Afghanistan: The Great Game (2012)
3.9 of 5 from 49 ratings
2h 0min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Afghanistan: one of the most isolated and barren landscapes on earth is a strange place for an Empire or Superpower to invade. But for three of the greatest powers the world has seen, it became an unlikely target, an enduring obsession and an unwinnable war. After the British invasion in the 19th Century, Afghanistan was dubbed the 'Graveyard of Empires'. And yet two Superpowers, the Soviet Union and the US-led coalition today, again invaded in the 20th and 21st centuries. Rory Stewart is uniquely placed to tell this history - he ran a charity in Kabul for many years, and he walked across Afghanistan a month after the fall of the Taliban. In making these two films he meets Soviet Generals; former Taliban and Mujahideen commanders; CIA spies; historians and former diplomats.
Filmed in Afghanistan, America, Russia and Great Britain, Rory Stewart tells the history of two centuries of foreign intervention in Afghanistan. So how has this history forged the Afghanistan of today, and what is it about this place, the paranoia and aggression of Empires, that's created this repeated tragedy?- Directors:
- Iain Scollay
- Producers:
- Iain Scollay, Sam Anthony, Ross Wilson
- Narrated By:
- Rory Stewart
- Creators:
- Rory Stewart
- Writers:
- Rory Stewart
- Studio:
- Digital Classics DVD
- Genres:
- Documentary
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Reviews (1) of Afghanistan: The Great Game
An interesting, if somewhat scattershot pair of documentaries about Afghanistan - Afghanistan: The Great Game review by TB
Having got to know Rory Stewart after becoming a fan of The Rest is Politics podcast with Alastair Campbell, I was interested to see this, particularly when Stewart himself mentioned it during one of the episodes.
The pair of documentaries shows the history of Afghanistan, primarily the obsession that various countries had with attempting to conquer it, with all of them spectacularly failing sooner or later. Stewart is an excellent and welcoming presenter, clearly having a passionate love for the history & people of this country, as well as it being one of the countries he memorably walked across over 2 years in 2000-2002.
However, whilst there is much to like in this programmes, for me they were also at times poorly directed & edited. The narrative jumps all over the place, going from Afghanistan to the UK to other locations, and at times leaving you confused & a little annoyed. Whilst a linear narrative can be seen as a little unoriginal, it is also much more viewer-friendly, especially when detailed situations are being explained to you as the viewer.
A good watch but could have been so much better.
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