Standard Operating Procedure (film)
Encyclopedia
Standard Operating Procedure is a 2008
documentary film
which explores the meaning of the photographs taken by U.S. military police
at the Abu Ghraib prison
in late 2003, the content of which revealed the torture and abuse of its prisoners
by U.S. soldiers and subsequently resulted in a public scandal. The film was directed by Errol Morris
.
Commenting on the relationship of his film to the notorious photographs, Morris has said his intent was “…not to say that these 'bad apples' were blameless… but... to say that they were scapegoats. It was easy to blame them because, after all, they were in the photographs.... Photographs don’t tell us who the real culprits might be… They can also serve as a coverup, they can misdirect us… Photographs reveal and conceal, serve as [both] exposé and coverup”.
named it the 4th best film of 2008, J.R. Jones of the Chicago Reader named it the 7th best film of 2008, and Kenneth Turan
of Los Angeles Times
named it the 8th best film of 2008 (in a six-way tie).
During the Berlinale 2008 it received the "Jury Grand Prix - Silver Bear"
. In a private interview during the Tribeca Film Festival
, Morris said: "If I had not paid them, they would not be interviewed."
composed the film score for Standard Operating Procedure. The soundtrack is much different from Elfman's other scores as it includes electronics
and distortion.
2008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
which explores the meaning of the photographs taken by U.S. military police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
at the Abu Ghraib prison
Abu Ghraib prison
The Baghdad Central Prison, formerly known as Abu Ghraib prison is in Abu Ghraib, an Iraqi city 32 km west of Baghdad. It was built by British contractors in the 1950s....
in late 2003, the content of which revealed the torture and abuse of its prisoners
Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
Beginning in 2004, human rights violations in the form of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq came to public attention...
by U.S. soldiers and subsequently resulted in a public scandal. The film was directed by Errol Morris
Errol Morris
Errol Mark Morris is an American director. In 2003, The Guardian put him seventh in its list of the world's 40 best directors. Also in 2003, his film The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Early life and...
.
Commenting on the relationship of his film to the notorious photographs, Morris has said his intent was “…not to say that these 'bad apples' were blameless… but... to say that they were scapegoats. It was easy to blame them because, after all, they were in the photographs.... Photographs don’t tell us who the real culprits might be… They can also serve as a coverup, they can misdirect us… Photographs reveal and conceal, serve as [both] exposé and coverup”.
Synopsis
An examination of the intended consequences of the Iraqi war with a focus on events at Abu Ghraib prison which began to appear in global media in 2004. The prison quickly became notorious for the photos of the abuse of terror suspects, their children, and innocent civilians by military men and women.Interviewed
- Janis KarpinskiJanis KarpinskiJanis Leigh Karpinski is a central figure in the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal.Karpinski retired as a colonel in the US Army Reserve. She was demoted from Brigadier General in the aftermath of the Abu Ghraib scandal for dereliction of duty, making a material misrepresentation to...
, Brigadier GeneralBrigadier general (United States)A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
, 800th MP BrigadeMilitary policeMilitary police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:... - Tim Dugan, Civilian interrogator, CACICACICACI International Inc is a professional services and information technology company headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. CACI is a member of the Fortune 1000 Largest Companies and the Russell 2000 index. The company has approximately 13,700 employees in over 120 offices in the U.S. and...
Corps - Sabrina Harman, SergeantSergeantSergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
, Military PoliceMilitary policeMilitary police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:... - Lynndie EnglandLynndie EnglandLynndie Rana England is a former United States Army reservist who served in the 372nd Military Police Company. She was one of eleven military personnel convicted in 2005 by Army courts-martial in connection with the torture and prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad during the occupation...
, Private First ClassPrivate First ClassPrivate First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...
, MP - Javal Davis, Sergeant, MP
- Megan Ambuhl GranerMegan AmbuhlMegan M. Ambuhl is a former United States Army reservist and member of the 372nd Military Police Company who was convicted in court-martial in connection with the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse.-Life and career:Ambuhl was born in Centreville, Virginia...
, SpecialistSpecialist (rank)Specialist is one of the four junior enlisted ranks in the U.S. Army, just above Private First Class and equivalent in pay grade to Corporal. Unlike Corporals, Specialists are not considered junior non-commissioned officers...
, MP - Jeremy SivitsJeremy SivitsJeremy C. Sivits is a former U.S. Army reservist, one of several soldiers charged and convicted by the U.S. Army in connection with the 2003-2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal in Baghdad, Iraq during and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq...
