Gunner Palace DVD
by Michael Tucker (III), Petra Epperlein
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bryant Davis, Devon Dixon, Nick Moncrief, Richmond Shaw, Terry Taylor (VII)Director: Michael Tucker (III), Petra Epperlein
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 87 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-06-28
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sunset Home Visual Entertainment (SHE) / Palm Pictures
Movie Reviews of Gunner Palace DVD
Movie Review: Hours of Boredom
Summary: 4 Stars
War has been described as "hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror" but nothing much happens in this documentary. I assume the producer had only limited time, maybe 3-4 days, to shadow the troops he was filming and during that time, essentially, nothing happened. The titles on-screen tell us that a couple weeks later so-and-so was killed, and across town an IED exploded, but on-camera all we get is the daily routine of these fresh-faced high-school kids, 19- and 20-years old, going out on patrols in their Humvees.
During the day they're holed up in Uday Hussein's old palace (not a very good image for U.S. troops), while at night they careen through Baghdad streets blasting "The Ride of the Valkyries" from the stereo (a la "Apocalypse Now" - even worse publicity). They raid the homes of suspected "bad guys" (from what intelligence we're not told, but their raids mostly come up empty), banging down doors in the dead of night and shouting incoherent instructions in English to the terrified families in their beds. Meanwhile Donald Rumsfeld drones on and on in radio broadcasts about progress being made in "winning the war."
One wonders what war he's talking about.
Summary of Gunner Palace DVD
Genre: Education/General Interest, War, Documentary, Theatrical Release, Soldiers, Military (Usa), Weapons, Saddam Hussein Director: Mike Tucker Description: In this striking documentary shot in 2003, early on in the US-led war on Iraq, a group of American soldiers in Baghdad who have taken over a bombed-out palace that belonged to Uday Hussein, the son of Saddam Hussein, offer the camera a view on their world. While they party poolside for most of the day and lead raids on homes of suspected bomb-builders most nights, they also have a lot to say about the war and their situation. Rapping to each other or to the camera, they use rhyme to speak their minds about various aspects of the war, their day-to-day duties, and life in Iraq. Their youth and immaturity is striking, as is the war itself and the nebulous reasons that they are stationed there. While the primary purpose of GUNNER PALACE is to give the perspective of the soldiers, secondarily viewers get a glimpse of Iraqi civilians and how they react to the US military presence--some are terrified, others are skeptical, still others are compliant and grateful if not totally sure why. However, giving voice to the soldiers remains the film's major theme, and for this reason, filmmakers Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein appealed the original R-rating given to the film by the MPAA, and won. With a PG-13 rating, filmmakers explained, teenagers considering military careers can watch the film and benefit from seeing soldiers in combat and hearing them talk about what it's like. Release Notes: DVD Features: Region (unknown) Audio: Stereo 2.0 Surround Sound 5.1 Additional Release Material: Deleted Scenes U.S. Theatrical Trailer DVD Rom Features: WeblinksGunner Palace may well prove to be the emblematic film of the Iraq war, offering a yet-to-be rivaled level of intimacy with the inner lives of those who hate war more than anyone--the soldiers who have to fight it. A war documentary seemingly without an agenda, at least in political terms, it appears to neither support left-wing nor right-wing interpretations of the Iraq war (or perhaps it supports both). Director Michael Tucker provides a ground-level view of the conflict by closely following members of the 2/3 Field Artillery. He lived with these soldiers, documented their daily lives in a bombed-out former pleasure palace once belonging to Uday Hussein, accompanied them on raids, and recorded their brutally honest observations on film. We learn that mortar attacks typically fail to rattle the troops, but that paper bags or packages in the streets that may contain Improvised Explosive Devices evoke gut-churning anxiety. We see Iraqi civilians whose homes are raided, cowering with fear as these members of the occupation search for contraband weapons. We meet soldiers who express profound doubts about the morality of their mission, soldiers who earnestly hope they're helping the people of Iraq, soldiers who roll on the ground with laughter at the ineffective armor they've been provided for their Humvees. Most of these men (and occasionally women) hail from small towns and vacillate between exaltation for the adventure they're experiencing on the world stage and deep confusion and disillusionment at how it's proceeding. At one point in the documentary, Tucker returns to his home in the states; some footage of him making breakfast in his kitchen is shocking when one considers that only twelve hours previous he was in a war zone. Gunner Palace recapitulates this dissonant sensation by virtue of its candor and proximity to the conflict. In the 1970s the major broadcast media brought Vietnam into our living rooms via the nightly news. Gunner Palace, practically by itself, provides the same service today. --Ryan Boudinot
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