When living in Cannes I often think of the Amalfi Coast, that other beautiful and beguiling stretch of sun-drenched European real estate. It lies immediately south of Naples and forms the Bay of Salerno with its crown jewel at the center — the famous Isle of Capri!

Like the French Riviera, the Amalfi Coast is studded with beautiful towns and villages that date to antiquity. In the autumn of 1996 I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of days there, mostly in one such town, Ravello, at the villa of writer and historian Gore Vidal. An utterly fascinating man, he spoke hauntingly and convincingly of his long-held belief that the wonderful experiment in modern democracy, the American Republic, is failing and in a “long, slow, sad decline.”

I have just finished reading his memoirs, “Palimpset – A Memoir” and “Point to Point Navigation.” Both books for me are excellent reading; elegant and stylistic as well as thought-provoking and bursting with intimate stories and anecdotes of the very rich, the very famous, and the very influential. Of his many other publications my favorites are his historical novel “Burr” and his two collections of intellectually exciting and beautifully written essays entitled “Reflections Upon a Sinking Ship” and “Imperial America.”

Gore Vidal grew up in Washington D.C. in a political home, surrounded by talk of the Senate, Congress and the White House. He ran for various political offices (unsuccessfully) and made his living as a writer (very successfully). He describes himself as a small “r” republican, enamored of the United States Republic of the Constitution as envisaged by its founders (or as he envisages their vision).

He lives in Hollywood and Ravello — good friends with many of the leading artists and intellectuals of our era. Such luminaries as Johnny Carson, Tennessee Williams, Rudolph Nureyev, Arthur Miller, John and Jackie Kennedy, Susan Sontag, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Saul Bellow, etc. — many of whom would visit his beautiful villa in Italy to enjoy enlightened conversation and discussion in an environment described by one of his guests as “Sirenland.”

In his memoirs Vidal makes reference often to the Ancient Greeks and Romans; acutely aware that, when living on the Mediterranean Coast, he is surrounded by the birthplace of republicanism and democracy.

When I visited him to conduct and direct a television portrait/interview he was simultaneously gracious and intellectually hard, as the topic of our television conversation narrowed to his conviction that the United States Republic was lost and that the era of Empire was coming into full and noxious bloom.

My exchange with Gore Vidal was a decade ago but the sort of Imperial misadventures (like Vietnam and Iraq) on the grand scale seem to underline his point while more contained exercises in international “hubris” such as the catastrophic Mogadishu mission in Somalia (1993) ask me to reflect upon the existence of similar experiences in other Imperial histories such as Rome and Great Britain. They are there! I can easily imagine some Roman Commander of an ill-equipped and under-supplied outpost in Gaul reporting defeat at the hands of uncivilized barbarians, followed by a bilious Senatorial speech in the Roman Forum! To quote James Lee Burke again, “the story never changes.”

For these reasons I’ve chosen to comment upon the excellent movie “Black Hawk Down,” directed by Ridley Scott and based upon the above-mentioned, ill-fated, Somalia experience of a U.S. Special Forces mission.

Movie Review:

Black Hawk Down

Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Sam Shepard, and Ewan MacGregor

Ridley Scott as a director is famous for his “distinctive visual aplomb,” as one critic puts it, and in “Black Hawk Down” he once again delivers a movie that is startling in its appeal to the eye. As well, it features a relentless and award-winning soundtrack.

However most critics and reviewers found there to be little else — all style and little or no substance! Of course I like the movie (otherwise it wouldn’t be included here) but, upon some reflection, I concluded that my appreciation for this film is partly because there is so little substance other than the plot itself and its display of courage by young men caught in a deadly trap.

My viewing experience is enriched possibly by the absence of a “message.” “Black Hawk Down” is pure Jerry Bruckheimer action turned out as audio-visual art by Ridley Scott. I supplied by own interpretation to the essentially “thought less” production. I don’t mean to sound haughty and to demean the film because it is exceptionally well made and I will watch it again — probably often.

In 1993 the United States military was involved, along with the UN, in a peacekeeping mission in Somalia; with their principal efforts concentrated in its capitol, Mogadishu. The country was being consumed by civil strife as battling warlords robbed and murdered indiscriminately. The number one warlord Muhammed Farah Aidid controlled most, if not all, of Mogadishu. It was felt that his capture would be the single “play” that could bring all factions to the table — and, acting on a tip, a U.S. Special Forces team (Rangers and Delta Force) was dispatched to kidnap Aidid from inside his stronghold in the capitol. This action was taken unilaterally by the U.S. with no consultation or even notification of its UN partners. This secrecy was felt to be essential but taken as an example of “imperial arrogance” by others.

The above is, without a doubt, an oversimplification at best. But it describes some of the back story to the ill-fated mission.

The movie charts this mission, which proves to be an ambush; leading to two helicopters being shot down by handheld rocket launchers and much of the attack team being trapped in a maze of narrow alleys and streets.

Most of the story devotes itself to their rescue. The fighting itself is virtually nonstop as well as gruesome and brutal. The spirit of “Black Hawk Down” is intended to be that of “Top Gun” but viewed today the spectre of Baghdad looms over each scene.

The DVD that is now available has been digitally remastered so the picture and sound quality is superb! Another plus is the inclusion of the excellent Frontline documentary, “Ambush in Mogadishu.” That plus the passage of almost fifteen years allows the moviegoer the advantage of perspective.

So back to ““The Republic” and Gore Vidal. It’s only my opinion, but what is described as “a near-disaster in Somalia” by Columbia Pictures in its marketing was, in fact, a disaster! The vaunted Special Forces were struck a terrible blow (over 300 dead) if not materially, at least spiritually. This bungled mission demonstrated the vulnerability of the U.S. military.

As Osama bin Laden is seen to say, in the Frontline piece, “Get behind the American technology, make them bleed, then they can be beaten.”

“Black Hawk Down” graphically demonstrates the above while at the same time shows us the terrible conditions in which our courageous young men fight an enemy which seems to know no bounds in the matters of hatred and cruelty.

This film can be seen as a historical document — a primary source — a popular entertainment example of the kind of high-mindedness and dangerous pride or hubris that can and does lead to ghastly mistakes in foreign diplomacy and war.