, Specialist, MP - Brent Pack, Army Special Agent, CIDU.S. Army Criminal Investigation CommandUnited States Army Criminal Investigation Command investigates felony crimes and serious violations of military law within the United States Army...
- Ken Davis, Sergeant, MP
- Tony Diaz, Sergeant, MP
- Jeffrey Frost, Specialist, MP
- Roman Krol, Specialist, Military Intelligence
In photographs
- Charles GranerCharles GranerCharles A. Graner, Jr., is a former U.S. Army reservist who was convicted of prisoner abuse in connection with the 2003–2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal...
- Ivan FrederickIvan FrederickIvan Frederick II , called Chip Frederick, of Buckingham County, Virginia, is a former Staff Sergeant in the United States Army. He was the highest in rank of the seven U.S. military police personnel who have been charged with torturing prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, all of whom were...
- Manadel al-JamadiManadel al-JamadiManadel al-Jamadi was an Iraqi prisoner who died in United States custody during interrogation at Abu Ghraib Prison on November 4, 2003. His name became known in 2004 when the Abu Ghraib scandal made news; his corpse packed in ice was the background for widely-reprinted photographs of grinning...
(Died during CIA interrogation) - Satar Jabar
Re-enactors
- Christopher Bradley
- Sarah Denning
- Joshua Feinman
- Alim KoulievAlim KoulievAlim Kaisynovich Kouliev is a Russian-American actor and director. Kouliev was born in Nalchik — a small city in USSR. His father was the Balkar poet Kaisyn Kuliev. His elder brother Eldar Kuliev is a Russian film director and a screenwriter, living in Moscow. His younger brother Azamat Kuliev...
Critical reception
The film appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. Scott Tobias of The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
named it the 4th best film of 2008, J.R. Jones of the Chicago Reader named it the 7th best film of 2008, and Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan is an American film critic and Lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California.-Background:...
of Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
named it the 8th best film of 2008 (in a six-way tie).
During the Berlinale 2008 it received the "Jury Grand Prix - Silver Bear"
Controversy
Morris's practice of compensating his interview subjects has caused controversy, although it is not an unusual practice in documentary filmmaking, according to the producer Diane Weyermann, who also worked on An Inconvenient TruthAn Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about global warming via a comprehensive slide show that, by his own estimate, he has given more than a thousand times.Premiering at the...
. In a private interview during the Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
, Morris said: "If I had not paid them, they would not be interviewed."
Soundtrack
Danny ElfmanDanny Elfman
Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman is an American composer, best known for scoring music for television and film. Up until 1995, he was the lead singer and songwriter in the rock band Oingo Boingo, a group he formed in 1976...
composed the film score for Standard Operating Procedure. The soundtrack is much different from Elfman's other scores as it includes electronics
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
and distortion.
Track listing
- "S.O.P. Theme #1: Standard Operating Procedure" – 5:56
- "The Infamous Pyramid" – 3:48
- "Photos" – 2:56
- "The Shooter" – 3:26
- "Dogs" – 3:42
- "The Wolf" – 1:11
- "Saddam’s Egg" – 3:30
- "Main Titles: Vacation in Iraq" – 2:07
- "S.O.P. Theme #2: Amnesty" – 1:33
- "What Is Going on Here?" – 2:32
- "Gilligan" – 3:02
- "Story of the Ants" – 3:36
- "The Table Breaker" – 1:00
- "S.O.P. Theme #3: Feelings & Facts" – 5:26
- "Unusual, Weird & Wrong" – 2:32
- "A Bad Feeling" – 2:22
- "Birdies" – 1:38
- "S.O.P. End Credits" – 1:26
- "Oli’s Lullaby" – 2:00
See also
- 372nd Military Police Company, the MP unit assigned to Abu Ghraib
- Taxi to the Dark SideTaxi to the Dark SideTaxi to the Dark Side is a 2007 documentary film directed by American filmmaker Alex Gibney, and produced by Eva Orner and Susannah Shipman, which won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature...
- Torturing DemocracyTorturing DemocracyTorturing Democracy is a 2008 documentary film produced by Washington Media Associates and narrated by Peter Coyote. The film details the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques," including waterboarding, by the Bush administration in the "War on Terror". The documentary includes interviews from...
External links
- EyeForFilm.co.uk - Tribeca Film Festival Q&A with Errol Morris about the film
- Walker Art Center Q&A with Errol Morris about the film
- Berlinale 2008