Rupert Murdoch on Zero Dark Thirty drama: ‘Could inflame the Arab world’

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Published time: December 27, 2012 13:44
Edited time: December 27, 2012 17:44

The News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch has warned his followers on Twitter that the US Oscar contender focusing on the decade-long manhunt for Osama bin Laden, Zero Dark Thirty, "could inflame the Arab world."

­The media mogul tweeted that he "just saw Zero Dark Thirty" directed by James Cameron’s ex- wife, the Oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow. The film received mixed reviews when it arrived in theaters across America for its depiction of torture, among other controversial issues.

Zero Dark Thirty directed by Kathryn Bigelow (image from kinopoisk.ru)

­Describing it as a “gripping film” Murdoch pointed out that the “coming debate on torture should include all sides, but won't."

Last week the acting head of the CIA, Michael Morell, wrote a statement to CIA employees to “put into some context” the drama whose title is a military terminology for half past midnight, the time at which the hunt of Osama bin Laden by the CIA was scheduled to take place.

Zero Dark Thirty directed by Kathryn Bigelow (image from kinopoisk.ru)

­“I would not normally comment on a Hollywood film, but I think it important to put Zero Dark Thirty, which deals with one of the most significant achievements in our history, into some context,” Morell wrote.

“The film addresses the successful hunt for Osama Bin Laden that was the focus of incredibly dedicated men and women across our Agency, Intelligence Community, and military partners for many years. But in doing so, the film takes significant artistic license, while portraying itself as being historically accurate,” he noted.

Zero Dark Thirty directed by Kathryn Bigelow (image from kinopoisk.ru)

­“What I want you to know is that Zero Dark Thirty is a dramatization, not a realistic portrayal of the facts,” the acting head of the CIA emphasized.

ImZero Dark Thirty directed by Kathryn Bigelow (image from kinopoisk.ru)

­“CIA interacted with the filmmakers through our Office of Public Affairs but, as is true with any entertainment project with which we interact, we do not control the final product,” Morell explained.