The Ghost Army (film)

The Ghost Army is a 2013 American documentary about the United States Army 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, produced and directed by Rick Beyer.[1]

The Ghost Army
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRick Beyer
Produced byRick Beyer
Screenplay byRick Beyer
Narrated byPeter Coyote
Music byMatt Mariano
CinematographyDillard Morrison
Edited byJon Neuburger
Release date
  • March 7, 2013 (2013-03-07) (United States)
Running time
68 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

The documentary tells the history of the secret U.S. Army unit of 1100 troops that was set up in 1944 and operated until 1945 in the final stages of World War II in the fight against German troops in various parts of Europe. They used a combination of different ways of visual, sonic and radio deception to convince the enemy of the presence of specific Army units that were in fact operating elsewhere.

The unit included a large number of visual artists and designers who documented their experiences in paintings and sketches. The material employed in the 23rd Army Headquarters Special Troops' operations included decoys such as inflatable rubber tanks and jeeps as well as powerful loudspeaker trucks playing sound recordings of troop activity.

Interviews
  • General Wesley Clark - Military and historical analysis
  • Peter Coyote - Narrator
  • Ed Biow - Private Camouflage Unit
  • John Jarvie - Corporal Camouflage Unit
  • Victor Dowd - Sergeant Camouflage Unit
  • Jack Masey - Corporal Camouflage Unit
  • Arthur Shilstone - Corporal Camouflage Unit
  • Gil Seltzer - Lieutenant Camouflage Unit
  • Joe Spence - Private Camouflage Unit
  • Jack McGlynn - Sergeant Sonic Unit
  • Harold Flinn - Private Sonic Unit
  • Al Albrecht - Corporal Sonic Unit
  • Spike Berry - Sergeant Radio Unit
  • John Gawne - Author of Ghosts of the ETO
  • Stan Nance - Sergeant Radio Unit
  • Irving Stempel - Corporal Camouflage Unit
  • Bernie Mason - Lieutenant Camouflage Unit
  • Dick Syracuse- Lieutenant Sonic Unit
  • Bob Tompkins - Sergeant Camouflage Unit

Archival footage

Exhibition

The film first premiered at the Salem Film Festival on March 7, 2013. It was shown on PBS on May 21, 2013. It had its European Theatrical Premiere at the Abbaye de Neumünster in Luxembourg on November 27, 2013.

Film Festivals
  • Salem Film Festival
  • GI Film Festival
  • International Historical and Military Film Festival
  • Moab Film Festival
  • CineSol Film Festival

Awards

Wins

  • CINE Golden Eagle: Televised Documentary/History
  • Salem Film Festival: Audience Award
  • Moab Film Festival: Audience Appeal Award

Critical Reaction

The Ghost Army received overwhelmingly positive reviews. It scored a Metascore of 79 on Metacritic.com.[2] David Weigand at the San Francisco Chronicle called it a "mesmerizing documentary," going on to say: "You could call it a kind of World War II version of Argo and it makes for a documentary that is almost as gripping as Ben Affleck's film."[3] Robert Lloyd at The Los Angeles Times called it "fascinating, detailed and oddly delightful." [4] Matt Roush of TV Guide called it "remarkable and memorable…first-rate…entrancing."[5] Dorothy Rabinowitz of the Wall Street Journal commented: "The unit's work was top secret, its members' experiences, recounted in this film, fascinating above all for what they tell about the determined inventiveness, the all-out ambition to try everything, characteristic of that war effort."[6] Washington Post and New York Daily News critics both called the documentary "fascinating."

Mark Feeney at the Boston Globe praised the film while offering a rare note of criticism: "The Ghost Army" can feel a bit padded at times. Like one of those rubber tanks, it's not as imposing as it seems. But also like those tanks, it's memorable and not quite like anything else."[7]

See also
  • Ghost Army
  • List of World War II documentary films
  • Category:World War II deception operations

References
  1. The Ghost Army on IMDb.
  2. "The Ghost Army". Metacritic. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  3. Wiegand, David (16 May 2013). "'The Ghost Army' review: Mesmerizing doc". San Francisco Chronicle.
  4. Lloyd, Robert (16 May 2013). "TV Picks: 'North America,' 'Ghost Army,' 'Mad Men,' Mel Brooks". Los Angeles Times.
  5. Roush, Matt (21 May 2013). "The Tuesday Playlist: Dance on ABC and Fox, PBS' Ghost Army". TV Guide.
  6. Rabinowitz, Dorothy (21 May 2013). "Mel Brooks, a Portrait in Full". The Wall Street Journal.
  7. Feeney, Mark (20 May 2013). "When wartime appearances were deceiving by design". Boston Globe.
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