I wasn't alive when this event took place so I learned quite a bit from this documentary series. I liked the fact that they interviewed the hostages and some of the hostage-takers, as well as other important figures from the countries involved. I think the creators did a pretty good job of presenting what led to the situation and giving the perpetrators a chance to explain why it evolved into what it did, and that the hostages interviewed were able to tell their stories as fully as they wanted. The overall dynamic was a very compelling one, and gave a fuller picture of it for me. I can't speak for the accuracy of all the political and historical aspects, but the differing takeaways at the end from different people was also extremely well done. I felt like it did justice to history and to the folks who lived through it, and gave them the final say.
11 Reviews
As an Iranian, I did enjoy most part of this doc!
kingovlegends24 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I watched it with my Brother and both of us actually enjoyed it. It had some awesome rare footage from the revolution, Iran/Iraq war, Khomeini, as well as (obviously) the hostage crisis, that i had never seen before.
Although I did miss some reprensation from the IRI, it generally exhibits a fine range of different backgrounds/experience/bias from different peope. But, of course, it IS an American documentary created mainly for an American audience, so its not surprising that the Americans are getting far more screen-time compared to the Iranians.
It do have some flaws, to which you can read below.
As "Iranian Anti-Westernism" was a big theme throughout the doc, the 1953 Coup against Mossadegh (and some of the other many atrocities the West has done against us) should've have been highlighted much more than they were. It did a great job showing how massive the anti-Imperialism sentiment was in Iran during the 70/80's, but failed to show why.
It also completely failed to mention how Khomeini kinda hijacked the revoulution, and that the people protesting wanted a democracy, NOT a theocracy/another dictaorship. There were a lots of different nuances during the revolution such as multiple leftist/marxist, nationalist and islamist movements, which the documentary did not tell us anything about.
All in all, the doc was great. Highly entertaining, while being informative and deserves praise for generally being fairly well-balanced to a timeline many people still are very emotional about.
Although I did miss some reprensation from the IRI, it generally exhibits a fine range of different backgrounds/experience/bias from different peope. But, of course, it IS an American documentary created mainly for an American audience, so its not surprising that the Americans are getting far more screen-time compared to the Iranians.
It do have some flaws, to which you can read below.
As "Iranian Anti-Westernism" was a big theme throughout the doc, the 1953 Coup against Mossadegh (and some of the other many atrocities the West has done against us) should've have been highlighted much more than they were. It did a great job showing how massive the anti-Imperialism sentiment was in Iran during the 70/80's, but failed to show why.
It also completely failed to mention how Khomeini kinda hijacked the revoulution, and that the people protesting wanted a democracy, NOT a theocracy/another dictaorship. There were a lots of different nuances during the revolution such as multiple leftist/marxist, nationalist and islamist movements, which the documentary did not tell us anything about.
All in all, the doc was great. Highly entertaining, while being informative and deserves praise for generally being fairly well-balanced to a timeline many people still are very emotional about.
Excellent coverage of history and chance to learn from the past.
Reza51505 October 2022
Great presentation of the chronological events from mid 70s. However to fully understand why the hostages were taken the series should have started in 1952. Shah's father Aka Reza Shah (same name as his son) was overthrown in a revolution in 1953 by Dr Mosaddegh. The CIA overthrew this democratically elected Mosaddegh and reinstalled the monarchy by bringing back Reza shah, ; this time Reza Shah the son. This was orchestrated through the US embassy. The coup was never forgotten by many Iranians who then came to know the shah a US poppet. When the second revolution took place in 1979 the students stormed the embassy in order to prevent a second coup and possible US meddling.
top notch...
ops-525352 October 2022
Elaboration of the 1979-1981, 444 days o ameriacan iranian muscle fighting over 52 hostages connected to the tehran embassy in the start of the islamic revolution. Khomeini and carter armwrestling got a positive outcome, but there were really no sensitive and edible inter-national cooperation with iran after the calamity was over.
I remember well the images of khomeini, and the black cladden inhabitants rolling and waving about in the streets of tehran, just as a black plague fear for a young teenager to comprehend. This and all of the prehistoric line of events leading up to the fall of the shah and transition into an islamic republic are elaborated and conducted in a very objective manner, making it edible for westeners as well as a commemorative look back at the birth of a nation for iranians, or persians.
For history nerds and people who wants to know why and howcome u.s./iranian relations has become so hostile over the years , this is more than a x-mas gift, i can tell for sure. The grumpy old man has learned a lot and can only recommend this as one of the best in the documentary genre made products of the year.
I remember well the images of khomeini, and the black cladden inhabitants rolling and waving about in the streets of tehran, just as a black plague fear for a young teenager to comprehend. This and all of the prehistoric line of events leading up to the fall of the shah and transition into an islamic republic are elaborated and conducted in a very objective manner, making it edible for westeners as well as a commemorative look back at the birth of a nation for iranians, or persians.
