But even with the new docu-dramas and firsthand looks, scoop-hungry consumers are still unlikely to be satisfied. The Elizabeth Smart projects were with the cooperation of Ed and Lois, who keep the accounts vague. They do acknowledge the stress the kidnapping caused in their family and marriage, and the book offers a poignant account of the family’s Christmas without their daughter. But neither the book nor the TV movie addresses alleged sexual abuse by Smart’s abductor. “I’m with CBS, and [even] I want to know the whole story,” says a CBS spokesman. The truth is similarly hard to discern in the Lynch projects, though al-Rehaief has everything to gain by dishing–and he does. A recent BBC documentary, “War Spin: Jessica Lynch,” questions official reports of the rescue, speculating that the event was hyped by the U.S. government to divert attention from an unpopular war. Likely not even next week’s book by Lynch, “I Am a Soldier, Too,” will clear things up–Lynch has stated she doesn’t remember the events that made her famous.
But in the battle of the human-interest stories, Lynch ultimately wins. The Elizabeth Smart offerings are worth a look, but the less restricted Lynch projects offer more drama. (And hers looks more like a real movie.) But the best of the offerings is the one least likely to get the attention. Ignore the cheesy-looking cover on al-Rehaief’s book and delve in. The Iraqi’s inside account of living under Saddam Hussein’s regime is genuinely riveting.
