The Children of Heaven

Amazon.com

Majid Majidi celebrates the immediacy and essence of childhood in this delightful tale of a brother and sister who share a pair of shoes when the boy (though no fault of his own) loses his sister's only pair. Since their parents are too poor to afford a new pair, they keep it a secret, trading them off every day in a mad rush, jumping gutters and navigating the twisting lanes to their schools and back. Then the boy hatches a plan: the third-place prize in a student footrace is a new pair of shoes, and he's determined to take it. The plot may smack of a Disney film, but the direction couldn't be more different. The family scenes are delicately observed, and Majidi captures the spirit of the children perfectly: proud, emotional, petulant, sweet, and disarmingly sincere. The film has a Western-friendly framework without losing the naturalistic eye and lolling rhythm that gives the best Iranian films their richness. Even as he builds to the climactic footrace (quite unexpectedly turned into a nail-biting contest) the film continues to reveal a wealth of discreet surprises, culminating in a conclusion all the more resonant for its sublime delicacy. His efforts earned the film the honor of becoming the first Iranian feature to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Triumphant prizewinner at many prestigious film festivals, this uplifting, crowd-pleasing story of family and love was also nominated for an Academy Award(R) as Best Foreign Language Film. When Ali loses his sister Zahra's school shoes, this young pair dream up a plan to stay out of trouble: they'll share his shoes and keep it a secret from their parents! But if they're going to sucessfully cover their tracks, Ali and Zahra must carefully watch their step on what rapidly turns into a funny and heartwarming adventure! A magical motion picture acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, CHILDREN OF HEAVEN is a charming treat you'll love too.

Customer Reviews:

Just loved this movie.......2007-08-14

Considering that there are no real actors in the movie, it's fantastic. I loved it. Shows you another side of life as well.

spellbinding..........2007-08-11

I had to almost force myself to sit through the beginning of Children of Heaven since it seemed so slow, and visually dull. However, the payoff for "enduring" the first part was well worth it. The movie was gorgeous, meticulous, and I consider it to be the most elegantly simple, yet powerful movie I've seen in ages. I guess the story could be recapped in few sentences, but it's deceivingly complex. It's a story of poverty and sacrifice, a little like The Gift of the Maji. I believe just about any age viewer could appreciate this film. In hindsight, my initial difficulty had more to do with being dulled by big, hollywood productions, which are made to grab the viewer at every turn. This film unfolds organically, and is understated in its beauty. I hope you'll watch it. I can't imagine you would regret it.

a few unanswered questions.......2007-06-20

Overall, I liked this movie, but there are a few answered questions for me:

Unlike other reviewers, I don't have a hard time believing that the parents wouldn't immediately notice Zahara's missing shoes. The children don't wear the shoes inside the house, and between the mother's health problems, the new baby, and the father's job situation, they have other things on their minds. But sooner or later, there should have been some questioning.

What I did question was:

1. Why wouldn't Ali wear his sandals to school? Zahra refused to wear hers out of pride, as she wasn't the one who lost the shoes. Are sandals not allowed in his school?
2. Why didn't Ali come closer to Zahara's school to exchange shoes at midday?
3. Why didn't Ali explain the situation to his teacher, who seemed an understanding, decent sort?
4. How did Ali's parents not know that their son was in the big race?
5. Why couldn't Ali sell the first place prize and use the money to buy sneakers?

All of these questions could have been answered pretty easily and would have helped create more depth to the characters and tension to the story. Also, I wouldn't have had him win (or even place) in the race. The physical ending would have been the same, but with far more emotional impact.

The cinematography was gorgeous.

Great Iranian film.......2007-06-17

One of the new Iranian cinema's most accessible films, this is actually a very worthy movie, if a bit on the sentimental side (while Iranian movies have a strongly humanistic bent, they usually reject maudlin sentimentalism). Directed by Kiarostami's disciple Majidi, this story tells the tale of a brother and a sister from a poor neighborhood in Tehran. Problem comes when the boy, through no fault of his own, loses her sister's shoes. Since their family is too poor to buy a new pair of shoes, they have to share their shoes in secret, trading them off in a rush every day. The boy eventually comes up with a plan to solve this problem: entering into a race that gives a pair of shoes as a prize to the third-placed runner. The climactic race is a bit on the sentimental side, but the movie is very much worthwhile watching. And it has some nice side plots, as when the brother goes with his father to a rich Tehran neighborhood to find work as gardeners.

