Search - The Trials of Henry Kissinger on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Movie Release: 2002 DVD Release: 08/19/2003 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 20 mins Studio: First Run Features Members Wishing: 0 Genres: History, Biography, Politics & Government

This incisive documentary offers a sobering portrait of statesman Henry Kissinger, quite possibly the most powerful and influential diplomat in U.S. government in the latter half of the 20th century. Based on the book of nearly the same name by journalist and critic Christopher Hitchens (the slender volume goes with the singularized -Trial), the movie takes on the form of a legal argument, bringing forward case studies that aim to illuminate Hitchens' claims against Kissinger. Among the significant events in Kissinger's career that the movie tackles are his purported secret diplomacy during the 1968 peace talks to end the Vietnam War, the secret bombing of Cambodia in the early '70s without congressional authorization, and an alleged U.S.-backed plot to overthrow the leftist government of Chilean leader Salvador Allende. The movie features numerous interviews with legal experts, journalists, and high-ranking diplomats, such as Alexander Haig, Walter Isaacson, Roger Morris, and Hitchens himself; predictably, Kissinger did not participate in the making of the picture. ~ Elbert Ventura, All Movie Guide

Christopher Hitchens
William Safire
Alexander Haig
Gen. Brent Scowcroft
Seymour Hersch

Eugene Jarecki's 2002 political documentary The Trials of Henry Kissinger comes to DVD from First Run Features. Presented with a widescreen anamorphic transfer and Dolby Digital Sound in English. Special features include the featurette "Sundance After Effect," along with filmmaker interviews, audio commentary, trailers, and photo galleries. This is a completely adequate DVD for a confrontational film that received a modest theatrical release. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide