The new documentary Why We Fight has a great website first of all, check it out:
http://www.sonyclassics.com/whywefight
It has clips from the film and will give you a sense of the piece. I saw it yesterday and it knocked my socks off. I can’t believe Sony has been sitting on this since last January when it won awards at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
Why We Fight starts off with the farewell speech given by President Dwight Eisenhower warning Americans that the growing military-industrial complex was something that needed to be seriously monitored. This is very important coming from a 5-star general who had become president. The thesis of the piece is that what he warned us against has indeed happened and has been facilitated by both political parties.
There are a wonderful array of talking heads including Gore Vidal and the most heinous Richard Perle who talk about why the US has fought in the past 50 years. It is a devastating look at the country and especially at the M-I complex and how it is now one giant and corrupt problem for the world. The director Eugene Jarecki (The Trials of Henry Kissinger) has done a brilliant job combining historical footage and talking head pieces to flesh out his thesis. There isn’t a slack moment in this entire documentary. I heartily recommend you check it out, it’s playing in LA and NYC now and will expand nationwide on February 20th.
I also recommend reading this interview with the director at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/storyville/eugene-jarecki.shtml