Shoes for a Brother and Sister.......2007-06-15

Great entertainment for the entire family. The interaction between the young brother and sister is well worth watching this movie. The pair make adjustments in their daily routines (due to the loss of a tiny pair of pink shoes). The acting abilities of the young stars (especially the little girl) are amazing. The movie will have you following along (and occasionally smiling and laughing along the way) while the pair work hard at keeping the loss of the shoes from their parents.

I Have Found It (Kandukondain Kandukondain)

Average customer rating:

Wish I knew Indian
I Wish I Hadn't Found It
A Great Introduction to Hindi/Tamil Movies
GROOVY but $19.99
Superb!

I Have Found It (Kandukondain Kandukondain)
Starring: Mammootty , Ajith , Tabu , Aishwarya Rai , and Abbas
Director: Rajiv Menon
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006J280U
Release Date: 2005-01-18

Customer Reviews:

Wish I knew Indian.......2007-08-16

I enjoyed the movie.

Unfortunately I didn't realize that it was in the Indian language and that it was subtitled. I had to keep pausing the movie and going in reverse to read the subtitles (my eye sight is not that great on a small screens).

Other than that, I liked the movie. The people and the emotions on the scren were vibrant and colorful.

I Wish I Hadn't Found It.......2007-08-16

This film is a lumbering disappointment. While some of the Tamil dance numbers were intriguing,they were soon followed by two of the goofiest vocal numbers: one involved a wealthy young financier floating down the river on a raft,for no particular reason, while serenading a rainstorm; this same character - he does get around - is later seen, clad in a cape, at some fantasy castle with his love "Ash". She, you, and I would have been better served if he had earlier drowned in the river. The entire film could have used some careful editing, starting with the opening military sequence, which really served no purpose. I'd recommend, instead the 1995 Sense and Sensiblity, or, if you want two good Indian films, watch Lagaan or Fanaa.

A Great Introduction to Hindi/Tamil Movies.......2007-07-25

I love, love, love this movie. It was my first Tamil film, and is by far still my favorite. The music is awesome by A. R. Rahman, I'm wanting to buy the soundtrack, but can't seem to find it *hint to Amazon*. Even my kids love this movie, age 7 and 5. I lent this movie to a friend two weeks ago, who has yet to return it. It's just a fun wholesome movie for the family. The actors are brilliant, the costumes are brilliant, I can't say a bad thing about this movie. I've seen two different subtitle versions of this movie, and by far Kino has the best subtitles, the other one I saw was really furstrating. So, be careful about which subtitles you get, it really does make a difference.

GROOVY but $19.99.......2007-06-13

I haven't been able to watch exuberant Bollywood movies because the visuals have just been too overwhelming for me. I purchased this movie despite the high price because I was curious about what a Kolkatta movie is like. I am so happy I got to watch this movie. I recommend it. I hated spending $19.99 but this movie was easy to watch and Kollywood IS different from Bollywood. I'm glad I got a chance to see the contrast in style. This is definitely a talented production apart from being adapted from a strong story by Jane Austen unlike Bride and Prejudice which I find unwatchable.

Superb!.......2007-06-07

Indeed, Bollywood is not for everyone; the sudden silly dances, the childish scenes, drama, action, romance all together, but this Tamil movie is just outstanding! I have my own Bollywood collection, and this is definetely one of the best. I watched it after a huge disappointment with Mistress of Spices, which I thought would be interesting. This is how I like to see Aishwarya, good acting, great story and yes lovely lovely music. A MUST for any Indian-wanna-be like yours truly.

