These twenty-five hours of tape are not only the most wide-ranging interviews Henry Kissinger has ever given but, contractually, the last extended interviews he will give in his extraordinary life. The resulting ninety-minute documentary film is effectively his epitaph. Kissinger's is the only contemporary interview in the film, and his story is told with no narration and illustrated with the extraordinary film and audio archive, much of it never seen before. As such, the film offers a unique insight into the mind and personality of the man who, more than any other individual, shaped the post-war foreign policy of the United States. Indeed, with Nixon embroiled with Watergate, Kissinger was the high priest of U.S. grand strategy and decision making. For a time, he was the most powerful figure in the most powerful country in the world. Because of his reputation as a Machiavellian and devotee of Realpolitik, there is perhaps no more controversial figure in American public life. To many liberals, he is implicated in war crimes allegedly committed with his knowledge in countries from Cambodia to Chile. By allowing Kissinger to respond to these and other criticisms in his own words, this film recasts our understanding not only of the Cold War era but also of the predicament of the United States and the world today. The film also reveals the true character of this extraordinary multi-faceted man.
