Peace and War: Films

This look at the WWII battle of Guadalcanal juxtaposes the battle of the American infantrymen with the experience of the native inhabitants. It is a poem of a war movie.

One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari Folman about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there's a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties. Ari is surprised that he can't remember a thing anymore about that period of his life. Interviewing past colleagues and acquaintances, Ari begins to uncover the horrific demons of his past, and his terrible memories start to creep back.

In every American conflict from the Revolution to the Persian Gulf War, American military men and women have captured the horror, pathos and intensity of battle by writing letters home. Collecting 50,000 war letters, using the most compelling and enlightening of the missives and newly discovered home movies, this tells the story of American wars from the viewpoint of the men and women on the frontlines and those who waited at home.

Banned in China, Jiang Wen's ravishingly photographed anti-war epic is set in 1945 in Japanese-occupied rural China where a peasant is forced to shelter two prisoners: one Japanese who wants to die, and his Chinese interpreter who wants to live. From cover - Chinese or Japanese language with optional English subtitles.

Sixty-one years ago, the United States and Japanese armies met on Iwo Jima. Decades later, hundreds of letters are unearthed from that stark island's soil. The letters give faces and voices to the men who fought there, as well as the extraordinary general who led them. From cover

This powerful and original film exposes the tragedy taking place in Darfur as seen through the eyes of an American witness, former U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle, who has since returned to the U.S. to take action to stop it. From cover

The filmmakers examine a country where death squad leaders are celebrated as heroes, challenging them to reenact their real-life mass-killings in the style of the American movies they love. On cover

Former CIA agent and terrorism expert Robert Baer tracks the history of suicide bombers from their origin in the Iran-Iraq war to their growing predominance in the post-9/11 world. From cover

Uncovers the connections between private corporations making a killing in Iraq and the decision makers who allow them to do so. Official website.

An analysis of the devastating aftermaths of war: in Oranienburg, Germany… in Guatemala… in Mozambique...in Uganda and Sudan… in Kosovo, where surviving refugees must deal with the legacy of war. From cover

An investigation into the introduction of torture as an interrogation technique in U.S. facilities, and the role played by key figures of the Bush Administration in the process. Takes an in-depth look at the case of Afghan taxi driver Dilawar, who was suddenly detained by the U.S. military one afternoon and died in his Bagram prison cell five days later. From copy

James Nachtwey has been very close to the subjects he photographs and has been that way for over 20 years - a time period in which he has not missed a single war. Follow as James goes from Kosovo to the West Bank to Indonesia as he searches for pictures he can publish. This committed, shy man, is considered one of the bravest and most important war photographers of our time. From cover

In August 1945, the world was transformed in the blink of an eye when American forces dropped atomic bombs…Contains archival footage and stunning photography. From cover

A compilation of archival film clips beginning with the first atomic bomb detonation in the New Mexico desert. The footage, much of it produced as government propaganda, follows the story of the bomb through the two atomic attacks on Japan that ended World War II to the bomb's central role in the cold war. From cover

The story of the final months of World War II. While war rages in the Pacific, newly installed President Truman and his chiefs of staff wrestle with the unprecedented moral question of whether to drop the atomic bomb, and Emperor Hirohito and his proud Samurai generals face the moral dilemma of whether to surrender or fight on to the end. - A Canada/Japan co-production.

Discover the story of a nation at war from rare color films, plus letters and diaries from those who lived through it. Much of this material has been recently discovered and allows the viewer to experience Japan and its culture from a new perspective. From cover

A depiction of the transformative and uplifting potential of music and dance in the lives of children. Dominic, Rose, and Nancy are three children of the Acholi tribe, living in the war zone displacement camp in Patongo, Uganda. As war refugees, their families have been decimated, their homes lost, and they have been burdened with vivid memories of violence. However, the children are at least able to attend a camp school that offers them inspiration, as they participate in music, song and performance. From Publisher

Summary: Challenges the conventional wisdom that war and peace are men's domain and reveals the central role of women in the quest for peace and justice in modern warfare. From cover

Filmed over three tumultuous years in India, Pakistan, Japan and the United States, after the 1998 nuclear tests on the Indian subcontinent. This film documents the contemporary, epic journey of peace activism in the face of religious militarism and war. From cover - In Hindu, Urdu and Japanese with English narration and subtitles.

A story of one man's attempts to persuade the global community via the United Nations to officially sanction a global ceasefire day; a day of non-violence; a day of Peace. From copy

The untold human story of men and women who resist being annihilated in the current global conflict ... weaves together the images and voices of the war on the ground - from the front lines of struggles in Mexico, Argentina, South Africa, Palestine, Korea, 'the North' from Seattle to Genova, and the 'War on Terror' in New York and Iraq. From cover

Bill Moyers speaks with Kingston about her book Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace, an anthology. From cover

In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a high-level Pentagon official and Vietnam War strategist, concludes that the war is based on decades of lies and leaks 7,000 pages of top secret documents to the New York Times, making headlines around the world. From cover

Linguist, intellect, and activist Noam Chomsky discusses and reflects on the state of the world including the War in Iraq, September 11th, the War on Terror, media manipulation and control, social activism, fear, American foreign policy, and more. From cover

Documentary about a group of brave and visionary women who demanded peace for Liberia, a nation torn to shreds by a bloody civil war, violent warlords and a corrupt Charles Taylor regime. From cover

Those who refuse to kill are punished, jailed and sometimes killed. In spite of that, there is a growing movement of refuseniks who are supported by their loved-ones and others whose beliefs are documented in this video. From cover

Following the invasion of Iraq, Kofi Annan asked Sergio Vieira de Mello, the most skilled mediator at the UN, to be his envoy in Baghdad. accomplish the impossible... Traveling to four continents and featuring the stories and reminiscences of colleagues and luminaries whose lives he touched, this is the documentary of an extraordinary diplomat. From container

In this film made over ten years, filmmaker Barbara Sonneborn took a pilgrimage to the Vietnamese countryside where her husband died. She and translator (and fellow war widow) Xuan Ngoc Nguyen explore the meaning of war and loss on a human level. The film weaves interviews with Vietnamese and American widows into a vivid testament to the legacy of war.

The Good Soldier follows the journeys of five combat veterans from different generations of American wars as they sign up, go into battle, and eventually change their minds about what it means to be a good soldier. From cover

Follows U.S. Marines Sergeant Nathan Harris from combat behind enemy lines in southern Afghanistan to his return home to a difficult adjustment to civilian life after being wounded. From cover

Documents the stories of American men and women who heeded the call for military service in Afghanistan and Iraq and the challenges they faced upon their return home. From cover

The story of America as seen through the eyes of the former Secretary of Defense, under President Kennedy and President Johnson, Robert S. McNamara… He offers new and often surprising insights into the 1945 bombing of Tokyo, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the effects of the Vietnam War. From cover

This film paints a startling picture of the extent of the problem of rape in the U.S. military. .. The film follows the stories of several idealistic young servicewomen who were raped and then betrayed by their own officers when they courageously came forward to report beyond the battlefield." From the cover

Explores a half-century of U.S. foreign policy from World War II to the Iraq War, revealing how, as Dwight Eisenhower had warned in his 1961 Farewell Address, political and corporate interests have become alarmingly entangled in the business of war. From cover