The full title of the documentary is “The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons From the Life of Robert S. McNamara,” referring to 11 lessons inferred by filmmaker Morris. As a bonus material, the DVD presents in text form 10 lessons prepared by McNamara, the most thought-provoking of which to me is Lesson 8: “We should build a system of jurisprudence based on the International Court … which would hold individuals responsible for crimes against humanity.”
The best DVD special feature, however, consists of 24 additional scenes that run a total of 38 minutes. I can understand why these scenes were cut, but I found them extremely worthwhile, especially the ones dealing with McNamara’s time at the World Bank and with his wife.
“The Fog of War” is dense and intellectually challenging, and if you have even a passing interest in 20th-century American history, you’ll want to watch it multiple times. Also, the DVD special features considerably enhance the experience of watching the documentary. If you like this kind of material, this is a DVD I think you’ll want to buy, rather than rent.
DVD Details:
- Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1), Color
- Feature Run Time: 1 Hour 47 Minutes
- MPAA Rating: PG-13 for Images and Thematic Issues of War and Destruction
- English 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Spanish Subtitles
- French Subtitles
- Portuguese Subtitles
- Japanese Subtitles
- Additional Scenes (24)
- Robert S. McNamara’s 10 Lessons From His Life in Politics
- TV Spots (2)
- Previews (3)