For history nerds and people who wants to know why and howcome u.s./iranian relations has become so hostile over the years , this is more than a x-mas gift, i can tell for sure. The grumpy old man has learned a lot and can only recommend this as one of the best in the documentary genre made products of the year.
Sad & extremely informative story esp. for those born just before & after these events.
johnwiu17 October 2022
This documentary was extremely humbling & as strongly put together as any good documentary I've seen in the last few years right there with Ken Burns's Vietnam War, The Last Dance, etc.
Sadly the Iranian regime has seemed to be the one country who's really had their way with us even after & I could not imagine the turmoil of Carter's tenure as president which could have happened to any POTUS. Worst of all, I could not imagine the pain & frustration with the uncertainty of return for the victims & fam.
These types of documentaries deserve better attention vs. Netflix's Dahmer which has 40X the IMDB votes for example & offers the view of one's sickness as opposed to a country's oppression which went from bad to far worse. M
It is important we understand Iran's revolution & continued volatile disgrace towards women's rights, religious freedoms & hostility towards the west as it is a dangerous a country now as it was then & I predict will form an axis type alliance with China & Russia before we know it as these countries close-mindedness & extreme dictatorships can crumble our globe 100x over WW2 w/ 3 countries like these as compared to Germany, Japan & Italy did appx 80 years ago.
Sadly the Iranian regime has seemed to be the one country who's really had their way with us even after & I could not imagine the turmoil of Carter's tenure as president which could have happened to any POTUS. Worst of all, I could not imagine the pain & frustration with the uncertainty of return for the victims & fam.
These types of documentaries deserve better attention vs. Netflix's Dahmer which has 40X the IMDB votes for example & offers the view of one's sickness as opposed to a country's oppression which went from bad to far worse. M
It is important we understand Iran's revolution & continued volatile disgrace towards women's rights, religious freedoms & hostility towards the west as it is a dangerous a country now as it was then & I predict will form an axis type alliance with China & Russia before we know it as these countries close-mindedness & extreme dictatorships can crumble our globe 100x over WW2 w/ 3 countries like these as compared to Germany, Japan & Italy did appx 80 years ago.
Great until the end
DylanMcChillin7 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Overall, a great and through documentary. I was disappointed that they tried to put speculation in there about Reagan wanting to keep the hostages there until after the election. It seems like the democrats just have to question every election and throw a conspiracy in there (the Iranians in 1980 and the Russians more recently.) Even one of the guys in the documentary said all of his evidence was circumstantial. So it was basically pointless to put it in there. Other than that unnecessary part, it was nice to see how they showed America coming together to support the hostages, as well as including interviews.
starts well...fizzles out in towards the end..
angelorwez24 September 2023
This wasn't meant to be a full length documentary...it's four episodes long...but it's still tooo long...
it's got too much to cover for it be a movie...so i think it should have been a two-part documentary...a show made of 2 parts...take out all the unnecessary parts and just keep it straightforward...
the first two episodes had me hooked!...it was pulsating i was getting information i had no idea about...it was informative riveting and very thrilling...but about ten minutes into the third episode it lost that intrigue...i lost interest...i didn't care anymore...
this is going to sound illiterate and stupid...but i didn't like the parts where i had to read subtitles...i get that this is a two-sided story and we need to get the voice of the Iranians who don't necessarily speak English...i get the logic and practicality of it...subjectively i just didn't like it...it was too tasking for me....
it still. Is a good show though...it just kinda fizzles out towards the end...it starts out as a documentary...it ends as people talking about their feelings...
it's got too much to cover for it be a movie...so i think it should have been a two-part documentary...a show made of 2 parts...take out all the unnecessary parts and just keep it straightforward...
the first two episodes had me hooked!...it was pulsating i was getting information i had no idea about...it was informative riveting and very thrilling...but about ten minutes into the third episode it lost that intrigue...i lost interest...i didn't care anymore...
this is going to sound illiterate and stupid...but i didn't like the parts where i had to read subtitles...i get that this is a two-sided story and we need to get the voice of the Iranians who don't necessarily speak English...i get the logic and practicality of it...subjectively i just didn't like it...it was too tasking for me....
it still. Is a good show though...it just kinda fizzles out towards the end...it starts out as a documentary...it ends as people talking about their feelings...
Incomplete and biased
nssafapour25 November 2022
Interesting, yes. However there are at least three sides to this story: the revolutionaries, the hostages, and the Shah.
Unfortunately, there was minimal to almost no coverage of the accomplishments of the Shah although he is loved and revered millions of Iranians. About the only person who was interviewed who supported the Shah in this documentary was his American spokesperson. The Shah did so much to modernize the country (infrastructure, education, women's rights, etc). Truly sad that his legacy was portrayed in this manner. Millions of Iranians fled the country during and after the revolution when the Shah was overthrown while the documentary makes it appear as though the whole country was demonstrating against the Shah. Thousands were massacred by the new Islamic regime.