Average customer rating:

In A Word: Impressive
Dean on Display
Classic American Cinema
Moviemaking at its best
Great film, terrible dvd commentary

East of Eden (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Julie Harris , James Dean , Raymond Massey , Burl Ives , and Richard Davalos
Director: Elia Kazan
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0007US7F8
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Amazon.com essential video

East of Eden is an acknowledged classic, and the starring debut of James Dean lifts it to legendary status. John Steinbeck's novel gave director Elia Kazan a perfect Cain-and-Abel showcase for Dean's iconic screen persona, casting the brooding star as Cal, the younger of two brothers vying for the love of their Bible-thumping father (Raymond Massey) in Monterey, California, at the dawn of World War I. Massey is a lettuce farmer, striving for market domination with an ill-fated refrigeration scheme. Having discovered that his presumed-dead mother (Oscar ^® winner Jo Van Fleet) is a brothel owner in nearby Salinas, Cal convinces her to finance an investment that will restore his father's lost fortune, but neither money nor the tenderness of his brother's fiancée (Julie Harris) can assuage Cal's anguished need for paternal acceptance that comes nearly too late. Kazan's oblique camera angles and Dean's tortured emoting may seem extreme by latter-day standards, but their theatrics make East of Eden a timeless tale of family secrets and hard-won affection. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Based on John Steinbeck's novel and directed by Elia Kazan, East of Eden is the first of three major films that make up James Dean's movie legacy. The 24-year-old idol-to-be plays Cal, a wayward Salinas Valley youth who vies for the affection of his hardened father (Raymond Massey) with his favored brother Aron (Richard Davalos). Playing off the haunting sensitivity of Julie Harris, Dean's performance earned one of the film's four Academy Award nominations.* Among the movie's stellar performances, Jo Van Fleet won the Oscar as Best Supporting Actress.

Customer Reviews:

In A Word: Impressive.......2007-09-09

Wow, what an impressive screen debut for a 24-year-old. That was the famous James Dean, here in his first of three starring roles before death took him at a tragically young age. Just as impressive, however, is the overall performance of the rest of the cast, including lesser-known Richard Davalos, who also was making his movie debut.

The most impressive person connected to this movie, however, was director Elia Kazan who not only excelled directing this film but - in the same year - directed "On The Waterfront." Now, that's not a bad year of work!

Overall, it's a solid drama with complex characters who make you reflect about them long after you view this. I don't know why it took so long for me to finally see this movie, but I was impressed. (May I recommend this two-disc, special-edition DVD?). I am surprised it only garnered one Academy Award. I think it deserved more.

Dean on Display.......2007-06-22

Excellent film, but lost much of book's richness. For example, there is no Chinese-American character. Dean exhibits some fine acting.

Classic American Cinema.......2007-05-23

James Dean has become a legend, both because of his amazing talent and the fact that he died so young. One has to wonder how he would have developed if he had lived longer. He, Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando all appeared at the same time, with the same soul searing magic. Clift died young too. Would Dean have self destructed like Marlon Brando or matured to handsome but sensible old-age like Paul Newman and Robert Redford? Of course we don't know, but fortunately we have these records of the few films he made, to enjoy.

Elia Kazan made this movie from a book by Steinbeck, who was inspired by the write of the book of Genesis. Pretty good stuff! Add the wonderful actors, (besides Dean,) Julie Harris, Raymond Massey and Jo Van Fleet...and how can you miss?

The story is deep and universal with fundamental human problems. Who can't relate to wanting to be loved? to be considered good? to having one's gifts honored? We see the "good" man, Adam, who has ideals and standards, who wants to make a contribution for the next generation, who sincerely tries to do what he believes is right, but who has no idea that his very "goodness" is crushing the life of his son, Cal, just as he crushed the life of his former wife. We see the former wife, by all standards a "bad" woman, a madame, who is profiteering off of the weaknesses of others and yet we come to like her. As the Julie Harris character says, she really doesn't know what's good and what's bad anymore.

There's an interesting sub-plot in which a formerly considered "good" neighbor, a German shoemaker, is now considered to be "bad" because we're now at war with Germany.

At the time this film appeared, our country was just about ready to wake up from the myth of "we're good and everyone else is bad." We had fought and defeated the bad guys in another world war and had grown fat and complacent in our new prosperity. We were on the brink of the 60's in which all hell broke loose and a whole new generation of young people would rise up and re-write the rules of morality. Dean, in this film, portends the new revolution in consciousness, which is why, in my opinion, he captured the hearts and souls of so many people. He embodied the spirit that was ready to burst out...that of the guy who dared to break the rules, to discover for himself what was right..(.but boy, it sure wasn't easy.) Dean's talent, good looks and charm dressed this new rebellious spirit in a very attractive package; we wouldn't have fallen so hard for a mere thug. (A decade later we had John Lennon.)

