Customer Reviews

Jerusalem: City of Heaven [VHS]

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I first saw this film as a show on the Discovery channel back in 1997, when it was first made. It impressed me so much that when it was subsequently re-aired, I made a point of recording it; I've watched it many times since. What makes this documentary so compelling is the fact that, while it does detail the facts of Jerusalem's history and religious points of interest, it does so with an aura that borders on the mystical. Liam Neeson's solemn narration accompanies the powerful footage, highlighting Jerusalem's mysterious, ever-changing, and ultimately violent past. But while the past inherently permeates literally every aspect of life within Jerusalem, it is in covering the city's deeply divided "present" that this film differentiates itself from many documentaries. Coverage is given to Jews, Christians, and Moslems and each of their most sacred holy places within the city and, again, the cinematography, score, and narration really put this film into another stratosphere. Even after watching this many times over the last 12 years, many parts of this film still give me the chills and bring me to tears, regardless of my own faith. This documentary should be much more widely known than it is, the creators have captured in 90 minutes the haunting soul of this most holiest of cities.