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Leave for your thoughts about the HBO Films miniseries HOUSE OF SADDAM.
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Posts:
943
Registered:
1/17/08
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(43 of 43)
Jan 3, 2009 12:51 PM
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True, Saddam is the last person on earth who should be 'glamorized.'
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Posts:
1
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1/1/09
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(42 of 43)
Jan 1, 2009 11:41 PM
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I wish they would have shown or talked about more of the horrible things that Saddam had done. Instead they showed the US Military being harsh and arresting and beating what seemed like every man in the country.
The movie was shot in a way that made you want to watch it to the end but kind of glamorized Saddam and made you feel sorry for a horrible killer. I just wish that both sides of the story would have been told. If this really was a movie through his eyes they should have shown him commanding his army to do the brutal things that they did.
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943
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1/17/08
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(41 of 43)
Dec 29, 2008 12:12 PM
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Posts:
25
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4/14/08
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(40 of 43)
Dec 27, 2008 12:50 PM
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> Happy Day After!
that's what Saddam said
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943
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1/17/08
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(39 of 43)
Dec 26, 2008 12:44 PM
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Happy Day After! I hope everyone had a good holiday!
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2
Registered:
12/21/08
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(38 of 43)
Dec 21, 2008 3:57 PM
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Thank you HBO/BBC for continuing to make compelling stuff like this. I enjoyed the House of Saddam even though it was not perfect. The actress who played his first wife was great man, she showed show much pain through her acting.
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Posts:
1
Registered:
12/19/08
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(37 of 43)
Dec 19, 2008 9:33 AM
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the story was well done, but there existed some serious flaws regarding the technical issues, specifically the military action scenes. The scene where saddam's sons are engaged in a gun battle with US troops was so poorly done that i had to stop watching the film. The weapons being used by the US troops were antiques; M16A1 rifles used during the Vietnam era. The weapons actually being used by the 101st in 2003 were M16A2 and M4 carbines. The camoflauge on the US Hummers was way off as well. I found these two issues as well as several others to be a significant disregard for attention to detail. I was an infantry squad leader in Iraq in 2004 and I did not see a single M16A1 throughout my entire tour. Interesting, but technically flawed film.
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Posts:
1
Registered:
12/18/08
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(36 of 43)
Dec 18, 2008 2:54 PM
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I watched this HBO miniseries this week, and I thought it was done very well. The actors' performances were excellent.
However, in my view, the full extent of Uday's ruthlessness was not explored and portrayed in this miniseries.
For example, Uday was known to rape brides on their wedding day (one groom then shot himself that very day).
Also, Uday was known to rape girls as young as 12 years of age. If their fathers protested, Uday threatened their very lives. In addition, Uday was known to prowl Iraqi streets in search of women. When he saw a woman he liked, he would shoot her male companion, and then kidnap the female.
Furthermore, Uday was notorious for torturing Iraqi soccer players who lost games and anyone who he considered a foe.
After viewing this miniseries, it certainly puts things in proper perspective. The liberal media and "Bush haters" like to forget the mass graves and the countless innocent victims who were brutally raped and murdered by Hussein and his henchmen.
History will smile on President Bush's decision to liberate the Iraqi people from this ruthless murderer.
Nevertheless, HBO's "House of Saddam" was done quite well, and I enjoyed it very much.
--
Edited by thowen at 12/18/2008 11:58 AM PST
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Edited by thowen at 12/18/2008 12:01 PM PST
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Edited by thowen at 12/18/2008 12:02 PM PST
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Posts:
1
Registered:
12/16/08
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(35 of 43)
Dec 16, 2008 3:54 PM
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I finished watching this MiniSeries at three this morning. This is one of the best shows I've seen this year. Igal Naor was mesmerizing as Saddam. Some people have problems with the events depicted, but the show was from "Saddam's" point of view. There was no judgment, just a portrait of a man who embodied the caution that "absolute power corrupts absolutely". We didn't need the typical American jingoistic, flag-waving, my-way-or-the-highwayPOV that we've been subjected to and hood-winked by for the last eight years. As a minority, I can finally understand why a people rebel after having the boot of an oppressor on their neck for so long, even if I disagree with their methods. BTW, how would you like it if your dead sons were displayed on the cover of a magazine for people to crow over? Kudos to the writers and producers for trying to humanize this Dictator. Even Hitler had a dog!
