Pentagon Papers: Source that cares

'Pentagon Papers' expose in the early 70s by the New York Times was one of the sensational exposes in the world of journalism. Of course, Watergate, which came later, was even more sensational for more than one reason. However, the Pentagon Papers became sensational because the source was one of the insiders and a stakeholder so to say. Daniel Ellsberg, the whistle-blower, was a researcher with the defence department and had access to piles of papers (reports) dealing with crucial classified information that dealt with the Vietnam War and the American hand in it. Through the expose the world came to know that the US wanted the war to somehow continue and prolong for its own ulterior motifs. Several Presidents selfishly made thousands of US soldiers victims and martyrs of the brutal war. In the end, what remained was a humiliating defeat at the hand of a tiny nation. All this mayhem for no worthwhile cause!

Daniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower

Director: Rod Holcomb

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In a landmark decision, Ellsberg was acquitted by the court which declared that the case was a ‘mistrial’. It was a vindication of the fact that Ellsberg had done what he did in all good faith, keeping the future of a democratic country in mind.

The film Pentagon Papers (2003) has documented these facts quite faithfully. Through the film one comes to what extent a powerful nation can manipulate everything and keep the entire nation in the dark. It happened during Vietnam War, it happened during Iraq war and several other wars. For the US, might seems indeed right! James Spader who plays Ellsberg, has done justice to the role of a whistleblower  A must watch film for students of journalism as well as those interested in knowing more about American hypocrisy and manipulation at the same time. 

- Melwyn Pinto SJ

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas: Cruelty and irony of war!

The boy in the striped pyjamas (2008) is a compelling and painful tale of the horrors of world war II. The unique feature of this film is that it tells the brutality of the war without actually showing it in as many images. The whole film is narrated through the eyes of an 8-year old Bruno (Asa Butterfield), son of a German Nazi soldier. Even before Bruno understands what the war is all about and why Jews are not ‘People’ as his father tries to tell him, he is consumed, ironically, by its cruelty.

Director: Mark Hermon

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The film is based on a famous novel of the same name written by the Irish novelist John Boyne. The film is directed by Mark Herman.

The film raises many questions about war. In fact, the most important aspect that the film tries to send across is that war originates and is fought first in the mind. What we see outside is just the expression of the brutalities caused by the mind for no gain. Even as six million Jews were killed in the war (the film has a reminiscence of it), the Nazis tried to convince people that the Jews had to be killed as they were subhuman and a threat to the greater nationhood of Germany. Bruno, the protagonist, however, finds it extremely difficult to fathom this ‘reality’ and hence becomes an ironic victim of sorts of the same war.

The film has been narrated with a touch masterly craftsmanship with brilliant performances by the actors, especially Asa Butterfield as Bruno and Jack Scanlon who acts as the little Jew, Shmuel. The friendship that these two build up in their brief period of meeting, makes one sit back and reflect whether breaking barriers after all is such a big difficulty at all! 

- Melwyn Pinto SJ