thedrifter
08-17-07, 03:10 PM
Great letter from a Marine to Roger Ebert
rogerebert.com ^ | 8/17/07
Q. I have long been a dedicated reader of your reviews. You were responsible for directing me toward the works of Bresson, Bunuel, Bergman, Tarkovsky and Herzog (particularly Bresson) and thus inspiring my love for the movies. I will forever be indebted to you for having changed my life in this regard.
I am also a proud American who enlisted voluntarily in the United States Marines Corps. I served for one year and a half in Iraq . I saw more of the destructive impact of war on the lives of the Iraqi people and those of the men around me than you will ever know. And I am proud to have done so. I know a lot of men and women who were similarly proud to fight what they felt was a just war against a common enemy to all of humanity, a regime of mass destruction. Contrary to what you may believe, many serve the American cause because they want to. The soldiers fighting there fight in the name of universal justice that many of the liberal elite take for granted.
Your review of "No End in Sight" deeply wounded me, as one who has come to place tremendous value upon your opinion. I may no longer be in the fight, having served my term and studying now at the University of Chicago . But the message you've sent to your readers is painful all the same for me to receive. I urge you, Roger, to not be so self-possessed in the future, that you presume to know the hearts and minds of men who do not share your worldview.
Evan Bernick, Chicago
Roger Ebert's reply...
A. Thank you for your heartfelt letter. Those who fought and fight in Iraq are brave and patriotic, and risk their lives in the name of their country. My review was not about them. It was about those who sent them into battle. What makes "No End in Sight" unique is that its subjects are almost entirely men and women who served in the U.S government, military, intelligence and diplomatic corps, and now feel they were lied to and betrayed by their superiors; they all supported the war, but their advice from the ground was ignored by ideologues in Washington. I hope you see the film, which is about your leaders at the time you served. At the least, you will find it provocative.
Ellie
rogerebert.com ^ | 8/17/07
Q. I have long been a dedicated reader of your reviews. You were responsible for directing me toward the works of Bresson, Bunuel, Bergman, Tarkovsky and Herzog (particularly Bresson) and thus inspiring my love for the movies. I will forever be indebted to you for having changed my life in this regard.
I am also a proud American who enlisted voluntarily in the United States Marines Corps. I served for one year and a half in Iraq . I saw more of the destructive impact of war on the lives of the Iraqi people and those of the men around me than you will ever know. And I am proud to have done so. I know a lot of men and women who were similarly proud to fight what they felt was a just war against a common enemy to all of humanity, a regime of mass destruction. Contrary to what you may believe, many serve the American cause because they want to. The soldiers fighting there fight in the name of universal justice that many of the liberal elite take for granted.
Your review of "No End in Sight" deeply wounded me, as one who has come to place tremendous value upon your opinion. I may no longer be in the fight, having served my term and studying now at the University of Chicago . But the message you've sent to your readers is painful all the same for me to receive. I urge you, Roger, to not be so self-possessed in the future, that you presume to know the hearts and minds of men who do not share your worldview.
Evan Bernick, Chicago
Roger Ebert's reply...
A. Thank you for your heartfelt letter. Those who fought and fight in Iraq are brave and patriotic, and risk their lives in the name of their country. My review was not about them. It was about those who sent them into battle. What makes "No End in Sight" unique is that its subjects are almost entirely men and women who served in the U.S government, military, intelligence and diplomatic corps, and now feel they were lied to and betrayed by their superiors; they all supported the war, but their advice from the ground was ignored by ideologues in Washington. I hope you see the film, which is about your leaders at the time you served. At the least, you will find it provocative.
Ellie