Only the Dead
| Only the Dead | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Michael Ware Bill Guttentag |
| Written by | Michael Ware Bill Guttentag Justine A. Rosenthal |
| Produced by | Michael Ware Patrick McDonald |
| Starring | Michael Ware |
| Edited by | Jane Moran |
| Music by | Michael Yezerski |
Release date |
|
Running time | 77 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
Only the Dead is a 2015 Australian documentary film on war correspondent Michael Ware. It explores his time in Baghdad, Iraq in the aftermath of the American military takeover.[1] It was built around footage he took at the time on a second hand camera.[2]
Reception
[edit]On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 88% based on 8 reviews.[3]
Wendy Ide of the Guardian gave it 4 stars and wrote "The story of how rookie war correspondent Ware found himself chosen by terrorist leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi to convey his message to the west is fascinating."[4] The Sydney Morning Herald's Philippa Hawker gave it 3 1/2 stars saying "The film is a mixture of his own material, voice-over reflections and some newsreel footage of the time. Sometimes, his narration feels a little self-consciously rhetorical or vague; at other times, it's frank and raw."[5]
Awards
[edit]- 2015 Walkley Awards
- Walkley documentary award - won[6]
- 5th AACTA Awards
- Best Direction in a Documentary - Michael Ware and Bill Guttentag - won[7]
- Best Editing in a Documentary - Jane Moran - won[7]
- Best Sound in a Documentary - Leah Katz, Andy Wright, Chris Goodes, Steve Burgess - won[7]
- Best Feature Length Documentary - Patrick McDonald and Michael Ware - nominated[8]
References
[edit]- ^ Zabriskie, Phil (28 March 2016), "Only the Dead Documents an Iraq War Correspondent's Journey to the Abyss—and Back", Time
- ^ Quinn, Karl (26 October 2015), "Michael Ware, war correspondent, relives his Iraq War hell in Only the Dead", The Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ "Only the Dead". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ Ide, Wendy (18 February 2016), "Only the Dead review – a journey into the heart of darkness of the Iraq war", The Guardian
- ^ Hawker, Philippa (29 October 2015), "Only the Dead review: An Australian journalist's battle with war, words and silence", The Age
- ^ "Michael Ware's Only the Dead claims Walkley", if, 5 December 2015
- ^ a b c Groves, Don (30 November 2015), "Only the Dead, Mad Max 4 win AACTA Awards", if
- ^ "AACTA Awards 2015", SBS Movies, 1 December 2015