Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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167 of 180 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fair and balanced news? Isn't that what they all say?, November 27, 2004
This award winning 2003 documentary tells the story of the war in Iraq from the point of view of Al Jazeera, the television network that brings the news to 40 million people in the Arab-speaking world. Many of the challenges it faces are shared by journalists everywhere. They risk their lives to bring a story to the people. And they are all under pressure to spin the story to their employers' wishes.
The viewer meets the people who produce this news network. There's the director Samir Khader, the chain smoking and cynical head of the organization. He freely admits he'd be willing to work for Fox News if offered the job and wants to send his children to America for their educations. There's Hassan Ibrahim, a former BBC correspondent. He's a well-spoken pudgy man with a clear mind, who sees the world through a slightly different filter that I do. And a lot of what he says makes sense challenging my perceptions on a very human level. There's Deema Khatib, one of the Al Jazeera staff members, whose playful expressive large brown eyes sparkle with a great sense of humor, She's unveiled and modern and obviously well educated. Then there is Lieutenant Josh Rushing, who clearly is doing his best to explain U.S. policy. He's blue eyed and personable and very American and has a calm demeanor and a high intellect. His interchanges with Al Jazeera personnel show a depth of understanding for all sides of the question. And yet he is steadfast in his support of America.
The film begins in March 2003 as American troops invade Iraq. Al Jazeera shows pictures of the casualties. The American news media does not. Al Jazeera is fast to point out some troubling realities of American foreign policy. And, in this documentary at least, it attempts show that its news coverage is fair and balanced. But then, again, isn't that what they all say?
This film made me think.
And what made me think even more were the special features included on the DVD which show more interviews with the subjects of the film and adds a bit of humanity to them all, including the American Lieutenant who has the hard job of trying to placate all sides.
The situation in the world today is complex. I came away with more insight into its depths. There are no real answers. Only serious questions.
This is fine and troubling film that challenges all our perceptions. Highly recommended.
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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So much more than bargined for..., October 5, 2004
This documentary is spell binding and without spin.... It was an instant-replay to the start of the war all over again from an unfiltered lens, most refreshing. Michael Moore had all the fireworks and media blitz but this little gem had all the details. This is truely a movie to celebrate the free speech and to gain an understanding of others. America it's time to take off the blinders and re-evaluate our country and what it means to all of us. Cheers to Jehane and her crew for making such an important piece of film.
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Who Saw What and Why. The Role of Media in Modern Warfare., October 29, 2004
"Control Room" is a revealing look behind the scenes of Al-Jazeera Satellite Channels' coverage of the war in Iraq, from the American buildup to invasion in March 2003 until shortly after Baghdad was captured. Al-Jazeera was founded in 1996 as the first independent television news network in the Arab world. It's Western style coverage quickly made the Al-Jazeera persona non grata is several Arab nations for covering viewpoints critical of government policies. Al-Jazeera takes the view that objectivity is impossible to achieve in news coverage, and it is dangerously naive to think otherwise. At least in theory, the network attempts to give voice to all sides of the issue, encompassing all biases. If everybody hates them, Al-Jazeera believes it's doing it's job. If only one side hates them, their coverage must be inexcusably biased. I should mention that this is a typical Arab perspective on the news media. And it's certainly how things worked out with the United States. President Bush has accused Al-Jazeera of being "the mouthpiece of Osama Bin Laden", while Iraq banned Al-Jazeera for broadcasting "American propaganda".
"Control Room"'s director Jehane Noujaim, whose last documentary was "Startup.com", is half American and half Egyptian. The film's producer and cinematographer, Hani Safama, is half Bosnian and half Egyptian. "Control Room" not only shows the other side of coin, the what and why of Iraq war coverage by an Arab network, but the film contemplates the role of the media in modern warfare. Jehane Noujaim obtained daily access to two Al-Jazeera employees, whom we get to know well over the course of the film. Samir Khader is a world-weary, stressed-out Senior Producer at the network. Hassan Ibrahim is a Sudanese-born journalist, formerly of the BBC, who grew up in Saudi Arabia, attended college in the United States, and has covered 10 wars in the course of his career. Both of these men are perceptive and articulate in their views of the machinations of the press and politicians alike. (They speak English.) Ibrahim is an affable idealist who adores the US Constitution and hates this nation's politics. Khader is more pragmatic by nature, and his astute observations give the film weight. Khader's attitudes are very typical of educated Arabs, whom we don't often hear from in the American press. Other Al-Jazeera staff whom we meet include Producer Deema Khatib, Manager Joanne Tucker, and one of the network's simultaneous translators. These people are all very idealistic about the power for positive change that an independent network such as Al-Jazeera can bring to the Arab world by bringing uncensored political and social discourse into the homes of 40 million Arabs.
"Control Room"'s crew spent 5 weeks at the US Central Command, called CentCom, that had been moved from Tampa, Florida to Doha, Qatar for the invasion of Iraq. It is here that the world press gathered to broadcast announcements and ask questions of the US military. Press Officer Lt. Josh Rushing, of the Marine Corps, also gave the filmmaker's a lot of his time. It was his job to represent the American military operation to the world press. He assisted journalists however he could, all the time trying to make the US look good. The US Military couldn't have chosen a better representative. Lt. Rushing is generous with his time, friendly, fair, idealistic, remarkably patient, and always eager to understand all points of view. We also meet CNN correspondent Tom Mintier and MSNBC correspondent David Shuster at CentCom. CentCom, itself, is an interesting phenomenon. The war is being conducted from this isolated place in the middle of nowhere in Qatar. Journalists and military Press Officers alike are cut off from direct contact with the war and rely entirely on long distance communication in and out of CentCom.
"Control Room" is truly a fascinating film about the media's role in modern warfare. Seeing what Arabs saw and why is ironically revealing of what Americans saw and why. Populated with interesting characters and pointed insights, "Control Room" is a must-see. In English and Arabic with English subtitles.
The DVD: Bonus features include 31 deleted scenes, 3 audio commentaries, and a theatrical trailer. I didn't watch all of the deleted scenes, but I found they contain a few interesting tidbits, but nothing essential. The scenes are mostly interviews with Hassan Ibrahim, Samir Khader, David Shuster, Deema Khatib, Tom Mintier, Lt. Josh Rushing, and Moafak Tawfik. There are also some Al-Jazeera promo spots and 2 additional pieces about the day that 3 journalists were killed by American fire. The deleted scenes are organized according to whom they feature, so it's easy to find what you may be interested in.
The first audio commentary is by director Jehane Noujaim and producer/cinematographer Hani Safama. They talk about the history of Al-Jazeera that compelled them to understand the people behind the network and how they convinced Hassan Ibrahim, with whom they lived during filming, among others, to give them access. The commentary includes some interesting observations about the Al-Jazeera journalists and the American Press Officers. The second audio commentary is by Capt. Josh Rushing (Lieutenant in the film). He talks about his experiences at CentCom, the characters featured in the film, and the role of media in warfare. The third audio commentary is by Hassan Ibrahim and Samir Khader. They talk about each other, how they became involved with the film, their feelings about events depicted in the film, and decisions that they made in covering the war in Iraq. Samir is more pointedly critical of the Bush Administration in the commentary than in the film, as he gives his analysis of the aftermath of the war in Iraq. All three of the commentaries are worthwhile. Subtitles for the film are available in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish.
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