Film: DVD Reviews
'Fog of War' extras delve deeper into McNamara's mind
By John DeForeMay 20, 2004
'Fog of War'
($26.96, Columbia Tristar)
(movie)
(DVD format and extras)
Errol Morris' Academy Award-winning documentary "The Fog of War" could have hit DVD a year ago -- or next month -- and still be called timely. But its arrival now, as Americans marvel at the discrepancy between our idea of ourselves and the grotesque physical acts seen by other nations, makes the timing almost uncanny.
The film is not merely a comment on current events, though. Its insights arrive on multiple levels, from the macro to the micro: As a meditation on the messy realities inherent in any war, it demonstrates how even the highest principles can bear evil fruit. As a history lesson, it offers an irreplaceable perspective on some of the most important moments in the second half of the 20th century. And as a psychological study of a single man, it shows youthful arrogance aging into a kind of humility -- and, between the lines, illustrates the ways that even a sincerely remorseful man can remain blind to the breadth of his faults.
Two remarkable bonus features make this disc important even for those who have already seen the film. While "Fog" was promoted theatrically as "Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara," those lessons were drawn by the filmmaker, not the subject. Here, McNamara himself pens 10 lessons, some as demanding as the stone-carved decalogue brought down by Moses -- but all cogent, humane and well worth heeding.
The real DVD bonanza is the extra footage: 24 segments totaling 37 minutes. At just over a third of the film's theatrical running time, this material is less than a sequel but more than a supplement. The clips are missing the atmospheric finishing touches that make the movie seamless, but they are only inches away from that state -- they're tightly edited, illustrated with the same sort of stock footage and cutaways that characterize the feature, and awash in Philip Glass' brooding score.
Here we find fascinating anecdotes that amplify the film's messages. We hear amusing tales of the early Ford Motor Company's accounting ineptitude, see a side of McNamara's home life (through a poignant story about his wife's accomplishments) that is missing from the movie, and hear the subject making his case for Woodrow Wilson's prescience.
We also get closer to the bone, with McNamara making insinuations about Vietnam that he can't quite bring himself to utter on the record. The lure of evasiveness -- even for an octogenarian more than three decades distant from the White House -- may be the most important lesson McNamara's life can teach us about the leaders who carry us to war.
'Smallville -- The Complete Second Season'
($59.98, Warner Home Video) (TV show) (DVD format and extras)
In its second season on the WB, the Superman-as-teenager drama "Smallville" continued exploring the trials and tribulations of Clark Kent, a mopey teen endowed with Kryptonian superpowers.
The show, which in its Kansas cornfed earnestness has never quite reached the tart mythology of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," is still very engaging in its second season, as Clark discovers new abilities and his friendship with future baddie Lex Luthor grows increasingly complex. The show hits an all-time high note with "Rosetta," a gripping hour of TV that delivers on the much-hyped appearance of Christopher Reeve as a mysterious genius hoping to help the future superhero.
Extras on the attractively packaged six-disc, 23-episode set include dual commentary tracks on two of the episodes: On one track, the show's creators talk about the challenges of delivering a special effects-heavy show with the budget and time constraints of episodic TV. More fun is a track featuring actors from the show; Michael Rosenbaum, who plays Lex with intense charm, is most fun to listen to, even as he downplays fans' persistent speculations that Lex and Clark are, ahem, a little more than friends and future enemies.
An FX documentary, a glowing tribute to Reeve, gag reels, deleted scenes and previously Web-only "Chloe Chronicles" short films round out the set for a show that still struggles to find its footing, but that is blessed with a talented, attractive cast and a rich mythos from which to draw.
-- Omar L. Gallaga
Also out on DVD this week: 'Sex and the City -- Season Six, Part 1,' 'Walt Disney Treasures,' 'Miracle,' 'Around the World in 80 Days (Two-disc Special Edition),' 'Angel Heart (Special Edition),' 'Paycheck,' 'Prime Suspect 6 -- Last Witness,' 'You Got Served,' 'The Tin Drum -- Criterion Collection.'
