Control Room (2004)

Documentary

1 hr. 23 min.

Documentary directed by Jehane Noujaim (Startup.com) looks at the international perception of the Iraq war, specifically focusing on the coverage of Al Jazeera.

Not Rated

Directed by: Jehane Noujaim

Starring: Donald Rumsfeld, Tom Mintier, various other correspondents

Theatrical Release Date: 5/21/2004

Release Type: NY

U.S. Box Office: $2,586,511

Video/DVD Release Date: 10/26/2004

Distributor: Magnolia Pictures

Country:

Language: Arabic / English

Offsite: IMDB | Official Site

CRITIC	RATING	QUOTE
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert	7	...an enlightening documentary about how the U.S. networks and the Arab satellite news channel Al Jazeera covered the early days of the war in Iraq.
Chicago Tribune Mark Caro	7	What Noujaim does show is the side rarely seen over here, and she does so in a way that's brisk, informative and even entertaining in its own wrenching way.
E!	9	...essential viewing for anyone who cares about the nature of propaganda.
New York Post Megan Lehmann	7	An engrossing doc.
TV Guide Ken Fox	8	If any film can be considered required viewing as the conflict in Iraq continues to drag on and be reported, surely this among them.
Reel Tim Knight	7	...a fascinating, even-handed documentary...
Slant Magazine Keith Uhlich	6	...undeniable success as drama in addition to its general failure as documentary.
Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum	6	...an anxiety-provoking documentary about how the light of truth shifts when filtered through a screen of nationalism...
New York Times A. O. Scott	8	...you are likely to emerge from Control Room touched, exhilarated and a little off-balance, with your certainties scrambled and your assumptions shaken.
Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan	9	...viewers of this remarkable documentary will be disconcerted by a glimpse of a world where everything is reversed, where our most cherished preconceptions are called into question and reality proves to be a more complex business than we imagined.
People Leah Rosen	7	...a facinating documentary...
LA Weekly Brendan Bernhard	7	...as a portrait of the media's own Iraq war, this is a memorable, if not fully satisfying, film.
Village Voice J. Hoberman	9	...absorbing, significant, and shamelessly entertaining...
Onion AV Club Nathan Rabin	9	...a remarkable and timely film...

WATCH THE TRAILER

This movie is available on DVD/Video

ALL AVERAGE CRITIC RATING	7.6
AVERAGE USER RATING (5 ratings)	8.4

USER REVIEWS:

stevilbot 9

i was very surprised by how much i really appreciated this movie. it's not for those easily grossed out. but it does provide a better insight into the middle eastern perspective and what's making the al jazeera network tick.

the current administration (notably rumsfeld) would have you believe that these folks are simply the mouthpiece of terrorists. the reality is much more complicated than the rumsfeld sound bites.

highly recommended. it's going to make you think about how our american media and the government is structuring the message they want you to hear.

madmitch 8

Well done. It was interesting to see the flipside to some of the nonsense we saw on MSM and shocking to see, and recall, what appeared to be blatant targeting of Arab press.

wynns 8

A good reminder that any media you're watching is put through some sort of filter. I wish they would have had more "gotcha" moments where it was obvious that the message that the MSM was putting out was impossible (a commander who was reported to have surrendered by MSM was live on Al Jazeera... not surrendered.)

The main point I took away is that war is hell, and reporting honestly about it makes very few people happy. Nobody likes facing up to the blood and guts of wartime images.