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Simply A Masterpiece

People are voting emotionally.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Amidst the American hunger for instantaneous news and up-to-date "facts", this unflinching film purportedly uncovers the vast, invisible world of government secrecy.This documentary appealed to me because government secrecy is something I deal with every day. As an organized crime historian, I frequently read FBI and police documents that were previously classified. In many cases, information that had never been known is now being brought to light because of the reports. So, the balance of secrets and publicity is important to me.I do like how this documentary looks at many different angles. Although very short, it manages to look at how the press can hamper important national security issues by making secrets public. Conversely, it looks at how the government has a tendency to be overly protective of "secrets" that never should have been secret in the first place. And most importantly, it covers how different agencies fail to share information with each other -- the biggest problem in secrecy is the inter-agency rapport.What is the answer to these important problems? I choose not to even offer such a suggestion. The documentary also never fully offers suggestions. But can you blame them? This could be the most important issue the federal government has to deal with.

This truly excellent film goes far beyond the basic expectation of a documentary to simply "inform." Visually exciting and thoroughly researched, it inspires reflection on how government secrets and democracy work together and -- perhaps more importantly -- how they do not. These reflections do not arise without effort, however. We have to earn them by remaining active thinkers throughout the movie. This is, in fact, the film's greatest contribution. So many filmmakers expect their audiences to receive information passively. It is refreshing to be presented with a film that assumes, from the start, that their viewers possess the ability to think critically.Highly recommended for a wide range of audiences, from students of various ages to government officials and interested citizens.

We are lied to every minute of every day by our government-regardless of whether Republicans or Democrats are in power. The government then conceals those lies by claiming that to reveal the truth to the unwashed masses would endanger national security. This brilliant documentary takes a look at the pernicious spread of the culture of secrecy, starting with the 1948 Waycross, Georgia, plane crash that led to the Supreme Court's decision establishing the States Secrets Privilege. Now we are at the point where the feds claim that entire court cases cannot proceed because of this so-called Privilege. The Bush administration honed the use of the SSP to a fine art; unfortunately, the Obama administration shows no interest in reversing that policy. And why should they? As Secrecy makes quite clear, once you cede power to the executive branch, why would the executive branch choose to give it up? And why should we, the serfs of neo-liberal capitalism, expect any less from our wise masters? Every person who has any interest in constitutional government, democracy, and freedom needs to see this film.

I just saw this film at the San Francisco International Film Festival (in Berkeley) Without a lot of self-righteousness or bloviation, this film is superb. It takes a subject which may not lend itself well to film and makes it immediate and visual. The use of animation and music is masterful. The interlocutors (lighted beautifully) make you hang on to every word they say.It has a point, but it allows other viewpoints in, and not just straw men. The filmmakers give credible, reasonable arguments for taking a position which is ostensibly alternative to theirs. It actually stays away from, for the most part, the easy, well worn targets and examines in a fresh way, the impact of secrecy. Interestingly, at no point do they ever suggest giving up security--Actually they seem to be very much in favor of it.Interestingly, Dan Ellsberg (Pentagon Papers) was in the audience when I saw this movie. I'm surprised he would be drawn to it, having lived it firsthand but it shows the quality of the work.A masterpiece.