Well deserved Oscar

Rating: 10/10 (24 August 2014)

This is a feel good movie because of course the hostages are freed but the remaining hostages were held for considerably longer. However, with swipes at the artificiality of Hollywood - the iconic sign has been restored despite being pictured as it was in the eighties, this is a film which celebrates the will to survive. Ben Affleck makes good films and is really not a bad actor - his heart is in the right place and maybe this is the way that the American public needs to be served up information on a very complex issue. The film tries to be balanced but only gives a short mention to the reasons why one of the most civilised countries in the world descended into religious bigotry and revolution. Surely the message is keep out of what you do not understand and even if you think you understand because you have learned the language and studied the culture - you don't. Perhaps someone should have thought about giving support to a despot such as the Shah might have placed its citizens at risk. I have met exiled Iranians who had suffered greatly at the hands of the revolution but I also met Iranians who hoped for great things after the fall of the Shah. When I was a student, we had the Shah's secret service tracking students on our campus with Iranian students afraid to speak freely. We can only celebrate that these people were rescued and well done Canada.