Lebanon [Blu-ray]

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.

"Lebanon" is the last of a small crop of acclaimed Israeli war films that addresses the First Lebanese War of 1982. The first was "Beaufort", released in 2007, followed by "Waltz with Bashir" in 2008. Curiously the first of these movies, Beaufort, depicts the last chapter of the war that involves the precipitous Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon. Waltz with Bashir is an animated film mostly centered around the massacre of Palestinian refugees in the camp of Sabra and Shatila. Beaufort was honest, sad and difficult to watch due to the slow motion prevailing in the film. Waltz with Bashir is enthralling but morally murky for eventually placing almost the entirety of the culpability of the massacre on the actions of the Lebanese Phalanges. Lebanon, I feel, is by far the best of the three. It has a unique form of presenting its story. The movie alternates scenes of the inside of a tank with views through the gunsight of the gun turret. The four Israeli soldiers inside the combat vehicle experience the events of the first 24 hours of the war in a progressively deteriorating atmosphere, suffused with broken equipment, stench, filth and smoke. Through the gunsight, the audience can visualize the war in its total depravity. The movie does not preach, take sides or sanitize the insanity of combat. The horrific scenes of destruction of property, dead and dying civilians, and unending pain and suffering are only matched by the quick psychological deterioration of the soldiers. The tank crew is not in control of their fate or environment, and there is no attempt to create false heroism or glorify their actions. Samuel Maoz, the director, delivers an astonishing cinematic experience. It is difficult to make comments about this movie that will not involve spoilers. Lebanon certainly more than deserved the Golden Lion Award it received at the 66th Venice International Film Festival. So far, Hollywood has still to match the boldness and calculated delivery of this movie. One may need to understand the context of the never ending conflict between Israel and Lebanon to better appreciate Mr. Maoz's work. Lebanese movies about the Second Lebanese War such as "Beirut Diaries & 33 Days" and "Under the Bombs" are a good complement to "Lebanon" for those interested in this tragic confrontation. Lebanon is not a movie for those who believe that war provides acceptable solutions for political disputes. I wish without much hope that one day the leaders of these two creative nations will attain the insight, compassion and sensibility of their movie directors and bring an end to the hatred and destruction that still go on.

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.

This film does for tanks what Das Boot does for submarines. It is well-filmed and well-acted and gives a tank's-eye view of the conflict in Lebanon with everything seen from the perspective of the tank crew. There is a real sense danger and the tension amongst the crew is built-up effectively by the director. This is a subtitles film - which may put some people off but it is a different take on warfare that is all the better for it.

Set inside an IDF tank during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon this film attempts, with success, to give an idea of the claustrophobia, confusion, and fear arising from fighting inside a large tin box with indifferent air conditioning, vision and lighting. The crew of the tank seem rather hopeless: a mixture of Dad's Army's Private Pike and a worker's soviet. They are by turns confused, truculent, and ready to run. However, for all the awesome power of the tank it is fighting in a town and depends on its little brothers - the paratroopers led by the ferocious Major Jamil - to protect it in an environment where it is blind. As if the crew had not enough to contend with in their own bickering they meet everything from a Syrian RPG operator, through some Phalangists to fedayeen using civilians as shields (though with indifferent results for themselves). The only conclusions I reached were that being a civilian in a shooting war is dangerous and that I think I would prefer serving with the Nine Mile Snipers than the Sprockets. Effective cinema but not one that will get repeat viewing.

Unfortunately has subtitles unable to watch. Always check to see if with subtitles unless you enjoy reading the screen!

Great movie and often overlooked. As practically everything happens inside the tank, it is very claustrophobic and will keep you feeling uneasy fight until the end.

Great