The Review - PICK OF THE INDIES Published: 17 July 2008
Pick of the Indies
QUITE what was going through the mind of GI Lynndie England as she posed grinning for photographs in front of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners as they suffered terrible abuse will never truly be known.
The pictures taken by soldiers at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison caused outrage around the world and asked important questions in America about the morality of their conduct during the war.
Yet, as the recent film Taxi To The Darkside asked, was this abuse caused by a few soldiers breaking the rules or was it symptomatic of failings in the conduct of the US as a whole?
Documentary-maker Errol Morris speaks to the soldiers involved and has even managed to interview England and other soldiers who were involved. Their testimonies are both fascinating and vile, and raise questions about individual responsibility, the need for collective action in military situations and whether they, or the entire war effort, is to blame for such behaviour.
The film will be screened this week at the Curzon Soho in Shaftesbury Avenue. Call 0871 703 3988.
I hear that there is to be a free screening at the Parkway Odeon of the new Shane Meadows film Somers Town. It tells the story of two boys who come to the area via St Pancras station, and includes a question and answer session with producer Barnaby Spurrier and actor Perry Benson. The film will be screened on July 29 at 7pm.