Kazan wasn't afraid of feeling or telling his version of what's right and wrong. He gives us a fully formed, deeply felt and emotionally satisfying film that should please every sentient being on the planet. It was a perfect film for that time, and, come to think of it, a pretty good film for now!

Moviemaking at its best.......2007-05-07

I can still remember the night I saw this movie. I was in my teens, and came out of the theater with my hands in my pockets and a bit hunched, just lika James Dean in the movie! The acting in this movie is top-notch, by even the actors and actresses in bit roles. Unforgettable movie, well adapted from a masterpiece novel.

Great film, terrible dvd commentary.......2007-02-24

The film and the special features are great, but the commentary is offensively biased against James Dean. Anyone who likes this film is going to first recognize the genius of James Dean, so why the reluctance to acknowledge the incredible display of acting. This film would not be the classic that it is without Dean's presence. Dean, (along with Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift) elevated the craft of acting on film to an art form. The commentator on the dvd consistently avoids praising Dean, and whenever he can he gives all the credit to the director for a scene's effectiveness. Don't get me wrong, Kazan was a great director, but Dean was the genius. How many young actors displayed such a range of emotions prior to this. The worst part of the commentary is when it is said that this is by far Dean's best performance. The commentator apparently wants Kazan to have the credit for turning a juvenile delinquent into a star, who's luster subsequently faded under the eye of less talented directors. This is completely false. Dean's next film, Rebel Without a Cause, is directed by Nicholas Ray, an even better director than Kazan, and once again Dean is terrific. Dean's last film Giant features some of his best work, although the movie has too many scenes with the terribly boring Rock Hudson, and director George Stevens was apparently not sympathetic to Dean's improvisational spirit.

Average customer rating:

You go, Barbara!
An Essential Screen Comedy
An obvious classic
Ahead of it's time
A Great Comedy; Ties With the Best Final Lines Since "Some Like It Hot"

The Lady Eve - Criterion Collection
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck , Henry Fonda , Charles Coburn , Eugene Pallette , and William Demarest
Director: Preston Sturges
Manufacturer: Criterion
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ASIN: B00005JH9B
Release Date: 2001-10-16

Amazon.com essential video

In 1941, Barbara Stanwyck was offered two screwball roles equally suited to her tart intelligence, deft comic timing, and undeniable sex appeal, and it's a photo finish as to which was funnier--showgirl-on-the-lam Sugarpuss O'Shea, the title character in Howard Hawks's Ball of Fire, or con artist Jean Harrington a.k.a. Lady Eve Sidwich, the delirious fulcrum for this classic Preston Sturges comedy. Under Sturges's typically antic microscope, the collision between the gold-digging Harrington and the very rich, very hapless brewery-heir-turned-herpetologist Charles Pike (a wonderfully callow, guileless Henry Fonda) yields ample opportunity for the writer-director to skewer issues of class and sex; as always, Sturges is bold in pushing the censors' envelope, capturing a palpable erotic heat between the canny Jean and the literally feverish Charlie, who, after a year up the Amazon, is instantly smitten by the mere sight of her shapely ankles (in hindsight, a precursor to her subsequent effect in Double Indemnity). To give away the plot machinations driving the farce would spoil the fun, beyond confirming impersonations, mixed signals, and misunderstandings as the turns in a consistently rollicking ride that makes good use of Charles Coburn and screwball character veterans Eugene Pallette, William Demarest, and Eric Blore. --Sam Sutherland

Description

A conniving father and daughter meet up with the heir to a brewery fortune-a wealthy but naïve snake enthusiast-and attempt to bamboozle him at a cruise ship card table. Their plan is quickly abandoned when the daughter falls in love with their prey. But when the heir gets wise to her gold-digging ways, she must plot to re-conquer his heart. One of Sturges' most clever and beloved romantic comedies, The Lady Eve balances broad slapstick and sophisticated sexiness with perfect grace.

