A fascinating new film is being released today — Gunner Palace. It documents what the troops over there see and do, and lets them tell their own story. I haven’t seen the film yet, but I did read an intriguing article and watch a great clip on FilmForce here.
Filmforce reports:
The film reveals the complex realities of the situation as told first-hand by our troops. It’s billed as “a portrait of a dangerous and chaotic war that is personal, highly emotional, sometimes disturbing, surprisingly amusing… and thoroughly fascinating.” If that sounds like your cup of tea, then check out an exclusive clip that’s been provided to us below.
Filmmaker Michael Tucker, who lived with 2/3 Field Artillery, a.k.a. “The Gunners” for two months, captures the lives and humanity of these soldiers whose barracks are the bombed-out pleasure palace of Uday Hussein (nicknamed Gunner Palace), situated in the heart of the most volatile section of Baghdad. With total access to all operations and activities, Tucker’s insider footage provides a rare look at the day-to-day lives of these soldiers on the ground – whether swimming in Uday’s pool and playing golf on his putting green or executing raids on suspected terrorists, enduring roadside bombs, mortar attacks, RPGs and snipers.
Click on the above link to see a clip. You can also click here and here (look in the New This Week column and click on Gunner Palace).
I intend to see it. It appears to be like a chronicle of what goes on in the field with a minimum of political pontification — more in the style of a classic TV documentary. See it before it gets enmeshed in polarization (before people on the right suggest you must see it as a way of showing you support the troops and people on the left call it military propaganda) and make your OWN judgement.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.