Archive for the ‘Israel’ Category

Victims of violence

An Israeli film that closely mirrors the work of Alejandro González Iñárritu such as Amores Perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003) and Babel (2006), Ajami (2009) is the directorial debut of Yaron Shani and Scandar Copti, and is an unflinching study of the nature of violence its aftermath, both on victims and perpetrators, and also a fascinating portrait of humanity struggling in one of the more volatile areas of the Middle East.

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Lemon tree, ‘green line’?

Once, when we lived in Oman on the Arabian Peninsula, writes Gerald Loftus, we visited a village perched in the rocky hills of the interior. We were there to see a falaj, one of the ancient irrigation canals cut into the stony hillsides, carrying precious water to small gardens and orchards. An Omani farmer took a liking to our small children, and offered us lemons plucked from one of his dozen or so trees. In hot, arid climates, these bright beautiful yellow fruit, standing out against the dark green leaves, are things of beauty.

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Arab-Israelis, Israeli-Arabs

Gerald Loftus returns with his thoughts on one of Cannes 2009′s Palme d’Or nominees…

Had Palestinian writer Raja Shehadeh (Palestinian Walks) written the screenplay of The Time That Remains (2009), the dwindling time might refer to the chance to hike the hills of Palestine before the Israelis completely cover them in concrete. Or maybe the time remaining before Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman succeeds in expelling Arab Israelis from the land of their birth.

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‘One more person. A person, Stern.’

There are some films that bypass critical carping and can lay claim to being perhaps the greatest ever made. Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1993) is one such work, and it is my privilege to talk to you about it.

The legend began back in 1982, when Australian author Thomas Keneally finally succeeded in publishing his account of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who managed to save some 1,100 Jews from the death camps in The Holocaust, or Shoah, as the Jewish race refers to mankind’s darkest hour.

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Dancing with death

It’s that man Gerald Loftus again, just to make sure he’s properly introduced…

Will Waltz With Bashir (2008), Israeli director Ari Folman’s animated memoir of his coming to grips with suppressed memories of his role in Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, become a subversive new model for war films? Soldiers – prevented from blogging or YouTube-ing their unit’s adventures, which may later be classed as war crimes – surreptitiously drawing haunting images in the fashion of Folman and his ‘gang’?

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Banding together

Ah, understatement. Perhaps one of the most difficult comedy nuances to capture but, when it’s done right, there are riches in store. To be honest, I sensed a discovery upon first reading the tagline to The Band’s Visit (2007), by former TV director Eran Kolirin, who also wrote the screenplay. And I quote: ‘Once – not long ago – a small Egyptian police band arrived in Israel. Not many remember this…it wasn’t that important.’

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