I watched, with a friend, a movie titled, Waltz With Bashir. This movie is actually an animated documentary from Israel about the 1982 Lebanon War. The movie is not entertaining at all. I hadn’t read any reviews of it before going, and the way it was described to me gave me the impression that it was at least mostly a work of fiction. That was so not true hehe.
Waltz With Bashir is a very honest look (at least in my opinion) of the Massacre that took place in Lebanon (by Lebanese Christian Phalangists directly and by indirect aid, the IDF) in the Sabra and Shatila camps. If you are not familiar with the Sabra and Shatila Massacre I suggest you click the linkage and read about it (you may draw your own conclusions). The documentary was done by a man who was there and interviews people who were present at the time. The interesting thing to me about the entire affair is that, in my opinion, Israel has (and it’s not just related to the massacre but in other actions) in some ways participated in Nazi like dehumanisation of certain groups of people (be they labeled terrorist organization, or what basically amounts to refugees). But that’s for another discussion.
The movie/documentary is really well put together, and ends with some startling imagery. It was a little long, but at the end even though I wasn’t entertained so much as made informed of Israel’s complacency in the matter and how that further created tensions and militants in Palestine. This documentary (by an Israeli) will give you some more depth with which to think about the tensions that exist between Palestine and Lebanon and Israel. I believe there are torrents of the movie abound.
Update: OST Sample
Later Days!
I recently watched Persepolis, an animated film based on a woman’s experiences growing up in Iran, first during the reign of the Shah and then later after his downfall. The Iranians were much better off before the extremist muslim clerics took control. Ironically, they seemed to believe the removal of the Shah would automatically bring more democracy instead of less. Instead, the void of power created an opening for the religious fundamentalists. I’m sure you believe, like all good Americans, that the world will be better off when we flood the globe with troops and force everyone to be as free as we are.
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*salutes*
Is that, sarcasm I sense in your statement, fellow Prole? I hope that you are not committing Thought Crime. To clarify my stance, of _course_ I believe that flooding the world with troops to force everyone to be as free as we are will make the world a better place.
I’ve been wanting to see Persepolis! I’ve not had the chance. I always end up seeing something else or doing something else. Kind of the suck lol. Thanks for reminding me about that.
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At times like these I feel extremely sheltered. I have read a bit about the Middle East, and it is difficult for me to figure out exactly what is going on or whom to believe. I am guessing this film is not at the local Blockbuster.
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I saw it at a Landmark theatre, called the Tivoli. I am not sure that it’s playing nationwide or anything like that, but if you have a theatre that plays foreign films you could probably catch it in your area. Nice to see you again!
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