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Posts:
1
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12/15/08
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(34 of 43)
Dec 15, 2008 3:43 PM
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My wife and I watched all four hours last night and were basically very disappointed. Technically, it was an excellent production - the sets, scenery, and acting performances were first rate. However, I came away with the distinct impression that the screenplay was written by a right-wing Republican, perhaps even one of the Bush brothers. I say this not so much for what was included, but for what was left out; very little mention of US positions/actions during the Iraq-Iran War; nothing at all about Rumsfeld's love-fest visit to Saddam; slight mention of Bush 41 urging the Shia in the south of Iraq to revolt, but nothing at all about his leaving them hanging out there to be slaughtered by Saddam; nothing really critical about Bush 43. I realize that the story is about Saddam Hussein, and the monster side of him is well prtrayed, but without a lot more context it does not present a balanced and accurate picture. Let me end by saying that any film about Saddam, and any forum about such film, that does not include some "Bush bashing" is simply dishonest.
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Posts:
1
Registered:
12/15/08
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(33 of 43)
Dec 15, 2008 12:41 PM
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Gentlemen,
Thank you for producing and airing the miniseries ?House of Saddam?. I am a retired Naval Officer (Navy Captain) who has spent the best of the last four years in the Middle East, most of which involved in combat operations. My greatest shock and issues that torment me every night were that the Iraqis that I fought against were humans like us, people that had wives, children, parents? I left after the official combat operations were over, not before seeing the damage and the loss of lives our air offensive had caused.
Upon my return in the States, I was shocked to hear people say ?We beat the bad guys, G-d is on our side, ?? and call Arabs all kind of names. They are humans too, they have families, relatives, friends who day after day of bombing suddenly would disappear, killed (as they would find out) in the previous night bombing (I flew most of my missions at night).
I congratulate your production team for depicting the Iraqi people especially Saddam?s family with respect and dignity as humans with values, principles and ideals albeit not like ours. When I was wounded, an Iraqi female physician helped me because of her religious beliefs despite the fact she had lost her fiancé in a raid a few weeks earlier; I could not hold my tears as I realized that I was part of that mission.
We Americans are too concerned about our money, possessions, and ?trying to keep up with the Jones? at the expense of the real meaning of life ? helping our fellow brethrens. We cannot take care of our own problems amidst corporate and banking scandals while prime time TV immerses us in violent or idiotic empty shows let alone trying to fix other nations. Thank you for showing us the other side of our truth. Peace on earth? Lancelot.
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Lancelot
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Posts:
8
Registered:
12/11/08
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(32 of 43)
Dec 15, 2008 5:08 AM
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And lets not forget Shohreh Aghdashloo acting blew me away. I liked how passionate she was and always called him out on his atrocious actions and was the only one alive after her opinions were expressed!
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Posts:
8
Registered:
12/11/08
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(31 of 43)
Dec 15, 2008 5:03 AM
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In response to your blog i have to disagree with you. After watching this i was even more convinced that taking out Saddam Hussien was the wrong move. I was even more convinced when i watched the little boy talking to Saddam and made the connection that many still feel that life under Saddam was better.
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Posts:
2
Registered:
1/1/08
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(30 of 43)
Dec 15, 2008 4:47 AM
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The HBO film "House of Saddam" was awesome. Plain and simple, from start to finish: this HBO film rocks. I don't even have one gripe about the film. The scenery in the film, the shooting locations, I felt as though my television screen at 1080i was some kind of ?doorway? to the Arabic world. I watched episodes 1-2 on standard definition and was equally impressed. Why? Because the acting talent of Igal Naor made the movie, especially the later scene in episode 2, where he stands up before the seated generals and speaks with the authority coming from a true dictator. He was perfect as Saddam Hussein. Amr Waked portrayed Hussein Kamel in episodes 1-2 with absolute loyalty for Saddam, only to betray him and then be murdered for his backstabbing in episode 3 ? creating a great sense of pity for the man, I believe, by any viewer. Phillip Arditti as Uday Hussein was perfectly cast for the role, especially that characteristic laugh of Uday?s, which could lead any viewer to believe that what?s up Uday?s sleeve next, is nothing but trouble. And the roles of the other characters were greatly portrayed by their respective actors and actresses. Great job HBO! This film series was much more entertaining than John Adams. In a way, it somewhat strongly validates the Bush Administration?s move on Iraq, because after seeing these characters behave and interact with the Iraqi people, such as Saddam and his son Uday, it only made sense to take action against them. Indeed, it is one thing to read about a horror story, but quite another to witness it.
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Posts:
25
Registered:
4/14/08
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(29 of 43)
Dec 15, 2008 2:45 AM
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> First, I don't particularly like this "HBO Film" in
> the first place, which brings about my second bitch;
> why in the fuck do you categorize these things into
> films, series, etc; which I do not GIVE ONE FUCK
> ABOUT, and not just dump them into one centralized
> HBO program hopper? Call it, I dunno, HBO PROGRAMS?
> Who'd of thunk?
>
> Second, I'm gonna make my comments about this shitty
> program on the Bill Maher thread, where the real
> action is anyway.
>
> DaN
Well that was a classy post I'm sure your friends on the "Bill Maher thread" are proud of you.
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