Point Of No Return: The War In The Gulf

Once you get past the long opening excerpt from Revelations, which apparently tries to infuse a little fire and brimstone into the profile of Saddam Hussein and, by extension, suggests that Hussein may be the "beast" of biblical reference, Point of No Return becomes a quite interesting look at the historical context in which the Gulf War arose. Laurence Luckinbill narrates the story of the rise of Israel as an independent nation, the religious conflicts which characterized relations between the Arab nations and Israel, and the eventual rise to power of Saddam Hussein. Using interview and newsreel footage, the program covers several interesting events in recent history. It's ironic, for instance, to look back at Israel's attack in 1981 on Hussein's nuclear plant, and realize that the UN condemned the action as aggressive. Taking a different tack from similar recent blow-by-blow productions (all basically comprised of CNN newsreel footage), Point of No Return is recommended. (See ICY DEATH for availability.)