadership puzzled even some conservative Islamic scholars. However, the policies of the Taliban were attractive to many young men in the Islamic world, and we see that when one of the Taliban fighters from outside Afghanistan is interviewed. His passion for and devotion to the cause is very clear and the interview is something that leaders of the Western world should pay attention to.
The Afghans have a history of warfare, most of it successful. They beat back invasions by both the British and Russian forces in the nineteenth century and fought off the Soviet invasion that began in 1979. With that background, it is clear that anyone who wishes to have a military presence in Afghanistan should be wary. A great deal of the tape is devoted to a study of the late Ahmad Shad Massoud, the leader of the resistance to the Taliban who was assassinated two days before the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. He was an extraordinary man and had he lived, would have been an outstanding leader of the Afghan nation.
This is a tape that should be viewed by anyone who wants to know the real history and background of a critical part of the Islamic world. Not only do you learn something about an area where U. S. troops are stationed, but you also learn a little about the Islamic faith. Considering the current state of the world, all U. S. citizens should learn something about the religion that most of the terrorists practice.

Before I begin, I want it to make it clear that there is some value in this video and, in spite of the shortcomings, it isn't worthless. It has a great deal of value in some ways, which I will outline at the end of the review.

First, I found that this movie didn't do justice to the richenss of the history of Afghanistan. It very briefly covered some of the history, but it seemed to be just rushing that part so that it could spend as much time as possible to cover Massoud and the Northern Alliance vs. Taliban struggles. For a movie supposedly "revealing" an country with a rich history, you'd think the ancient history would have been covered a little more thoroughly. Sure, there are time constraints, but at least a better effort could have been put forth.

Second, the little bits of history covered seemed to be covered in a very frail and almost deceiving way. For example, the video strongly emphasized Massoud's role in the mujahideen that liberated Afghanistan from the Russians, but failed to mention that Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban were also part of this movement. One wonders why they it wasn't even mentioned that the civil war between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance happened when those two groups competed for power from within the mujahideen. One almost could have gotten the impression from the movie that the Northern Alliance alone was essentially the mujahideen. Every documentary video clip of Afghanistan war history, even 10 second ones, seem to mention that Osama was part of the mujahideen, so I fail to realise why this drawn out documentary wouldn't even mention this?

Third, I found that the video should probably have given more information about the Taliban itself. It gave some details, but they were rather sketchy. Where did they orignate from? Who were their leaders? Etc.

This movie was still somewhat interesting, and I would recommend it if you are seeking a documentary on the recent civil war, the humanitarian crisis, and the activities of Massoud. However, if you are looking for something more general, something that will give you a rich understanding and appreciation of Afghanistan and the wars it fought, go elsewhere. I'm sure you can find a better information-centric documentary overview of the current civil war, too.