Argo

I watched Argo last night and I have to say I completely understand why it won an Oscar for Best Picture. What an amazing story! At first, I was a little leary about watching what could have been a horrible disaster with the death of everyone involved. But after learning that the six Americans in hiding during the 1979-81 Iran hostage crisis were all safely rescued, I decided to give it a go. I am truly glad that I did. there are some films that are so quietly powerful that they make a lasting impression and lend a greater understanding of an historical event. Argo is such a film. Spoiler alert! The following contains spoilers about the film. If you don't want to know what happens, you shouldn't read the rest of this post.

Argo was the name of a sci-fi/fantasy film that was scouting for filming locations in Iran. The entire film was a CIA cover. With the help of makeup artist John Chambers and a Hollywood producer, Lester Siegel, CIA agent Tony Mendez came up with and sold the idea as a way to smuggle the hidden six out of Iran. Mendez traveled to Iran alone to rescue the six American Embassy workers who were hiding in the home of the Canadian Ambassador and his wife. With the situation in Iran being as bad as it was, I am amazed that any of them made it out alive.

John Chambers worked with the CIA on several occasions. He and Tony Mendez even developed a makeup kit to be used by agents to quickly change their appearance if needed. The "Identity Transformation Kit" was based on Chambers' work on the Mission Impossible television series. I saw one of the kits on the show Hollywood Treasure a few months ago and thought it was amazing. John Chambers was a true genius.

I have long thought that if you want to learn more about history, you should find a way to experience it. I believe that good movies can provide that experience. I would recommend that everyone watch movies like Argo (at the appropriate age; it is rated R and does use the F-word frequently.) Such films can give the next generation a better understanding of what has brought us, as humans and Americans, to the place we hold now.