House of Saddam (BBC & HBO, 2008)IMDB LinkThe show might not be a great miniseries on Saddam Hussein, in terms of providing documentary-style amount of facts, but as a dramatized account on Saddam Hussein it is great.
And that is the qualities you should look for in a miniseries like this. It is impossible to cover the complexities and the amount of information needed to convey in telling the story of Hussein’s life and political governance. That you should be able to find in non-fiction books on him. Instead it is better to do the things that a non-fiction can not do, and that is to be able to provide an intense, condensed, well-acted, well-directed, well-written version of Saddam Hussein’s life. This four part miniseries does this. And to be able to achieve this better, it would need a focus, and it is focused on Hussein’s dealings with his closest friends and family.
In the four episodes, the events in the Saddam’s inner circle are set to the backdrops of four different major eras in his rule. These are the Iran-Iraq war, the Gulf War, Iraq under sanctions, and Gulf War 2.
This is a side note, but amusingly Saddam Hussein is played by an Israel-Jew actor and his wife is played by an Iranian. These two nations Hussein’s biggest enemy! He must be turning around in his grave! (that is, if he is dead and not drinking whiskey with Bush, Cheney, and Bin Ladin in a secret hiding area in Washington).
It should go without saying that you should not use the show as the sole source to educate yourself, but I will say it anyway, because you might. It is a good drama, but like most shows and movies on political persons, it is still drama, and should be a supplement to a good understanding of the figure. If you do not know much about him, use it to gain some additional information, but remember that there are probably layers to the story that you do not know, and you should probably get it from other sources. As long as you keep that in mind, then you should enjoy yourself and learn something! For example, did you know that Saddam Hussein had someone write the Quran using Hussein’s own blood as ink? Woah, I was almost sure that it was based on a rumor for dramatic purposes, but I checked a few sources online, and it does seem to be true.
“Saddam Hussein: Look around you, Uday. Look around. The land between the two rivers. The first great armies and empires were founded here. Do you know the first laws were written here? We have the birthplace of civilization beneath our feet. And we will make it great again, you and I. We are lucky men, Uday. We have... a land to die for.
Young Qusay Hussein: Baba, I'm hot.
Saddam Hussein: Have you heard a word I've said? You are your mother's son. Of course you're hot! We are in the desert! Drink some water!”4/5
