Product Description

"Blood and Oil - The Middle East in World War I" examines the devastating conflict and Western political intrigue that laid the foundation for wars, coups, revolts and military interventions in the Middle East. After the end of World War I, most of the Ottoman Empire was carved up into "spheres of influence," controlled mostly by the British and French. The remaining territories became the modern state of Turkey in 1923 - after a five-year struggle by Turkish nationalists against Western domination. Written and produced by Marty Callaghan ("Archives of War," "Remember Pearl Harbor: America Taken by Surprise"), this feature-length documentary film follows conflict from the Ottoman Empire's entry into the Great War in October 1914 to the Allied victory and declaration of the new Turkish Republic in 1923, and the hostilities that have plagued the region since. The 112-minute DVD also features extended expert commentary.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22861 in DVD
• Brand: INECOM ENT.
• Released on: 2006-12-05
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 112 minutes

Features

• Except for the Dardanelles/Gallipoli campaigns, the extensive combat operations in the Middle East during World War I have been largely overlooked in documentary programs. Given the historical significance of the Ottoman Empire's demise in 1918, and the ongoing importance of Middle Eastern oil reserves to Western economies, a close study of this conflict provides two important lessons: 1. The

Review
"Delves deeper into the conflict and provides viewers with background on how the Middle East became the fractious, violent region it is today." --Cheryl Cheng, "Video Business"

Review
"'Blood and Oil - The Middle East in World War I' methodically recounts how Britain and France carved up the Middle East to suit their political and economic needs." --John Latchem, "Home Media Retailing"

Review
"History tells us what has happened over the past hundred years hasn't worked. 'Blood and Oil' shows us why." --Steve Young, Talk show host, novelist, weekly oped-columnist, award-winning television writer and filmmaker

Customer Reviews

History Every American Needs to Know
If you want to understand what the United States is up against in the Middle East, watch "Blood and Oil." The primary reason U.S. foreign policy since 9/11 has been wholly ineffective is the administration's ignorance of history and other cultures. The "war on terror" has repeatedly been likened to World War Two and the Cold War -- analogies that don't hold up. However, the real antecedents lie in World War One. In the West's last gasp of colonialism, Britain and France apportioned this region between themselves, creating the artifice we now call the Middle East. Since that time, Arabs (and Persians) have chaffed under this unwanted arrangement. Much of the volatility in that region today has grown directly out of the accords made during and immediately after World War One.

Marty Callaghan is among the first to provide a much overdue perspective of the real historical forces we're dealing with today. "Blood and Oil" is a good primer on the interactions of the Western powers with the Arabs and Ottoman Turks during the war and the long-term ramifications of these actions. Until American policy makers understand these historical dynamics, we will be doomed to continued inept foreign policy -- like going on a roadtrip and using the wrong map.

Other resources I would recommend:

- PBS's "The Road to 9/11": provides an overview of the political forces that have shaped the Middle East during the 20th century

- PBS's "Lawrence of Arabia: The Battle for the Arab World": recounts T.E. Lawrence's work as Britain's pointman in cultivating Arab help in World War I in exchange for promises of Arab independence

- Jonathan Lewis' "The First World War -- The Complete Series": superbly made documentary series on all facets of WWI, including one episode on "Jihad"

- World War I: The "Great War": a college-level course taught by Prof Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, available on DVD through The Teaching Company

A Tale of Manipulation and Sorrow
"Blood and Oil" reveals the energy politics that guided the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East and Caucasus. The film, perhaps controversially, uncovers how Russia, Great Britain and France exploited ethnic and religious differences to fuel revolts against the Ottoman Empire, so that the West could dominate certain petroleum-rich areas, from Baku in Azerbaijan to Mosul and Kirkuk in Iraq. One track followed very closely in the film is that of the Russians (from the east) and French (from the south) instigating the Armenian Revolt, 1885-1920, that killed hundreds of thousands of Muslims, mostly Kurds, in eastern Anatolia and the Caucasus, the Ottoman response to which brought terrible suffering upon the Armenians. The film also delves into the British-engineered Arab revolts from the Sinai, to Palestine, to Baghdad. "Blood and Oil" draws acute parallels between the British invasion of the Middle East in WWI and the present US occupation of Iraq, both of which seemed designed to redraw the region's borders under the guise of self-determination and human rights, but of course in line with energy objectives of the West. The ethnic and religious feuds of one hundred years ago still haunt the region today, raising the question whether the War to End All Wars actually created a peace to end all peace, as David Fromkin argues in the documentary.

Discover the origins of the current mayhem in the Middle-East
"Blood and Oil" is an eye-opener and, as such, a documentary which should be viewed by every American (and I would even say by every Westerner) and, more crucially, by everyone in our political system who is involved - directly or indirectly - in making decisions regarding Iraq and our mostly unenlightened policy in the Middle-East.

In this riveting and carefully researched video, Marty Callaghan shows us how, in the aftermath of World War I (which most Westerners think ended in 1918 - when strife persisted for several more years in the Middle-East) agreements were made, mostly between between France and Britain, which resulted in the carving of the old Ottoman Empire into artificial nations - Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and Syria - which have remained hotbeds of political and military mayhem ever since. Oil was the black gold that motivated, and still motivates the West to constantly interfere in the Middle East, without taking into account its widely diverse population, without seeking to understand the complexity of its many cultures and ethnic composition. It is so much easier to lump all of its people as "Moslems" or "Arabs" - terms which, nowadays, are often, and very sadly, equated in the minds of many Westerners with a propensity for terrorism.

You do not need to have any background in history to enjoy and fully understand this documentary, which conveys complex events and intricate political dealings with great clarity and in a very compelling fashion. Some of the historical footage Callaghan dug up is very cool, as is the original soundtrack by Michael Goodis.