BUSH’S “POODLE DOG” TONY BLAIR IS ACCUSED OF WAR CRIMES IN THE GHOST WRITER
The words “war crimes” are not allowed on American media. When Jack Cafferty and Jon Stewart used them accusatorily, they were forced to retract. Not so in Europe, where a German court has ruled that the Iraq War is illegal, a French magistrate issued an order for the arrest of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and an ongoing British inquiry commission is hearing testimony about the illegality of the Iraq War and Whitehall’s complicity in the extraordinary rendition and torture of British citizens at the hands of the American military. Director Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer, therefore, is somewhat of a breakthrough, using as the film does the words “war crimes” and “war criminal,” albeit in reference to a certain former British Prime Minister. The accused, transparently Tony Blair but in the film Adam Lang (played by Pierce Brosnan), is living in exile on Martha’s Vineyard (actually filmed on Sylt Island, Germany), far from the reach of British courts. Lang’s forthcoming autobiography is in the works, with about $10 million in advance royalties paid to him. However, his ghostwriter had died, and a replacement (played by Ewan McGregor) is hired early in the film, one who professes to know nothing about politics but has previous experience as a best-selling ghostwriting autobiographer. The new ghostwriter is hustled to the island (named Edgewood Vineyard in the film) to take up his duties amid security, as protesters outside Lang’s estate insist that he is a liar and war criminal, particularly after charges are referred to the International Criminal Court. At first, the ghostwriter stays as the only guest in the only hotel on the island, but that proves untenable due to the animosity toward Lang on the island, so he moves into the same room as the former ghostwriter on the Lang estate, thereby piquing his interest in the cause of his predecessor’s death. After an initial interview with Lang, his former foreign minister accuses him of war crimes, so Lang and goes to Washington for support. While Lang is gone, the ghostwriter finds evidence that appears to contradict Lang’s statements and uncovers that foreign minister’s telephone number in a hidden location within his room on the back of a mysterious photograph. The ghostwriter decides to return to the hotel, but while driving in a vehicle from Lang’s garage, he realizes that the GSP voice is leading him on the same path taken by his predecessor to Cape Cod, namely, the residence of Professor Paul Emmett (played by Paul Wilkinson), who is unhappy about the unannounced visitor. A computer search reveals ties between Emmett, who met Lang at Cambridge University when both were students in a drama production, and the CIA. At this point, the ghostwriter realizes that he is in over his head, but who will save him? Therein lies the suspense of The Ghost Writer, which the Political Film Society has nominated as best film on human rights and best film on peace of 2010. The timing of the film’s release during the ongoing war crimes inquiry chaired by Sir John Chilcot is most fortuitous, strengthening the main premise for the film, though Americans viewing publicity for The Ghost Writer may be distracted into believing that the plot is merely a political thriller. The story is based on the 2007 book The Ghost: A Novel by Robert Harris. Clearly, the film accuses George W. Bush and his minions of war crimes as well. Polanski, who is in exile, knows that sex with a 13-year-old in 1977 pales in comparison with the hundreds of thousands of deaths in the Iraq War. He may shock Americans by portraying such a high level of animosity toward Blair, whereas Bush appears to have receded from visibility for his similar decisions within an America that may be puzzled over why Europeans who suffered so much during World War II are so upset over war crimes being committed today. MH