| | |  | IRAN | Home » » The War Tapes | | | | | | | Description: | | Directed by Deborah Scranton, and produced by Robert May (The Fog of War) and Steve James (Hoop Dreams), THE WAR TAPES is Operation Iraqi Freedom as filmed by Sergeant Steve Pink, Sergeant Zack Bazzi, and Specialist Mark Moriarty. Steve is a wisecracking carpenter who aspires to be a writer. Zack is a Lebanese-American university student who loves to travel and is fluent in Arabic. Mike is a father and resolute patriot who rejoined the Army after 9/11. These soldiers captured over 800 hours of footage, providing a glimpse of their lives in the midst of war. The result is a raw portrait of three men--and their families--as they face, and struggle to understand, their duty. | | | Features: | |
• Straight from the front lines in Iraq, THE WAR TAPES: DIRECTOR'S EDITION is the first war movie filmed by soldiers themselves. Directed by Deborah Scranton, and produced by Robert May (The Fog of War) and Steve James (Hoop Dreams), THE WAR TAPES: DIRECTOR'S EDITION is Operation Iraqi Freedom as filmed by Sergeant Steve Pink, Sergeant Zack Bazzi and Specialist Mike Moriarty. Steve is a w
| | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Zack Bazzi, Duncan Domey, Ben Flanders, Mike Moriarty, Steve Pink | | Director:
| Deborah Scranton | | Format:
| Color, DVD, NTSC | | Language:
| Arabic, English | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| Docurama | | Run Time:
| 97 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| May 15, 2007 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 14 reviews |
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19 of 19 found the following review helpful:
 The soldier's perspective of the Iraq warMay 17, 2007
By Kyle Tolle
`The War Tapes' is a unique documentary recorded by 3 soldiers in the New Hampshire Army National Guard during their one year deployment in Iraq. Using cameras mounted on vehicle turrets, dashboards, and helmets along with utilizing night vision devices and thermal imagers, this compilation is assembled from over 800 hours of footage. Sergeants Steve Pink and Zack Brazzi, along with Specialist Michael Moriarty are the central characters that carry the cameras and capture the images.
Almost from the first day on the ground in country, powerful and unsettling footage is shown from mortar attacks, ambushes, firefights, explosions, and injuries sustained from soldiers and civilians alike in Iraq. The video is graphic and intense and it leaves a serious impression about what soldiers have to endure in Iraq. You can get a sense of the underlying tension and anxiety experienced by these soldiers as they narrate what they've seen and felt. Also shown are their attitudes and thoughts regarding why America is in Iraq and the consequences of the war.
In-between segments of the documentary, footage is shown with Michael Moriarty's wife, Zack Bazzi's mother, and Steve Pink's girlfriend. They all put on a brave face but you can sense the emotional turmoil of having loved ones so far away in such a dangerous environment. The families at home also share their mixed feelings about the American involvement in Iraq and the difficulties of being on their own. Upon re-deploying back to the United States, there are physical and emotional changes evident in the returning soldiers and it is significant in how this affects a person's lifestyle and relationships.
`The War Tapes' is a well produced documentary, in my opinion, and delivers a thought provoking, important, and sometimes disturbing look at many aspects dealing with the war in Iraq. To compliment the main program, there are 2 extra features on the DVD that are worth checking out. One is a collection of interviews lasting just under 30 minutes and the second is 80 minutes of additional material covering several different and interesting topics.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
real war by real peopleJun 08, 2007
By Daniel B. Clendenin
John Burns, the Baghdad bureau chief for the New York Times, calls this film "the single best document (book, film, or article) you could see on the war in Iraq." Director Deborah Scranton taught three soldiers from New Hampshire's National Guard --Steve Pink, Mike Moriarty, and the Lebanese-American Zack Bazzi who is fluent in Arabic --how to use a camera, then edited their 800 hours of war footage down to 97 minutes. The result is a first person visual narrative of the war in Iraq. It's probably about as close as you can get to experiencing war vicariously-- the chaos, bravado, feelings of helplessness, fear, vulgarity, boredom, and cynicism. Endless rows of charred vehicles in an equipment vehicle. Security escorts protecting convoys of Halliburton trucks carrying septic waste ("follow that shit truck!") or cheese cake. Children everywhere. And yes, IEDs and daily mortar attacks lobbed into Camp Anaconda. The film documents the stories of the three soldiers from their deployment to their return to their families and post war symptoms, including several takes with their wives back home interspersed throughout the film. Parts of this film are very hard to watch.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
War From the InsideJul 04, 2007
By Bryan A. Pfleeger
In 2004 Deborah Scranton was invited to join a New Hampshire National Guard unit being deployed to Iraq as an imbedded journalist. She and producing partner Charles Lacy had a different idea: why not provide the soldiers with miniDV camaras and let them record what they experienced. What resulted was some 800 hours of footage that was edited into the brillant 97 minutes of the War Tapes.