Customer Reviews:

You go, Barbara!.......2007-08-16

This is a classic comedy. Barbara is funny with impecable timing as is Henry Fonda. This comedy may seem out of character for both of them if you view their later film endeavors. But they make it work wonderfully with a tremendous support cast. Classic-you have to have it!

An Essential Screen Comedy.......2007-07-26

This is one of the greatest of the classic Hollywood comedies. Barbara Stanwyk is quite hilarious, and Fonda an excellent comic foil.

An obvious classic.......2007-07-05

The Lady Eve and Palm Beach Story are the best of the Sturges movies. The Lady Eve is smart, sophisiticated and uproariously funny. Sturges was at the peak of his creativity and had not yet gone into the realm of the broad comedy with excessive slapstick that happened shortly after this movie. Eveis glorious. Stanwyck and Fonda have never been better.

Ahead of it's time.......2007-02-12

You know, most of the time if you watch a screwball comedy from back in the day you go into it expecting unrealistic dialog and somewhat predictable plot twists. Many of the best classic movies are classics only because of the chemistry of the stars.

That's not the case at all with this movie. As a screenwriter, Preston Sturges (who also directed) was way ahead of his time. You still have the snappy, quick dialog between characters. Barbara Stanwyck seems to speak 1000 words per minute. But the dialog never seems forced. You never feel like the characters are only speaking to set up the next joke.

The plot is what you'd expect from a romantic comedy--Stanwyck is a gold digger who's out to swindle a naive, rich man--Henry Fonda. But she ends up falling for him, just as he realizes her game. In a typical movie you'd expect her to attempt and win him back right away through a series of funny, unsuccessful acts--but that's not what happens here. Instead the plot takes a turn towards black comedy for a bit before Fonda and Stanwyck ultimately get together.

The twists are pretty unpredictable and the second half of the movie is really where you find all the laughs, with the first 30 minutes setting things up. If you like movies like "Bringing Up Baby" or "His Girl Friday," then you'll love this.

A Great Comedy; Ties With the Best Final Lines Since "Some Like It Hot".......2006-11-06

"The Lady Eve" is a film that holds a place on The American Film Institute's Top 100 Comedies (#55) and is directed by the legendary Preston Sturges. I found the movie at a library and I figured: A. It's got Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck. B. It's directed by Preston Sturges. C. It's in the Criterion Collection. D. It's free. After viewing it, I think it's justifiably a legendary comedy. It's definitely a movie with a frequently used idea, but it's so charming and funny...It's kind of hard to resist. The movie stars Henry Fonda as Charles Pike, an brewery heir, who is boarding an Ocean liner after having finished a snake-hunting expedition in South America. Also aboard this liner is Jean Harrington (Barbara Stanwyck, 'Double Indemnity'), a con-woman who travels with her father Colonel Harrington (Charles Coburn). Both are looking for rich people to rip off via card games and Jean quickly sets her sighs on Charles. After a wonderful scene, in which Jean watches Charles in the crowded dining area turning down every proposal or trick from the girls that walk by, she gets his attention by tripping him. The movie (it's only 90 minutes) gets to the point quickly. Jean's original plan is to get some money out of Charles, but finds herself falling in love with him. This falling occurs in a great, unbroken shot in which Jean toys with Charles' hair. In a lesser film they would've walked around, flirting, and then she would've returned to see her father and announced "I'm in love!" The movie takes a strange turn, when Charles finds out who Jean and her father are; He quickly severs contact with her, which makes her quite angry. Her anger doesn't last long and when she winds up in the same town that Charles lives in, she formulates a plan with the help of a con-man friend Sir Alfred McGlennan Keith (Eric Blore). She poses as Lady Eve Sidwich and attends a party at Charles' house. Charles is quickly struck by how much the Lady Eve resembles Jean ("It's the same dame!" his valet Muggsay (William Demarest) will tell him frequently throughout the film), but he soon finds himself falling for Eve as well. Now, this movie is pretty predictable for the most part. I knew what was going to happen mid-way through the film, but that doesn't matter. It's not what's happening, it's what is happening as that other stuff is happening. The movie has some great one-liners and scene-stealing performances, notably by Demarest as Muggsay who all-but steals every scene he is in. The movie final three lines (spoken by Jean, Charles, and Muggsay) are really great. I think they rank right up there with the closing lines of "Some Like It Hot." Movies like this don't come around much anymore, it's a rarity when a film flows this well. It's a great romantic-comedy, period.

