Standard Operating Procedure - Cruelty by Order

Errol Morris Investigates a National Disgrace in his Documentary

Oct 26, 2009

Photos from Abu Ghraib prison revealed un ugly underside to the unpopular War in Iraq. Who was responsible? A few "bad apples" or the very top of the Chain of Command?

In Standard Operat ing Procedure, a documentary about the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib in Iraq, Errol Morris investigates photographs taken by Army regulars, the history behind the photographs, and the consequences for those involved in the abuse. The detention and torture of prisoners, the extreme disrespect for men who may have never committed any crime being held as prisoners, the failure to follow the dictates of the Geneva Accord; all have changed the standing of the United States in the world and led to outrage from within. No longer are our ideals respected as a shining light for other countries, but a tarnished, dimmed and shattered image that has tumbled into the very gutter. Was this a problem within the ranks, a few "bad apples" as the military claimed? Or was this a pattern of ordered behavior, commanded from the very top of the heirarachy?

Morris's Documentary of the Photos of Abu Ghraib Profiles Officers, Rank and File, Contractors

This is a dark, disturbing and bleak movie with sophisticated special effects. Re-enactments are superimposed like ghost onto the halls of the prison. Still photos, now notorious, are interspersed with narrative accounts of the horrifyiing abuse and torture of prisoners. Some of the interviewees were deeply upset by what they witnessed and reported it to their next in command; they were told to be quiet. Some were willing participants who continue to rationalize their behavior. Some appeared to be disturbed themselves, willing to go to "the dark side" without much provocation.

Throughout the making of the film, Morris found more and more photographs and more disturbing information. He interviewed Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, who was ignored when she discussed being given too many prisoners and too few resources and complained about being understaffed and undersupplied. There was Java Davis, Staff Sergeant MP, who received an eight year sentence. Sabrina Harman, a Specialist in th 372nd MP, who was sentenced to six months in prison; her interviews show a young woman with a smirk; is it a defense or something else?

Lynddie England, Private First Class, was impregnated by Charles Graner (who later married another participant, now Megan Graner). Englands' limited world view is portrayed, yet it is difficult not to shudder and yet still feel a tinge of empathy for this young woman, someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and did not have enough self-confidence to make a better choice for herself--hers is the name most commonly associated with the scandal. A contractor discusses how his view of what was going on has changed over time, as he has learned more and more. And then there was the cowardly way that Karpinski was dismissed while "they were throwing a lot of people under the bus."

Abu Ghraib and Guantanmo Bay Remain a Dark Part of the Decade Past

Missing from the film are interviews with the central figure known to the public, Charles Graner, as he was imprisoned during the making of the film. Another missing piece appears to be any challenges to the interiewees; only rarely is a question asked and then the responses ring hollow at times. When Sabrina Harman is asked about photos taken of her with a dead prisoner (she is bending down over the man grinning with a thumbs up) she defends her actions as normal, stating people spontaneously smile for photos. Maybe, but not when they are being photographed with a man who was abused, tortured and murdered by others.

That they knew this man was killed and did not die of natural causes, yet continued to participate in the ongoing abusive behavior is indeed unsettlng. Rather than eliciting sympathy for the participants, the film simply reveals them. It is part of what is effective about the film, but also, like the horrific nonfiction that the War has become, unfinished. The chapter has not been closed, justice has not been served. Not for the faint-hearted and most difficult to watch, but it should illuminate something about U.S. military policy during the past decade that is intensely disturbing. Watch it if you have a strong stomach.

The copyright of the article Standard Operating Procedure - Cruelty by Order in Socio-Political Documentaries is owned by Barbara DeGrande. Permission to republish Standard Operating Procedure - Cruelty by Order in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.