The Men Who Stare at Goats
Encyclopedia
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2004) is a book by Jon Ronson
about the U.S. Army
's exploration of New Age
concepts and the potential military applications of the paranormal
. The title refers to attempts to kill goat
s by staring at them. Research was carried out in part by Jon Ronson
, but also by documentary filmmaker John Sergeant.
. The book traces the evolution of these covert activities over the past three decades, and sees how they are alive today within U.S. Homeland Security
and the Iraq War. It examines the use of the theme tune to Barney & Friends
on Iraqi prisoners-of-war, the smuggling of a hundred de-bleated goats into the Special Forces command center at Fort Bragg
, North Carolina
, and the connection between the U.S. military and the mass-suicide of members of the Heaven's Gate cult
in San Diego.
, and also discusses Project MKULTRA
and Frank Olson
, including interviews with his son, Eric Olson.
, was released in Autumn 2009 by Winchester Films
, BBC Films
and Mandate Pictures
. Grant Heslov
directed from a script by Peter Straughan
. Ewan McGregor
, Kevin Spacey
, Jeff Bridges
and Robert Patrick
starred opposite Clooney. The movie is set in Iraq and filmed in Comerío Street, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
and the New Mexico Military Institute
and centers on Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor), a desperate reporter who stumbles upon the story of a lifetime when he meets Lyn Cassady (Clooney), who claims to be a former secret U.S. military psychic soldier re-activated post-9/11. Bridges plays Bill Django, the founder of the psychic soldier program and Lyn's mentor. Spacey plays Larry Hooper, a former psychic soldier who is running a prison camp in Iraq.
Ronson dedicated his book to filmmaker John Sergeant, who worked intensely through 2003 and 2004 on the original documentary, and Ronson included an afterword commending Sergeant's research and guidance. However, Sergeant has not received any credit for his part in formulating what is the basis for this film.
The film is prefaced with a title card reading "More of this is truer than you would believe."
The DVD release of The Men Who Stare at Goats includes a bonus documentary featuring Ronson and many of the people who figure prominently in his book.
Jon Ronson
Jon Ronson is a Welsh journalist, documentary filmmaker, radio presenter and nonfiction author, whose works include The Men Who Stare At Goats. His journalism and columns have appeared in British publications including The Guardian newspaper, City Life and Time Out magazine...
about the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
's exploration of New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
concepts and the potential military applications of the paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
. The title refers to attempts to kill goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s by staring at them. Research was carried out in part by Jon Ronson
Jon Ronson
Jon Ronson is a Welsh journalist, documentary filmmaker, radio presenter and nonfiction author, whose works include The Men Who Stare At Goats. His journalism and columns have appeared in British publications including The Guardian newspaper, City Life and Time Out magazine...
, but also by documentary filmmaker John Sergeant.
Primary themes
The book examines connections between military programs and psychological techniques being used for interrogation in the War on TerrorWar on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
. The book traces the evolution of these covert activities over the past three decades, and sees how they are alive today within U.S. Homeland Security
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
and the Iraq War. It examines the use of the theme tune to Barney & Friends
Barney & Friends
Barney and Friends, also referred to by HiT Entertainment as Barney the Friendly Dinosaur, is an independent children's television show produced in the United States, aimed at children from ages 1-8...
on Iraqi prisoners-of-war, the smuggling of a hundred de-bleated goats into the Special Forces command center at Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and the connection between the U.S. military and the mass-suicide of members of the Heaven's Gate cult
Heaven's Gate (religious group)
Heaven's Gate was an American UFO religion based in San Diego, California, founded and led by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles...
in San Diego.
TV documentary
The book accompanies a three-part TV series broadcast on Channel 4 in Britain, Crazy Rulers of the World. The three parts were titled "The Men Who Stare at Goats", "Funny Torture" and "Psychic Footsoldiers" respectively. The idea of the project was to explore "the apparent madness at the heart of U.S. military intelligence." The series discusses and includes members of Psychological operations, First Earth BattalionFirst Earth Battalion
The First Earth Battalion was the name proposed by Lieutenant Colonel Jim Channon, a U.S. soldier who had served in Vietnam, for his idea of a new military to be organized along New Age lines.-Principles:...
