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Movies / On DVD / Forget Baghdad
Forget Baghdad

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Forget Baghdad (2003)

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Reviews Counted:12

Fresh:9

Rotten:3

Average Rating:6.9/10

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Theatrical Release:Dec 5, 2003 Limited

Synopsis: A film reflecting upon the clichés of "the Jew" and "the Arab" in the last hundred years of cinema, combined with the biographies of some extraordinary individuals: Iraqi-Jewish communists. "Son... A film reflecting upon the clichés of "the Jew" and "the Arab" in the last hundred years of cinema, combined with the biographies of some extraordinary individuals: Iraqi-Jewish communists. "Son of the Sheikh" ­ "Jud Süss" ­ "Exodus" ­ "True Lies". Silent film star Valentino as the noble Bedouin. The image of the "greedy Jew" serving the Nazi cause. Paul Newman as the blue-eyed Jewish freedom fighter in Palestine. The dark-skinned, hook-nosed, hysterically shrieking Arab terrorist who gets annihilated by Schwarzenegger… A muddled composite of cineastic memories! Jewish Arabs? Arab Jews? Sephardim? Mizrahim? ­ Over the past few years, there has been a lively debate in Israel, mainly among intellectual "Mizrahim" (Middle Eastern Jews). Their criticism is directed at the politics of alienation and instrumentalization of Arab Jews, stemming from the colonial pretensions asserted by Israel’s European-influenced founding generation. Over the years, Samir ­ himself the child of Iraqi immigrants in Switzerland ­ has focused on the issues of alienation and the formation of identity in his films. In the context of this discussion, Prof. Ella Shohat (sociologist and film historian at the City University of New York) is one of the most important figures in the film. Raised in Israel as the daughter of Iraqi Jews, she reflects on her history. The film "Forget Baghdad" also focuses on the life stories of four other exceptional individuals: Shimon Ballas, Professor of Arabic in Tel Aviv, is involved in the pro-Palestinian peace and civil rights movement. Sami Michael, one of Israel’s most famous best-selling authors, who broke with the communists back in the mid-1950s. Moshe (Moussa) Houri, a wealthy kiosk owner and building contractor in a Tel Aviv suburb who to this day continues to vote for communists. Samir Naqqash, the only one of the four who still writes in Arabic. His works of literature have brought him critical acclaim and quite a number of prizes but publishers these days are no longer interested in bringing out his books ­ neither those in the Arab world nor those in Israel... The four old protagonists were influenced back in their youth by the internationalism of the Iraqi communist party. Yet in the early 1950s, their religious background as Arab Jews put them at odds with the rising Arab nationalism which, paradoxically, they had been supporting with their political work as communists. Fleeing to Israel was like going from the frying pan into the fire, where as communists they were treated like outsiders and viewed with suspicion. Though they felt part of the Arab world, they had no choice but to assimilate and adopt a new culture. Their identity as "Mizrahim" and their political orientation made them frequent targets of chauvinistic ignorance. Their lives thus provide exemplary reflections of this century’s history and how the "new world disorder" came to take hold. As in his earlier documentary "Babylon 2" (1993), Samir interweaves the various levels to create an artistic and entertaining montage film. -- © Dschoint Ventschr [More]

Director: Samir

Director: Samir
Screenwriter: Samir
Producer: Karin Koch, Gerd Haag, Samir

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Release:

Nov 21, 2006

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Reviews for Forget Baghdad

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1 - 14 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
09/26/05
Michael O'Sullivan
Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
01/06/04
Christopher Farah
Christopher Farah
Salon.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Timely and thought-provoking, if a bit rambling.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
12/23/03
Deborah Young
Deborah Young
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Indulges in so much visual trickery you sometimes miss what the people are saying.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
12/19/03
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Uses an innovative and daring style to inform a provocative and relevant topic.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
12/09/03
Eric Monder
Eric Monder
Film Journal International

Samir's presentation is uninspired and too long. It's outdated, too.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
12/05/03
V.A. Musetto
V.A. Musetto
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The constant flow of background images can be distracting, but this is nonetheless a fascinating film that offers an unexpected and valuable perspective on the on-going Arab-Israeli conflict.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
12/04/03
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Forget Baghdad probes the twilight existence of four Arab Jews who have felt the sting of bigotry both in Iraq where they were born and in Israel where they now live.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
12/04/03
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

A fascinating but disorganized documentary.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
12/04/03
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Articulate interviews and an unusually creative visual style make the picture as lively to watch as it is illuminating to think about.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
12/04/03
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

Grainy video and gimmicky editing give this documentary an amateurish feel, but Samir's charming, rueful interlocutors shine through.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
12/02/03
Anya Kamenetz
Anya Kamenetz
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film demonstrates a grasp of complicated, unfamiliar affairs -- but it dillydallies around and runs in too many circles.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
11/28/03
Donald J. Levit
Donald J. Levit
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

A fascinating documentary about identity, assimilation, and the affects of migration.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
11/14/03
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Samir does his best to make the audience understand the difficulty that these people face in sustaining past identity when the Arabs are considered Israeli enemies.

Full Review Source: MovieMartyr.com | comment Comment
11/11/03
Jeremy Heilman
Jeremy Heilman
MovieMartyr.com
 
 
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