Product Description

This pioneering film illuminates the extraordinary experiences of American servicemen and women through their own powerful stories. Based on the acclaimed NEA-sponsored book of the same name, this eloquent and moving (Entertainment Weekly) film offers a profound look at the lives of those serving in America s armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Distinguished actors like Robert Duvall, Beau Bridges and Aaron Eckhart give voice to the poems, stories, essays, letters, and journal entries of people on the frontlines. Weaving these dramatic readings with interviews with their authors, OPERATION HOMECOMING transforms the written word into a living, breathing look at the human side of America s current military conflicts. An honest and intensely personal look at war through firsthand accounts, this groundbreaking documentary adds depth to individual experiences by looking at them within the context of the long and venerable tradition of war writing. By turns poetic, comic, and chilling (Variety), this film gives voice to those heroes who have served and wish to share their experiences with the world.

DVD Features: Deleted Interview Clips; Poetry Reading; Men in Black Illustrated Storyboard; Making of the Short Film Featurette; Theatrical Trailer; 5.1 Sound

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44079 in DVD
• Brand: NEW VIDEO GROUP INC
• Released on: 2008-01-15
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 81 minutes

Review
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience. The best of the almost too many Iraq war docs is this one. It uses a variety of filmmaking styles, from dramatic re-creations to narrated documentary footage to animation, to capture the boots-on-the-ground experience of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Based on active-duty soldiers' writings about combat. Riveting. --Orlando Sentinel

Review
Harrowing....deeply compelling. --Chicago Tribune

Review
A visually inventive film. --Memphis Commercial Appeal

Customer Reviews

Incredibly Well-Done Documentary
I think I've been socially hardened by documentaries that don't show all sides of a story, or instill the documentary-makers' opinions or images (see Sicko) in place of what should be being told.

So it is with a heavy sigh of relief that I wholeheartedly recommend this Academy Award nominated documentary, OPERATION HOMECOMING: WRITING THE WARTIME EXPERIENCE.

First let's look at why this film is so successful. It's fresh. Most war writings are done by established or well-groomed writers, giving them decent syntax, etc., but lacking that up-close and personal process that goes along with firing weapons and being fired at during war. And this is where Operation Homecoming succeeds. The writings are all firsthand accountings from soldiers who've walked the walk and talked the talk.

Secondly is the unique filming. Each segment contains a different milieu and a different style of filming. From animation to quick-flash photography of those that've given their lives, the stories are told in a highly interesting fashion that keeps the viewer very interested.

Thirdly is the internal conflict that so easily comes across. From the beginning of the film when soldiers discuss their upbringing from childhood and being told killing is wrong, to being thrown into a situation where you're trained to kill for "God and Country," the film watcher understands the conundrum these men and women are put into.

The final successful element is the men and women themselves and how they deal with tough situations. There's never the "Why am I here" question asked. They know why they're there. They don't care about policy or partisan politics or money or oil. They care about the guy to their left and right who's protecting their backside during a fire-fight.

Each `chapter' (if you will) contains a title and the story of a soldier. From the grunts on the ground, to the medic flying the injured to Germany, to the honor guard who sees the dead to their final resting place, Operation Homecoming is truly a unique gem in the documentary genre.

Poignant, haunting, memorable....a "must-watch."
This is one of the three documentaries about Iraq that were nominated for the "Best DoOcumentary Feature" Academy Award. All three films were riveting, but this one is the most personal, the most touching and the most artistic. You meet the authors in interviews, and find out their background story, as well as what prompted them to write about their experiences. Famous actors then read that writing as the filmmakers illustrate the stories in a variety of different ways....still photography, animation, footage shot by soldiers, etc. This film is visually compelling and emotionally powerful; non-partisan; human. It simply tells some of the stories of the men and women who serve - what they see, what they feel, and what they experience. The film is poetic, beautiful and should be seen by every American, regardless of political affiliation.

History in the making
Regardless of one's politics, it's important for all of us to understand what our troops and families have and are going through in our war on terrorism and appreciate the sacrifices, big and small, they've all made. The book of the same name was a touchstone for tapping into the minds of those whose stories made into this collection. From first hand accounts on the frontlines, to those who've aided, both medically and psychologically, to the final trip and tribute a Marine officer gives to his fallen comrade the dvd picks up where the book leaves off, offering us a slendid visual potpourri; from live action film to stills to a loose animation, almost storyboarding of events as seen through the eyes of a young soldier. It is a film that leaves one wanting more and wanting to revisit the film again and again.