One other aspect of the history of the revolution that was not discussed was Carter's role. His administration did in fact communicate with Khomeini and there were reassurances that they would not stand in the way. Khomeini also reassured Carter's admin that he would not do anything to harm the US interest in Iran. This information came to light in declassified of umbers decades later. There are many members of the Shah's government that have also stated that the Shah turned to the US for support prior to his departure, but it was refused. The Shah is portrayed as an ally of the US but was deserted by the US in the end and most likely due to the fact that he no longer served his purpose. Carter is no hero in this story. It was a deal with the devil that would change the course of history in the Middle East and across the globe for decades thereafter.
Unfortunately, there was minimal to almost no coverage of the accomplishments of the Shah although he is loved and revered millions of Iranians. About the only person who was interviewed who supported the Shah in this documentary was his American spokesperson. The Shah did so much to modernize the country (infrastructure, education, women's rights, etc). Truly sad that his legacy was portrayed in this manner. Millions of Iranians fled the country during and after the revolution when the Shah was overthrown while the documentary makes it appear as though the whole country was demonstrating against the Shah. Thousands were massacred by the new Islamic regime.
One other aspect of the history of the revolution that was not discussed was Carter's role. His administration did in fact communicate with Khomeini and there were reassurances that they would not stand in the way. Khomeini also reassured Carter's admin that he would not do anything to harm the US interest in Iran. This information came to light in declassified of umbers decades later. There are many members of the Shah's government that have also stated that the Shah turned to the US for support prior to his departure, but it was refused. The Shah is portrayed as an ally of the US but was deserted by the US in the end and most likely due to the fact that he no longer served his purpose. Carter is no hero in this story. It was a deal with the devil that would change the course of history in the Middle East and across the globe for decades thereafter.
CNN disguised as HBO
michael-561-6928925 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Here we go... the newest form of propaganda that they'll flood HBOMax with up until the midterms and beyond. Today we simply say words like investigation or circumstantial evidence and the general population says "oooo, ahhhh" and forms an opinion.
Carter paid a 8 billion ransom to try and free hostages that were needlessly held captive for a year. Carter oversaw a disaster of a rescue mission that caused 8 American soldiers to die by crashing a helicopter into a plane full of people. Yet he's praised. "Carter made many other mistakes... but he was kind."
They tell the story of the incoming president reagan and all they can do is flood your mind with controversy and "circumstantial evidence."
No one remember the Carter gas lines? The 14% inflation rate? His utter inability to DO ANYTHING?
This documentary does a good job piecing material together. It should have left the bias garbage out but since CNNplus got absorbed into HBOMax.... Here we go in the propaganda bus.
Carter paid a 8 billion ransom to try and free hostages that were needlessly held captive for a year. Carter oversaw a disaster of a rescue mission that caused 8 American soldiers to die by crashing a helicopter into a plane full of people. Yet he's praised. "Carter made many other mistakes... but he was kind."
They tell the story of the incoming president reagan and all they can do is flood your mind with controversy and "circumstantial evidence."
No one remember the Carter gas lines? The 14% inflation rate? His utter inability to DO ANYTHING?
This documentary does a good job piecing material together. It should have left the bias garbage out but since CNNplus got absorbed into HBOMax.... Here we go in the propaganda bus.
1 star is for a bad documentary, 0 star is for a FALSE documentary!
PJ4PJ16 October 2022
Full of lies released in the most critical moment of Iran uprising.
Very carefully released by HBO in Fall 2022 while majority of Persian people all around the world uprise against brutality of a radicalism theocratic regime who came to the power after 1979 revolution.
In the first 20 minutes the makers couldn't hold his bias anymore and revealed their false ideologies!
Regardless the director chose to bring some Iranian in the documentary to talk against the Shah (including two photographers and Sazegara) we Persian know exactly what happened in 1979; and for non-Persian people, you don't need to watch this false-documentary, just search "Women Life Freedom" and understand everything!
Its a SHAME how the documentary tries to deceive the world!
Very carefully released by HBO in Fall 2022 while majority of Persian people all around the world uprise against brutality of a radicalism theocratic regime who came to the power after 1979 revolution.
In the first 20 minutes the makers couldn't hold his bias anymore and revealed their false ideologies!
Regardless the director chose to bring some Iranian in the documentary to talk against the Shah (including two photographers and Sazegara) we Persian know exactly what happened in 1979; and for non-Persian people, you don't need to watch this false-documentary, just search "Women Life Freedom" and understand everything!
Its a SHAME how the documentary tries to deceive the world!
FALSE Documentary
martimapic17 October 2022
I thought I was watching one of those documentaries where the director makes himself the star of the film and hogs all the camera time with his ruminations. Silly mockumentary deteriorates the farther it gets along, becoming more unbelievable and unsustainable. It's a fake documentary. Don't waste your time. Everything is fake. Not believable from any stage. Go watch literally anything else! Way too many holes and obvious tells that this Is fake. The whole thing is self-congratulatory and cloying. By the way, I couldn't finish it because the scripted dialogue was awful. I want that time back...
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