Customer Reviews

Beaufort

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A very interesting film, if not a particularly stirring one. It focuses on the last days of the Israeli occupation of Lebanon, similar to Vietnam for the US, more or less endless with no ability to actually win in any meaningful way at this stage of the game. The soldiers are dug into the heights around the Crusader fort Beaufort. Everyone knows they're leaving, but politics precludes them from evacuating immediately. So, they're just up there as sitting ducks, albeit well armored, fortified ducks, taking incoming mortar rounds, with no ability to fire back or do much of anything beyond keeping their heads down. Fear mixed with boredom, and a big dose of frustratation is pretty much the story, as they never actually see the enemy or fire a single round back, but hang on to do their duty until they can leave. You'll enjoy the film if you're interested in the subject matter or at least familiar with the war, but for many this will prove dull.

This Israeli film captures some of the deep ambiguities of the novel it is based on but must struggle with the challenge of externalizing a story that is mostly internal, told in the novel by its central character in a rich flood of thought occupying his brain as he deals with the impossibilities of the military situation he and his men have been thrust into. Also problematic, the camera robs the characters of their youth, as the actors portraying them are not really young enough to convincingly play 18-to-20 year olds. Meanwhile, the individual personalities of the young men, the humor, adolescent angst, quirkiness, and youthful playfulness, disappear behind the layers of protective gear they must wear 24/7. The one advantage of this film version of the story is that you can see the layout of the installation - a warren of narrow reinforced passageways - as well as the panoramic views from its mountaintop location.

If you have read the novel and want to relive the experience, relishing again a Catch-22 vision of warfare, this film may be a disappointment. For the most part, it tells its story straight, and stripped to the novel's fairly simple plot line, there is much less to enjoy. Missing in particular is the wild, absurd, often raunchy humor of the novel - the wacky carry-on of Zitlawi especially. Outtakes from the film, which are included on the DVD, suggest that the filmmakers tried to get cinematically out of the box - the men searching outside the fort for the body of a slain comrade, or bathing together in a stream - but the decision seems to have been to maintain the claustrophobia by keeping the action inside the walls of the fort as mortars randomly fall around them, fired by an unseen enemy. For Israeli viewers, this has every potential of symbolizing the nation's hold on an embattled piece of earth at the cost of maintaining a defense force that militarizes a large percentage of its own youth. It raises what must be uncomfortable questions.

Still, it's one of the best and most ambitious Israeli films I've ever seen. Its two hours take you to a time and place that represent what is often missing in news coverage. But read the book.

In 1982 on the first day of their controversial invasion of Lebanon, Israeli commandos stormed and captured the Crusader castle of Beaufort which had become a Palestinian fortress. Eighteen years later, as this movie begins, a group of young Israeli soldiers is preparing to leave, bringing the whole unhappy Lebanon adventure to an end.
The filmmakers shot this in another Crusader castle, Kalat Nimrod, on the Golan Heights. Within its walls, they contructed a bewildering rabbit warren of underground passages, reinforced concrete barriers and outposts from which the soldiers keep watch on the enemy.
There is a palpable atmosphere of clastrophobic despair in this movie. We never glimpse the enemy and the Israelis fire not a single shot during its two-hours. They cower under a constant barrage of Hizbollah mortar fire, asking themselves what the hell they are doing there. They watch as a collague is blown to smithereens trying to dismantle a mine to open a road that goes nowhere which nobody uses. They see two colleagues killed by guided anti-tank missiles to which the Israeli army has no answer. Their commander, a kid called Liraz, tries to bolster his men's determination and belief in the mission -- but he himself no longer understands the mission. There is a certain mystique about the site itself -- but it turns out that the famous capture in 1982 may have been the result of a military blunder.
Israel's invasion of Lebanon was a tragic mistake. It was designed to make northern Israel safe from Palestinian rockets but the Palestinians were simply replaced by an even more implaccable enemy, Hizbollah. In 2006, Israel made the same mistake again and fought the Second Lebanon War against Hizbollah, proving that the country's political leaders had learned nothing.
Hundreds of lives were sacrificed for nothing.
This movie, brilliantly designed, photographed and acted, is a metaphor for these twin tragedies.

From a history perspective I found the story to be interesting. From a theatrical viewpoint I found the acting to be good but the directing left a lot to be desired. History some might argue can sometimes be boring while telling the true story line. Regardless this movie moved entirly too slow for my taste.

The scene is a heavily fortified fort in Lebanon where the Israeli soldiers are to abandon the place and detonate the place soon. The decision is made. Whatever the reasons for coming and staying, it is over and they are leaving. The film shows their lives during these last few weeks.

