House of Saddam – Part 3

All of these historical character-based productions also rise or fall depending on how the lead actor does in the role. Cate Blanchett was consistent in both the Elizabeth films she did with director Shekhar Kapur, as was Helen Mirren in the Elizbaeth I TV mini-series of the same queen. Whitaker channeled Idi Admin as said above. And on the other hand, as cute as Jonathan Rhys Meyers may look to the ladies, he utterly destroyed believability in The Tudors with his hollering and over-acting as Henry VIII.

Saddam fortunately doesn’t have this problem in the title role, and it’s more the surprising because Saddam Hussein is portrayed by a little-known Israeli actor, Yigal Naor. I have no idea what the actor really looks like, but costuming and makeup has certainly done a great job. Based on what I’ve seen in photographs and recorded imagery of the real person, I think the real Saddam Hussein (right in the picture) would have wanted Naor (left) as an actual body double if he could first put aside that their religious differences!

Simply put, Naor is mesmerizing to watch. He delivers in each scene with well-written dialog: each of his lines stated matter-of-fact and with conviction, no mincing of words. His Saddam Hussein isn’t a mad man but a conscious leader who was aware of the issues at hand, cared for his people, but undertook governance with his own brand of justice and ethics.

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The other actor that needs a mention is Philip Arditti, also an unknown actor to me, and who plays Saddam Hussein’s first-born, Uday Hussein. Uday’s long list of misconduct – which included random rape and torture – is public knowledge, and Arditti’s portrayal of Uday holds no bars: he’s downright creepy and scary. By the series’ end, one may have at least developed some grudging respect for what Saddam Hussein was trying to achieve for Iraq, but for Uday… well, to have him finally die in a hail of gunfire after getting surrounded by Coalition forces I can see why so many people then were finally relieved.

All of the remaining cast is unknown to me, with the sole exception of French actor Saïd Taghmaoui whom I’d just recently saw in G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. He plays Barzan Ibrahim in the series, one-time Saddam Hussein’s right-hand man as Head of the Republican Guard. He seems rather miscast though and looks nothing like the real person. The real Barzan engaged in assassination, execution and murderous suppression of Saddam’s enemies. The new Iraqi government hung him in 2007. Taghmaoui however looks scholarly, and actually looks reluctant when conducting his brutal activities.

The production doesn’t look especially luxurious, with many of the scenes shot in indoor sets. This is, in other words, a talky drama. There’s a lot of actual news footage from the years inserted into the drama, but very little violence shown onscreen. It’s adequate, just not really special.

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In all, whether House of Saddam appeals to you depends on your interest in Middle-Eastern politics, dramatization of actual historical incidents not withstanding. If not, then whether a serious retelling of a controversial person is your thing.

Either way, there’s a lot you can learn about Saddam Hussein in this series: the show is accessible to persons who’re unfamiliar with a long-running situation that turned into George Bush Jr’s quagmire. And at the 4 hours’ end, you’ll feel more satisfied and intrigued than 20 hours of The Tudors.