Customer Reviews

IRAN (is not the problem)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I enjoyed the film. However, I cannot understand why no mention was made about Abolhassan Banisadr. After the overthrown of the Shah in 1979, Banisadr was elected President with almost 80% of the vote. This huge landslide is indicative of the desires of the Iranian people in 1979. Unfortunately, he was impeached in June 1981 allegedly because of his moves against the clerics. He saved himself by remaining in hiding before fleeing to France in July 1981. The film states that the current president is the first lay person to hold the office. This is an error because Banisadr was the first lay president of Iran.
[...]

A tremendous, informative film that neither insults the viewer's intelligence nor is too confusing to understand. Possibly the best documentary I have ever seen.

The film is factually accurate, and thus very worthwhile. The research done by the citizen activists is impressive, and shows that non-specialists can actually inform themselves adequately if they take the trouble to do so. I have scheduled the film for showing in the Twin Cities. Others who have seen it have been enthusiastic. The factuality of the film is crucial. There are groups like AIPAC who have a well-financed carpet-bomb style propaganda effort designed to spread misinformation about Iran, particularly about its nuclear program. There is very little in the public media to counter this dangerous prevarication. This film could have been edited to enhance its impact. There is repetition that can be tedious, and a very slight tendency to hyperbole, but in general Americans who want the truth about Iran should watch this film. It is important. I have one caveat. The short version of the film (20 minutes) on the DVD is not very effective. It tends to focus on the history of the U.S.-Iran relationship, rather than grabbing the high points of the misinformation about Iran that would grab the viewer's attention. This could have been much more effectively edited. The long version of the film has more impact.

This is the right film at the right time. It lays facts about Iran and its history in front of you, explains further in the US context and makes the case against war. Great research and straightforward message!

I don't give this documentary five-stars for a slick production value, but for the value of the information. It features several important thinkers on the issue of Iran and American imperialism, including the authors of books like The Tyranny of Oil: The World's Most Powerful Industry--and What We Must Do to Stop It and Oil, Power, & Empire: Iraq and the U.S. Global Agenda.
It's imperative that DVDs like "Iran Is Not the Problem" are copied and distributed widely (the film has a "creative commons" license that allows for copying) to counter the propaganda of films like Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West which was recently distributed by the millions through an insert in papers across the country. It seems many people who have careers in our military industrial complex want to be deceived about the role of our nation state in the world The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives, but this film makes clear that regarding Iran (and so many other nations) the U.S. is the aggressor.
I'd also recommend Targeting Iran (City Lights Open Media), which is a collection of interviews conducted by David Barsamian, who is the director of the invaluable independent radio program, AlternativeRadio.org.
See also:
Iran Awakening: A Memoir of Revolution and Hope
We Are Iran: The Persian Blogs
Why We Fight
Z Magazine
The Human Potential for Peace: An Anthropological Challenge to Assumptions about War and Violence

A very well documented account of America's involvement and interference with Iran, which everyone who has accepted the Bush regimes' account of the current situation should and must see. The well presented history of this tense international and cultural relationship informs and enlightens the viewer.
This very compelling documentary challenges what you thought you knew about the Middle East, America's foreign policy, particularly the direction in which America is currently headed toward. If there were any doubts that the current US occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan or looming military threats against Iran are merely endless war for empire and oil, you must see this film! If you already recognize the gross deceptions and atrocities of U.S. foreign policy toward Iran, this film will confirm your worst suspicions.

The leftists are at it again. Blaming the US, Israelis and the west for the evils of their beloved regime in Tehran. Of course the Iranian regime is the main problem and obstacle to peace and security in the world. The leftists turn a blind eye on the crimes of their Mullahs and criticize the westerners for the misdeeds of their country. Of course, the Iranian people are the hostages of the international leftists and the criminal regime of Iran. I think a regime change in Iran will solve many problems. And the leftists will be upset if the Mullahs are gone.