The story follows the day to day lives of three soldiers from training to return from duty one year later. Mike Moriority is a hard line patriot who wanted to be deployed to Iraq as a result of what he saw at 9-11. Steven Pink is a wise cracking college graduate who thinks service will make him a better man. Jack Bazzi is a Lebanese emigre who uses his knowledge of Arabic to give us a unique view of the culture.
Through these men we see the horror of war close up. The footage is graphic and haunting and is not always easy to watch but it is essential. There is more to be seen and talked about here than in 10 conventional war films. Whether you are pro war or antiwar there is something here that you can take in and discuss with others. The essential question is the age old one:why are we fighting. To some it is to bring democracy to the Iraqi people to others the ony real reason is for the oil and to make money for corporations like Haliburton.
Do yourself a favor and seek this one out and make the choice for yourself. Excellent and well recommended.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
The Real Lives of Today's SoldiersApr 30, 2007
By "Rocky Raccoon"
"Hey, Doc, It's Only a Scratch!"
`War Tapes' is a great documentary because it is made and narrated by the soldiers fighting in Iraq. Three men from New Hampshire share different backgrounds but one purpose: To win the war in Iraq, but each states his own personal motivation well. The film has three different aspects: the battles, the family life at home, and life in the army in Iraq. There are three main participants: Steven Pink, who has most of the cameras and a girlfriend, Lindsay, waiting for him at home; Zach Bazzi, a Lebanese émigré, whose mom is devoted to her soldier son; and Mike Moriarity whose wife and children wait on pins and needles for his return. At times the documentary is composed. We hear the thoughts of loved ones, torn by separation anxiety, pride, and love. The soldiers testify to their sense of purpose. Then, we get harrowing battle scenes with tanks going through the unstable streets of Fallujah. We hear them work as a unit fighting the insurgents with appropriately shaky cameras and thundering ammunition. Their candor is almost groundbreaking. The disdain for the enemy and the opportunism of war purveyors KBR and Halliburton are telling. Seeing soldiers train Iraqis, sorely needed recreation, and the aftermath of the men's sacrifices are key highlights. Whether or not you support the war, this film shouldn't be missed for supporting and understanding the soldiers. Sometimes funny, often unsettling, but always interesting, 'The War Tapes' is a rewarding and informative film.
14 of 18 found the following review helpful:
 The Soldier's PerspectiveAug 04, 2007
By Rick B
Having grown up in a career military family, I must applaud this film. The fact that it was commissioned and sponsored by the U.S. Army National Guard is a positive sign that the military is attempting to ease the transition of fighting troops back into normal civilian life.
What are the messages of this film? According to the Extra Features:
1) Understand what we soldiers have been through in service to our country.
2) We were sent to Iraq to kill people. Right or wrong, that was our mission, and we did it to the best of our ability. Judge us on that basis.
3) Support our troops without asking whether the Iraq War was necessary. That question only demoralizes us and makes our job more difficult.
4) Don't blame us the way you did the Vietnam veterans. We are all wounded warriors, emotionally if not physically. Welcome us home as heroes.
I served in the Army as a medic during the Vietnam conflict. When I returned home from overseas, I was confused and depressed for six months. I needed to talk with my family about what I had experienced, but no one seemed to understand or even wanted to listen. The soldiers in this film said it was very helpful for their families in understanding "why I am the way I am since I returned."
This film may not be considered a true "documentary" in the sense that the cameramen said all the tapes were turned over to Command for their editing and approval. The sergeant described that when he started thinking of himself as a photojournalist and asking other soldiers what they thought about apparently inane orders on camera, his commander called him in and warned him these were actions unbecoming a non-commissioned officer.
If you are looking for a film that says "The Iraqis are real people and they are suffering too," this is not it. But this film supports the troops without question, helps their families to understand what they went through for us, and they deserve this and a lot more from the American public.
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