PROFILPELAJAR.COM

The Ghost Army
The Ghost Army
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Rick Beyer
Screenplay by	Rick Beyer
Produced by	Rick Beyer
Narrated by	Peter Coyote
Cinematography	Dillard Morrison
Edited by	Jon Neuburger
Music by	Matt Mariano
Distributed by	Public Broadcasting Service
Release date	March 7, 2013 (United States);
Running time	68 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

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

Synopsis

The documentary tells the history of the secret U.S. Army unit of 1,100 troops that was set up in 1944 and operated until 1945 in the final stages of World War II in the fight against German army units 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, trucks, jeeps, and cannon, as well as powerful loudspeaker trucks playing sound recordings of various types military heavy 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. On Metacritic 79 out of 100.^[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]

Feature film adaptation

On June 15, 2015, Warner Bros acquired the film adaptation rights to Breyer's novel with Henry Gayden writing the script, and Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips and Andrew Lazar producing the film.^[8] On April 23, 2019, Universal Pictures acquired the project, with Ben Affleck attached to direct, produce, and potentially star in the film with Madison Ainsley and Lazar, and Nic Pizzolatto set to write the script.^[9]