War is Sell

Brian Standing's intriguing (if somewhat strident) documentary traces how the American government has historically used propaganda techniques to sell a dubious public on the need to go to war, beginning with World War I and stretching through today's quagmire in Iraq. Despite the era and the conflict, the situation has always been near-identical: the American people's initial skepticism is eventually placated with intensive federally-financed spin campaigns selling the need for military involvement. Sometimes the pitch wasn't that difficult, particularly for World War II (although prior to Pearl Harbor a large part of the populace was opposed to American involvement). Often, the rush to war resulted in the first casualty being truth—and for both the first Persian Gulf War and the current Iraq conflict, the federal hard-sell campaigns are considered by many to be built on blatant lies (i.e., the bogus claims of Iraqi soldiers removing Kuwaiti babies from incubators in 1991, and the nonexistent weapons of mass destruction in 2003). While Standing's history lesson is sad and shocking, the film itself loses power when it attempts to "educate" the public on how to critically read propaganda—instruction that is, quite frankly, a bit condescending. DVD extras include deleted scenes, additional speech footage, and original propaganda films. An inexpensive title on a timely subject, this should be considered a strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)