Standard Operating Procedure (2008)

Director:

Errol Morris

Release Date:

29 May 2008 (Germany)

Genre:

Documentary | Crime | War

Tagline:

I wouldn't recommend a vacation to Iraq anytime soon

Plot:

Errol Morris examines the incidents of abuse and torture of suspected terrorists at the hands of U.S. forces at the Abu Ghraib prison. |

Plot Keywords:

Torture | Prison | Abuse | Testimony | American Officer

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Christopher Bradley	...	Military Police (as Chris Bradley)
Sarah Denning	...	Military Police
Robin Dill	...	OGA
Joshua Feinman	...	Military Police (as Josh Feinman)
Jeff L. Green	...	Military Police (as Jeff Green)
Roy Halo	...	Detainee
Cyrus King	...	Military Intelligence
Alim Kouliev	...	OGA / Interrogator
Daniel Novy	...	Military Police
Zhubin Rahbar	...	Detainee
Shaun Russell	...	Military Police
Kami Shahab	...	Detainee
Robert Dill	...	Translator (uncredited)
Merry Grissom	...	Interrogator (uncredited)
Combiz Shams	...	Iraqi Detainee (uncredited)

Directed by
Errol Morris

Produced by
Julie Ahlberg	....	producer
Amanda Branson Gill	....	co-producer
Robert Fernandez	....	executive producer
Errol Morris	....	producer
Ann Petrone	....	co-producer
Diane Weyermann	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Danny Elfman

Cinematography by
Robert Chappell		(director of photography)
Robert Richardson		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Andy Grieve
Steven Hathaway
Dan Mooney

Production Design by
Steve Hardie

Set Decoration by
John M. Kelly

Costume Design by
Marina Draghici

Makeup Department
Brad Look	....	key makeup artist
Donyale McRae	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Ron Ames	....	post-production supervisor
Laura Lyn Anderson	....	production supervisor (as Laura Anderson)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Shea Varge	....	second assistant director
Julian Wall	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Christopher Branan	....	carpenter
Jon Gold	....	property master
Daniel Turk	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Jeremy Bowker	....	sound editor
Dustin Cawood	....	assistant sound designer
Lee Dichter	....	sound re-recording mixer
G. John Garrett	....	sound mixer
Pete Horner	....	sound effects editor
Pete Horner	....	sound re-recording mixer
Marc Mann	....	midi transcriptions
Darren McKenzie	....	midi transcriptions
John Nutt	....	supervising sound editor
Randy Thom	....	sound designer
Dror Gescheit	....	sound re-recordist (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Ron Ames	....	visual effects producer
Danny Braet	....	visual effects
Adam Gerstel	....	visual effects editor
Jesse Klein Seret	....	assistant visual effects editor (as Jesse Klein)
Stephen Lawes	....	compositor
Robert Legato	....	visual effects supervisor
Luke McDonald	....	visual effects
Nathaniel Park	....	visual effects editor
Richard Wardlow	....	visual effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Todd Avery	....	second assistant camera
Mark J. Casey	....	electrician
Joe Christofori	....	first assistant camera
Scott D. Davis	....	gaffer
Tim Driscoll	....	key grip
Dan Hutchinson	....	electrician
John R. Kaplan	....	grip
Abby Levine	....	digital imaging technician
John Vecchio	....	gaffer

Casting Department
Claire Benjamin	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Carrie Dacre	....	wardrobe assistant
Roseann Milano	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Christine Carr	....	digital intermediate producer
Salvatore Catanzaro	....	on-line editor
Brad Fuller	....	co-editor
David Ian Salter	....	co-editor (as David Salter)
Karen Schmeer	....	co-editor
Jim Passon	....	color timer (uncredited)
Jorge Tanaka	....	digital intermediate assistant (uncredited)

Music Department
Pete Anthony	....	conductor
Michael Atwell	....	digital score recordist
Steve Bartek	....	orchestrator
Marc Mann	....	midi transcriptions
Darren McKenzie	....	midi transcriptions
Tim Rodier	....	music preparation
Shie Rozow	....	music editor
Dennis S. Sands	....	music scoring mixer
Edgardo Simone	....	orchestrator
Gina Zimmitti	....	music contractor

Other crew
Unjoo Lee Byars	....	title producer: Main/End Titles, Graphics
Maggie Causey	....	script supervisor
Erin Henning	....	production assistant
Raymond Hernandez	....	production assistant
Daniel Izui	....	production assistant
Zach Lazar	....	stage manager
Lindy Lucas	....	production secretary
Mike Mollica	....	production assistant
Sean Robert O'Keefe	....	production assistant
Daniel Polsby	....	assistant to director
Allan Rafael	....	set production assistant
Derek Rimelspach	....	production assistant
Ellen Stafford	....	producer: main/end titles
George Whitman	....	key set production assistant
Seth Kleinberg	....	technical producer: main and end titles and visual effects (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Participant Productions
• Sony Pictures Classics (co-production)

Distributors

• Sony Pictures Classics (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2008) (Germany) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Cinema Mondo (2008) (Finland) (all media)
• LK-TEL (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2008) (Argentina) (all media)

Other Companies

• Central Casting  extras casting
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Jeff Rosenman Casting  casting
• Prologue Films  titles
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack

Also Known As:

S.O.P.: Standard Operating Procedure (USA) (working title)
Untitled Errol Morris/Abu Ghraib Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for disturbing images and content involving torture and graphic nudity, and for language.

Runtime:

116 min | Germany:118 min (Berlin International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Australia:MA | Germany:18 | UK:15 | Singapore:M18 | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Mexico:C | France:U (with warning)

Company:

Participant Productions

Trivia:

First documentary ever to be nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival (2008).

Goofs:

Factual errors: It's a common mistake to use standard instead of standing when referring to SOP, but SOP stands for Standing Operating Procedure not Standard. A good reference is AMC (Army Material Command) Reg 700-107.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2008-05-03)" (2008)

Excellent stuff

Respectful silence from the audience throughout. Not a word spoken by anyone exiting the theatre afterwards. Standard Operating Procedure is the film no one is talking about.

Errol Morris' documentary on the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison is smart and informative. While talking head interviews with the people directly and indirectly involved provide the backbone, cinematic reconstructions of 2003s grizzly events coupled with the well known photographs taken by soldiers work successfully at pulling an emotional response from the viewer.

Though intriguing, SOP doesn't really benefit from the big screen treatment and would probably have just as much impact if viewed on TV.

Dark and depressing, shocking and enlightening: SOP is 2008's must see documentary.