University of Sussex
Browse

File(s) not publicly available

The mists of time: control, chaos and irreversibility in The Fog of War

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 15:54 authored by Thomas AustinThomas Austin
This article considers how Errol Morris' The Fog of War (2003) mediates the retrospective self-criticisms and self-justifications of former US Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. It traces how the film finds cracks and fissures in McNamara's performance, creating space for an indirect commentary on his conduct, then and now, via sound/image juxtapositions and the gradual emergence of a trajectory of decline and failure. I argue that, in its self-reflexive but ultimately frustrating treatment of the Vietnam War and of history, Fog of War proves unable to move beyond the cul-de-sac of (limited) regret on the part of McNamara, and a reminder to its viewers of their own powerlessness, against the apparatus of war, and against time.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Studies in Documentary Film

ISSN

1750-3280

Publisher

Intellect

Issue

1

Volume

6

Page range

29-42

Department affiliated with

  • Media and Film Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2013-09-26

Usage metrics

    University of Sussex (Publications)

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC