Lebanon

In 2011, Americans are once again celebrating Wolfgang Petersen's masterpiece of filmmaking about WWII German U-boat crews, Das Boot (Two-Disc Collector's Set) [Blu-ray]. Yet another edition of the movie was released this year to the acclaim of critics and even a special National Public Radio report on the movie.By contrast, very few Americans have ever heard of this remarkable Israeli film, which might be described as the Das Boot of tank warfare in the Middle East. It's called just: Lebanon. Don't confuse this with another 2011 release, Lebanon, PA., which is the story of an American advertising executive who returns to his hometown. The award-winning Israeli film has just a single word for its English title: Lebanon.While you could consider Lebanon as the Das Boot of tank warfare, that focus on the military hardware misses the kind of terrific discussions you can have with this film by director Samuel Maoz. Sure, if you're a "war buff," this movie is essential for your movie collection. But here's what makes Lebanon so eye-popping and so sure to fuel spirited conversation: Samuel Maoz was an Israeli army gunner on one of the first tanks that crossed the border in the 1982 Lebanon War. His experiences burned themselves into his psyche so deeply that he worked for years to create this 94-minute drama about a tank crew similar to his own. Watch the extras on this DVD in which Maoz steps from behind his camera and describes the trauma of his own experiences.I've watched Lebanon with American viewers who don't know much about this film and their first guess is that it's an Arab-made movie. It's certainly an anti-war film and not what most Americans viewers would expect coming out of Israel. Yet, Maoz won 4 Israeli Academy Awards for his production of Lebanon--along with other international honors the movie has racked up. The film's shocking and deeply compassionate scenes ring with the truth of Maoz's own experience. No one could have created this script out of sheer imagination. In fact, if you're a fan of this film by Maoz, you should also consider Amos Gitai's Kippur, another war film based on the filmmaker's own trauma.In my judgment, though, Lebanon is a far more fully realized drama than Yom Kippur. For instance, there's one final scene of compassion between an Israeli and an Arab soldier in Lebanon that's unlike any other war movie you've ever seen--period. Want to talk about Middle East conflict in a fresh and humane way? Get Lebanon.

Overall, this film was an interesting portrayal of war. It did a good job of highlighting the multiple emotions that a solider goes through and even showcased how parts of war can be boring and slow. The film took you through the progression of a soldier: the initial hesitation, resolve, facing the consequences of your actions and the actions of the people around you, and the undercurrent of fear that controls the situation. The point of view from the tank did an excellent job of making the audience feel like they are in the tank and in the action too. The dark color pallet also helped set the tone. I agree with another reviewer who said the war was neither pro war nor anti war. It seemed to be an honest portrayal. I did not like most of the characters, most of whom acted like this was the first ever combat situation they had been in (one of them was being discharged in three weeks, so he clearly had to have some kind of experience prior). However in a way, the characters' hesitations made the movie more realistic--people do not know how they would actually act in a conflict situation until they are in it.

dry but realistic

The 2009 90 minute movie is mostly in Hebrew with English subtitles. The film is through the eyes of a small group of Israeli tankers- their challenges and how they comprehend tragedy and war during the 1982 Israel-Lebanon War. This takes place in a tank...yes, the entire movie takes place inside a tank with a few scenes of what one Israeli soldier sees when he looks through the tank's vision port. Their interaction with each other is raw and a little humorous. There is some communication via radio and face-to-face with their chain of command, a Phalange (Lebanese Christian group fighting on the side of Israel) and with a (I believe Syrian) POW who disabled their tank with a rocket and then was captured and detained in the cramped quarters of the tank. The POW does not speak Hebrew, and the Israelis do not speak Arabic but communicate with the Phalange soldier through a common language of English.I was curious about the recent Hamas-Israel conflict and had been recommended a book which I recently finished called "The Genius of Israel" (released Nov 2023). In it, there was mention of this movie so I decided to check it out as the book was Outstanding (different review). The movie motivated me to read more on Israel's conflict with Lebanon and Israel's tumultuous history.Highly recommend this award winning film.

I have no idea how this movie received 90% approval on Rotten Tomatoes. I'm assuming political because as a film it fails in several areas. The actors were extremely annoying and provided an undisciplined environment that would be surprising in any armed service, even with the stress of combat. The tank only view was unique but also failed in a lot of ways. Everyone in the movie looked right into the crosshairs with a weird soulful pained look. Speaking of the tank, it gave no sense of the tight confines that a real tank has, it was the the size of a small room! Just a bad story and bad way to tell that story. Watch Fury or The Beast if you are looking for tank drama.