It is 3am on June 6th 1982, the start of the first Lebanon War. A solitary tank has been sent behind enemy lines to search a hostile town that has been bombed by the Israeli Air Force. Three naive young boys, Shmulik (Yoav Donat), Hertzel (Oshri Cohen) and Yigal (Michael Moshonov) along with their young commander Assi (Italy Tiran) make up the tank crew. "Lebanon" is an Israeli War film and through its narrative, we are given a glimpse, for a while, into the lives of the four lads as they are dispatched into the conflict, embarking on their own personal journeys of... fear and survival as the real horror of war unfolds in front of them.
The film is set totally within the suffocating confines of the tank (apart from short scenes at the beginning and end) and this serves to intensify the graphic depiction of the claustrophobia, appalling isolation and gross discomfort they have to endure. Their hell is our hell as the scenes of war unfold in front of us, cleverly displayed in tunnel vision through the gun turret of the tank. As the crosshair in the viewfinder comes to rest on ordinary, often guiltless people, and the orders come though the radio to take aim and fire, we are witness to the trauma, blind panic and rapid mental destruction of these innocent, inexperienced young lads.
Lebanon is, in essence an "anti-war" film, however the story does not come across as being over exaggerated; indeed its portrayal of events are completely believable.
"Lebanon" was directed by Samuel Maoz and is based on his own personal experience as a member of a tank crew during the first Lebanon war (1982). The film won the "Golden Lion" Award at the Venice Film Festival in 2009 and has been given two awards at the 25th European Film Festival in 2010 (Carlo Dipalma European Cinematographer Award (Giora Bejach) and the European Discovery - Prix Fipresci). It is available on DVD and Blu Ray.
The First Lebanon War - June, 1982. A lone tank is dispatched to search a hostile town that has already been bombarded by the Israel Air Force. What seems to be a simple mission gets gradually out of control and turns into a shivering nightmare. [show more]
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Please note this is a region B Blu-Ray and will require a region B or region free Blu-Ray player in order to play. Lebanon is a personal film, a film about four boys who had never been involved in anything violent before and found themselves killing people, A film about survival against a palpable threat of death, a situation in which the conflict between their basic instincts and human conscious claims its victims. The First Lebanon War - June, 1982: A lone tank is dispatched to search a hostile town that has already been bombarded by the Israel Air Force. What seems to be a simple mission gets gradually out of control and turns into a death trap, a shivering nightmare. Shmuel the gunner, Assi the commander, Herzl the loader and Yigal the driver are the tank's crew. Four boys aged 20 plus who are operating a killing machine. They are not fighters, eager for battle, conquest or self-sacrifice. Entangled in the absurd and unfair war nets they are terrified to death by its horrors. They're brave kids losing their innocence in the most brutal way and being mentally destroyed. A sharp basic instinct will push them to the limits as they struggle hard to survive in a situation they cannot contain anymore,desperately trying not to lose their humanity amid the chaos of war. Actors Reymond Amsalem, Ashraf Barhom, Oshri Cohen, Yoav Donat, Michael Moshonov, Zohar Shtrauss, Dudu Tassa & Itay Tiran Director Samuel Maoz Certificate 15 years and over Year 2009 Duration 1 hour and 29 minutes (approx)
Israeli war drama directed by Samuel Maoz and based on his own experiences. Depicting 24 hours in the life of four Israeli paratroopers at the outset of the 1982 Lebanon invasion, the film follows the soldiers on a mission to clear a Lebanese area of hostile fighters. Filmed almost entirely from inside the tank in which they are travelling, the film follows the men as they cope with the deteriorating state of the tank, the stress, intense heat and cramped conditions inside, the occasional failure of the communication equipment, navigational problems and the inevitable quarrelling.
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