Everything you always wanted to know about Saddam Hussein (but were afraid to ask), "Uncle Saddam" is Joel Soler's laugh-along, surrealistic portrait of the flamboyant Iraqi leader in the guise of a documentary. A natural for festivals and cable but not likely to bully its way into many regular theatrical engagements, "Uncle Saddam" certainly rates as a worthwhile viewing experience.
But with a narration written by Kids in the Hall member Scott Thompson that employs many humorous techniques including colorful graphics, such as a grim scorecard of how Hussein has treated his relatives and close associates, "Uncle Saddam" is not so valuable as investigative journalism as it is an opportunity to see amazing and bizarre footage the filmmaker spirited out of the country.
Soler is a former talk show host and journalist for French television and moved to the United States four years ago. "Uncle Saddam" is his first feature documentary. With such a big subject as Hussein, including obvious obstacles and restrictions, Soler concentrates on the Iraqi president's personality and philosophy, leading to mind-boggling tangents like the self-proclaimed prophet inscribing his name in many of the bricks used to rebuild Babylon.
One can't help but laugh at the many examples of the cult of personality in Iraq that calls for Hussein's picture to be on the front page of the biggest newspaper every day. An art gallery features rooms and rooms of portraits and Hussein-inspired art. He dyes his mustache, gives lectures on hygiene and usually appears in public surrounded by flowers.
With Wallace Langham reading the narration in a punchy style and frequent glimpses of wars and other crimes reminding us of Hussein's many unsavory acts against enemies inside and outside of Iraq, the final effect is unsettling, and the film is a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction nightmare befitting such a mad thug who also happens to be one of the world's richest heads of state.
Showing footage of a hospital for children that is seriously run-down as a contrast to the massive monuments to Hussein's ego that have been erected or are in the works, including the largest mosque in the world, the film connects the legacy of the dictator's coldhearted rise and ruthless reign to his tenacious hold on power since the Gulf War. But delving even a little into the significance of such larger events as the invasion of Kuwait and Iraq's long war with Iran doesn't occur in Soler's sporty overview.
UNCLE SADDAM
Producer-director: Joel Soler
Narration written by: Scott Thompson
Director of photography: Germand Ungerman
Music: Umalu
Narrator: Wallace Langham
Color/stereo
Running time - 63 minutes
No MPAA rating...
But with a narration written by Kids in the Hall member Scott Thompson that employs many humorous techniques including colorful graphics, such as a grim scorecard of how Hussein has treated his relatives and close associates, "Uncle Saddam" is not so valuable as investigative journalism as it is an opportunity to see amazing and bizarre footage the filmmaker spirited out of the country.
Soler is a former talk show host and journalist for French television and moved to the United States four years ago. "Uncle Saddam" is his first feature documentary. With such a big subject as Hussein, including obvious obstacles and restrictions, Soler concentrates on the Iraqi president's personality and philosophy, leading to mind-boggling tangents like the self-proclaimed prophet inscribing his name in many of the bricks used to rebuild Babylon.
One can't help but laugh at the many examples of the cult of personality in Iraq that calls for Hussein's picture to be on the front page of the biggest newspaper every day. An art gallery features rooms and rooms of portraits and Hussein-inspired art. He dyes his mustache, gives lectures on hygiene and usually appears in public surrounded by flowers.
With Wallace Langham reading the narration in a punchy style and frequent glimpses of wars and other crimes reminding us of Hussein's many unsavory acts against enemies inside and outside of Iraq, the final effect is unsettling, and the film is a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction nightmare befitting such a mad thug who also happens to be one of the world's richest heads of state.
Showing footage of a hospital for children that is seriously run-down as a contrast to the massive monuments to Hussein's ego that have been erected or are in the works, including the largest mosque in the world, the film connects the legacy of the dictator's coldhearted rise and ruthless reign to his tenacious hold on power since the Gulf War. But delving even a little into the significance of such larger events as the invasion of Kuwait and Iraq's long war with Iran doesn't occur in Soler's sporty overview.
UNCLE SADDAM
Producer-director: Joel Soler
Narration written by: Scott Thompson
Director of photography: Germand Ungerman
Music: Umalu
Narrator: Wallace Langham
Color/stereo
Running time - 63 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 11/8/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
French film-maker, Joel Soler fears he has become the new Salman Rushdie - after Iraqis took offence at his satirical documentary Uncle Saddam. The freelance journalist-turned-director, who smuggled a tape featuring footage of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to create his unflattering portrait of the president's life, has told police in Hollywood, where he now lives, that he has become a victim of fundamentalists. Soler, 32, claims his home has been daubed with red paint, his rubbish has been set on fire and he has been sent mail stating, "In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, burn the satanic movie or you will be dead." Writer Rushdie went into exile in Britain, after he received death threats for writing novel The Satanic Verses.
- 11/8/2000
- WENN
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