, and also discusses Project MKULTRA
Project MKULTRA
Project MKULTRA, or MK-ULTRA, was the code name for a covert, illegal CIA human experimentation program, run by the CIA's Office of Scientific Intelligence. This official U.S. government program began in the early 1950s, continued at least through the late 1960s, and used U.S...
and Frank Olson
Frank Olson
Frank Olson was a U.S. Army biological warfare specialist employed at Fort Detrick in Maryland. Believed to have committed suicide in 1953 as a result of depression, it was later revealed that he had been exposed to LSD and other psychoactive drugs as part of experiments, leading some to believe...
, including interviews with his son, Eric Olson.
Film adaptation
A comedy film loosely based on the book, starring George ClooneyGeorge Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
, was released in Autumn 2009 by Winchester Films
Winchester Films
Winchester Films was a British production company. It was started in March 1993 and was listed on the Alternative Investment Market to raise the capital needed to build an effective portfolio of films and TV programmes...
, BBC Films
BBC Films
BBC Films is the feature film-making arm of the BBC. It has produced or co-produced some of the most successful British films of recent years, including An Education, StreetDance 3D, Fish Tank, Stage Beauty, A Cock and Bull Story, Nativity! and Match Point.It aims to make strong British films with...
and Mandate Pictures
Mandate Pictures
Mandate Pictures was originally an independent film entertainment studio, founded in 2003. Today, Mandate Pictures is a full-service production and financing company, acquired by Lionsgate in 2007. Mandate continues to operate as an independent brand delivering commercial and independent films...
. Grant Heslov
Grant Heslov
Grant Heslov is an American actor, film producer, screenwriter and director.-Early life:Heslov was born in Los Angeles, into a Jewish family and was raised in the Palos Verdes area of Los Angeles. He attended Palos Verdes High School, the University of Southern California along with friend Tate...
directed from a script by Peter Straughan
Peter Straughan
Peter Straughan is a playwright and author, based in the north-east of England.Peter Straughan was the writer-in-residence at Newcastle's Live Theatre Company. Whilst there, Live staged his plays Bones and Noir...
. Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
, Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey, CBE is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and crooner. He grew up in California, and began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, before being cast in supporting roles in film and television...
, Jeff Bridges
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges is an American actor and musician. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Otis "Bad" Blake in the 2009 film Crazy Heart....
and Robert Patrick
Robert Patrick
Robert Hammond Patrick, Jr. is an American actor, known for his leading and supporting roles in a number of films and television shows....
starred opposite Clooney. The movie is set in Iraq and filmed in Comerío Street, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas and Comerío; south of Toa Baja and Cataño; west of Guaynabo; and east of Toa Alta and Naranjito. Bayamón is spread over 11 wards and Bayamón Pueblo...
and the New Mexico Military Institute
New Mexico Military Institute
New Mexico Military Institute is a state-supported educational institution. NMMI is located in Roswell, New Mexico, United States. It is sometimes referred to as the West Point of the West and it is the only state-supported military college located in the western United States. NMMI includes a...
and centers on Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor), a desperate reporter who stumbles upon the story of a lifetime when he meets Lyn Cassady (Clooney), who claims to be a former secret U.S. military psychic soldier re-activated post-9/11. Bridges plays Bill Django, the founder of the psychic soldier program and Lyn's mentor. Spacey plays Larry Hooper, a former psychic soldier who is running a prison camp in Iraq.
Ronson dedicated his book to filmmaker John Sergeant, who worked intensely through 2003 and 2004 on the original documentary, and Ronson included an afterword commending Sergeant's research and guidance. However, Sergeant has not received any credit for his part in formulating what is the basis for this film.
The film is prefaced with a title card reading "More of this is truer than you would believe."
The DVD release of The Men Who Stare at Goats includes a bonus documentary featuring Ronson and many of the people who figure prominently in his book.
External links
- New York Times review
- Jon Ronson's visit to TMI
- PDF of original First Earth Battalion manual