Customer Reviews

Lost Worlds of the Middle East: Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel [VHS]

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In these troubling times, it is so refreshing to find a tape which puts the Middle East into perspective in a way which is neither pedantic nor proselytizing. It seems that every "expert" we hear who speaks about this region has a strong agenda, but this film tells it like it is, and in courageous terms. Of paramount importance is the way the film characterizes most Arabs and Muslims as a people almost un paralleled in their generosity and personal kindness, while also pointing the finger at their xenophobic governments, who repress criticism and stifle democracy. It is the governments, police, and small cells within these countries, who give us the impression of the Middle East as a region of radicalism and intolerance. The depiction of a lawless Lebanon of the 1970's and 80's, of a quietly repressive Syria in 2000, and of a West-leaning and relatively liberal Jordan is exact, and accurate. And the absolute contrast of Israel on the borders of these regions - a democracy utterly filled with Western style freedoms, and Western style weapons - captures the unease of the region in poetic and concrete terms. The depiction of the US a distant Roman Empire, exporting a culture and world view which causes the secular and fundamentalist factions in these countries to split and divide is well worth contemplating. A fascinating work. Recommended.