Phil Donahue has appeared on more than 6,000 hours of television, but if you see Body of War - the documentary that marks Donahue's first trip behind the camera - you won't catch even a glimpse of the shock of white hair that has become something of a trademark.

For Body of War, the dean of talk TV and outspoken critic of the Iraq war gets out of the way and allows the story of Tomas Young, a soldier from Kansas City, Mo., to emerge in heartbreaking fashion.

Young enlisted in the Army two days after Sept. 11. In 2004 - five days after he had arrived in Iraq and on his first mission into Sadr City - Young was shot. The wound left him paralyzed from the chest down. He never got out of the Humvee in which he was riding. He never fired a shot. He was 24.

Body of War also tells the story of another body, the U.S. Congress. Co-directed by Donahue and documentary filmmaker Ellen Spiro, the film provides a cascading series of sound bites from the one-sided debate that preceded approval of the joint resolution that allowed the president to use force in Iraq.

Donahue first encountered Young at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He had been invited to meet him by Ralph Nader after Young asked his mother, Cathy Smith, to arrange a meeting with Nader. At the time, Young regarded Nader as the only national leader speaking about bringing the troops home.

Donahue was slated to come to Denver, but a knee injury is keeping him at home. Film critic Robert Denerstein spoke with him by phone.

Your movie will be playing during the Democratic National Convention. Was that intentional?

Yes. Someone wanted to open it in Denver at the time of the DNC. I'm not sure whose idea it was, but I thought it would be great.

By now, it's pretty clear that movies about Iraq - both documentaries and features - haven't fared especially well at the box office. Why?

Our movie has received such wonderful response, but a commercial success we are not. This is not a "take-your-girl-to-the-movies" kind of movie. This is our attempt to show what the American people are not seeing. This is the most sanitized war of my lifetime. You can't feel it (the pain of war) if you don't see it.

I'm not saying that no one cares about the wounded, but it's below the radar. We're worried about whether we can keep our houses. I get that. Nobody's scolding anyone.

It's hard to suggest that people who don't want to see the film should be locked up, and you can't waterboard theater owners for not wanting to show it because they've seen those empty seats at past Iraq documentaries. But how would you like to be in Iraq with the bullets flying, and you're not even No. 1 (on America's list of concerns) anymore?

What prompted you to go see Tomas in the first place?

I wanted to see Walter Reed; I'd never seen it. It's our most famous military hospital. And this was before The Washington Post blew the whistle. I saw this kid with his cheekbones sticking out. He was totally medicated. He's a T4; he's paralyzed from the nipples down. He can't cough. He gets urinary infections. For him to go across the room to get a cigarette is an ordeal.

The first thing I thought when I saw him was, "Why not me?" I thought the American people should see Tomas. We've succeeded to the extent that a lot of people have seen our film and been moved by it.

You certainly can't be accused of skimping on pain. You show Tomas dealing with catheters, endless supplies of pills and a host of medical problems.

It was very courageous of Tomas to allow us to show as much as we do. He was brave over there and braver back here . . . My inspiration was the picture of the naked Vietnamese child running from the napalm. Remember that photo? (Associated Press photographer Nick Ut took what became one of the signature photos of the Vietnam War.) She's about 6, and she's stark naked, and you can see the napalm in the background.

We have a responsibility to show the sacrifice these young people are making, as well as the ones being made by their families.

What made you want to include the footage of Congress?

Without the congressional material, you've got a "poor-lad, how-sad" movie. This was a massive blunder enabled by a vote of the U.S. Congress . . . The president orchestrated a brilliant strategy of fear, and it worked. We're very proud that our film shows all of this.

What's happening with Tomas now?

He's in the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. About two months ago he had a pulmonary embolism while he was sleeping. For a long time we didn't know what the legacy would be here. Speech is difficult for him now. He did call me, and I could understand him. This was after weeks of being totally incommunicado. I'm confident with real concentrated rehab he's going to get his speech back.

He has hand movement deficit. His arms - which were totally mobile - are now shut down. He has to struggle to raise them. But we're optimistic that will come back with rehab. He still has his sense of humor. His brain is still working. He's fighting mightily to keep what he's got.

Body of War

* Cathy Smith, mother of Tomas Young, and co-director Ellen Spiro are slated to appear at the Chez Artiste this weekend. They will speak at various screenings at the theater today through Tuesday.

* Information: 303-757-7164