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Movie Reviews
| Blood and Oil: The Middle East in World War I. Dir. and prod. by Marty Callaghan. Inecom Entertainment Company, 2006. 112 mins. (Inecom Entertainment Company, http://www.inecom.com/)
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| This documentary film chronicles World War I military and diplomatic episodes in the Middle East. Writer and producer Marty Callaghan narrates the Ottoman military clashes with Russia and Great Britain that spelled the end of the Ottoman Empire and enabled Anglo-French imperialism to dominate the region after 1919. The film also discusses the birth of modern Turkey and the origins of the conflict in Palestine. |
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Generally, the film well portrays the spilling of blood on battlefields. Callaghan's narration and the supporting images recount such famous military efforts as Britain's disastrous Gallipoli campaign and T. E. Lawrence's desert operations, as well as more obscure engagements along the Ottoman-Russian front. Set against a musical score with a military feel, the narration is blended effectively with photos, maps, film footage, and interviews with three published authors to capture the broad contours of the war. The film is a decidedly traditional military history, telling how great men ordered soldiers into battle but not explaining the social, cultural, ethnic, racial, or gendered aspects of their experiences. |
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