To the soldiers in the fort. There is no purpose is dieing just to stay a bit longer. I found it interesting that to the higher command and to many others, the fort represented something. It had a history. But to the soldiers all they want to do is go and survive. When someone dies, they question the purpose. While the officer in charge, is trying to keep them together.

I found the scenes of the social attitudes of the Israeli soldiers and commander interesting.

The acting is good as is the story.

This movie, just like the Russian movie "The 9th Company" succeeds to display the futility of a war, while avoiding to demonize enemies, still making heroes of its characters. The Israeli soldiers defend the medieval fort at the end of the occupation of Southern Lebanon, awaiting their withdrawal any day. Seemingly no strategic value, this guardpost is becoming the target of constant harrassments from unseen enemies. Still, soldiers are dying for seemingly senseless objectives. Just when you think you would be attached to a character, just when he is becoming a human being with memories, dreams and fallacies, there is a sudden, unexpected climax and he is gone. One may expect an IED to blow up even when a dog can walk around it without triggering explosion, but getting hit by an American made anti tank missile while cooking breakfast at a guardpost is just shockingly surprising. Even heroic volunteering ends up with tragedy and it is only too ironic that after the withdrawal the Israelis themselves blow up the very same fort they were painstakingly fortifying with concrete just not very long before. A sad tale, but a great and symbolic one; this movie will be up there with other military classics.

We were lucky enough to host Ron Leshem, author of Beaufort and co-writer of the script to the movie.

The movie on its own is an amazing glimpse into the life of Israeli IDF soldiers in the year 2000. Leshem gave us a short introduction to the movie and answered questions following the movie. This was the cherry on top of a wonderful and very moving piece.

We were very fotunate to watch the movie and meet the writer of a book we love so much.

It was nominated for Best Foreign Film Oscar award - it should have won it. The story stays with you long after you saw the film. It's one of those "I want to see it again films".

I picked up this movie recently because or my recent interest in movies coming out of Israel. I didn't know much beforehand about the movie, other than it was nominated for a Best Foreign Movie Oscar in 2007.

"Beaufort" (127 min., originally released in 2006) is a gritty and tough Israeli military drama set on the Beaufort hill in Lebanon, which Israel occupied in 1982. The movie chronicles the last few weeks and days of that occupation, following the Israeli soldiers as they prepare to leave while at the same time enduring the mortars and firing from the Hizbollah around them. The movie's overall theme reminded me of both "Apocalyse Now" (the absurdity of war) and "Das Boot" (the close confines of living in such conditions). A sense of doom is all over the movie, even though in the end, the last remaining soldiers escape (albeit not after losing several in the last days in battle). I thought this was an engrossing movie from star to finish, and highly recommend it. Easy to see why this was nominated for a Best Foreign Movie Oscar.

As mentioned before, I've been on a roll of Israeli movies, and have generally been surprised/elated by the quality of movies coming from Israel. If you are looking for other great Israeli movies in recent years, let me just mention Lemon Tree, Or My Treasure, Free Zone, Tehilim, For My Father, Seven Minutes in Heaven, My Father My Lord, Walz With Bashir, and of course last Fall's theatrical release Lebanon.

War is not about the grandiose sweeping event that the average persons read in historical account or see on the cable news. War is about the small groups of individuals living their daily lives while event s beyond their control affect them. This is the story of the Beufort, a 12th century Crusader stronghold used as the anchor of the Israeli defense of southern Lebanon for 18 years.
Some of the reviewer may be indeed correct that there are geopolitical events that are not portrayed in the film and there may be truth to the idea that the soldiers stationed at the Beufort because of the aggression of the enemy. But, that is not what this movie is about.
This movie is about the small combat unit under daily enemy fire. Frustrated, like all soldiers that they cannot go an attack and they cannot pull back. What is worse, is after they get an order to abandon the Beufort and destroy it, thus making them feel it was all for nothing.
The movie is about the soldiers as they face the abandonment of their mission with out resolution and closure. You can feel the pain the commander feel as his men are killed by the faceless artillery shells with out being able to do anything but hide in the bunkers. You feel his gloom s he is told to abandon his position without doing anything heroic or soldier like.
To all those that think the movie forgot the heroes of the war, I would like them to remember that war especially guerrilla or wars of attrition are not glamorous affair lead by "John Wayne" types. This movie was spectacular at what it was meant to portray. If you want unrealistic heroics go rent "Sands of Iwo Jima" and watch it over and over, then go enlist.