GRADE: A-

Doumbek Technique and Rhythms for Arabic Percussion, Bellydance, and Drum Circles

Average customer rating:

Great learning tool with lots of lessons and demos
not scripted but very helpful for learning to play
New drummer, just what I needed!
Amazing DVD
Great learning tool

Doumbek Technique and Rhythms for Arabic Percussion, Bellydance, and Drum Circles
Starring: Amir Naoum , and Aziz Abbas
Manufacturer: StratoStream - WorldDance New York
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000GJ26GG
Release Date: 2006-08-29

Product Description

Learn to play doumbek (dumbek, darbuka) with New York's most beloved Arabic percussionist, the master instructor, the one and only Amir Naoum!

If you are a beginning drummer, this DVD will serve as a very accessible, friendly and solid introduction to the art of Middle Eastern percussion.

If you are a dancer, Amir Naoum's clear introduction to the most popular bellydance rhythms and their more subtle variations will help you learn to recognize the rhythms, even in their most sophisticated forms.

Born in Syria and raised in Lebanon, Amir Naoum has played in NYC Arabic clubs, for family celebrations and bellydance shows for over 30 years. He has contributed generously to the success of most New York star bellydancers and Middle Eastern percussionists. Amir's method of teaching Middle Eastern rhythms and doumbek technique have helped many dancers and drummers take their first steps toward understanding Middle Eastern rhythms, and develop toward higher levels of musicality and doumbek playing technique. Amir is known for his warm, welcoming, encouraging teaching style and for helping dancers at every level of skill do their best in performance.

This program is a beginner-level doumbek instructional course with a lot of beyond-the-basics information and spectacular demonstrations of Middle Eastern drumming and dance rhythms.

Customer Reviews:

Great learning tool with lots of lessons and demos.......2007-08-15

I highly recommend this video. It teaches you technique, although I think more time could be spent on the 'ka'. The top of the screen cuts off a little bit of the top hand when the instructor plays.

One other issue is that in one of the lessons the music and the video do not match up exactly, which is distracting. But I can let that go since the rest of it is just great.

The DVD gives you instructions and several practice rhythms which you should use whether you are a beginner or intermediate doumbek player.

The demos include a riq player as well, with a lot of improvised fill-ins to the primary rhythm.

Excellent tool and inspiring!

not scripted but very helpful for learning to play.......2007-07-04

Although the introduction of this DVD is a little shaky and awkward the rest of the DVD is relaxed and he goes over alot of material. The production appears to be bare bones but the sound quality is very good.

Mr Naoum speaks with slightly broken English and stumbles over what he tries to say in the introduction. It seems like they did it in one take and didn't take the time to fix it so I was a little worried when I started watching this. At one point he tells us to remove rings before playing because it will damage the drum and also if you have skin on your fingers (LOL) it will rip the skin off.

When he starts playing it sounds fantastic. The exercises are interesting. The DVD menu is well laid out so you can find the different exercises.

If you play some instrument and can count beats but are new to doumbek then this cd is perfect for you. It moves pretty quickly and covers alot. Its a good value compared to taking lessons and would work well along with lessons.

New drummer, just what I needed!.......2007-06-05

This is exactly what I needed but couldn't find elsewhere (online, etc). Amir has a relaxed gentle and encouraging manner, clearly enjoys the doumbek and wants to share his art. There is no fluff here, just nice visual of Amir nicely dressed sitting in a studio with colorful silk drapes & and a window behind him, & he gets right down to teaching after a brief self-introduction. His explanations are clear, the notations accompany the verbal and visual instruction, and his rhythms are slow enough to follow easily before he picks up the pace. He has a nice demonstration of different types and sounds of doumbeks available--he goes over 3 clay/ceramic types & both fish skin & synthetic/plastic. There are 9 drills for finger placement & technique, as well as for the basic arabic rhythms, with demonstrations as well that you can follow along with. A side benefit is that he plays with someone who is playing a riq (arabic tamborine) alongside him, which is almost a 2 for 1 because you can see how you would accompany a doumbek with a riq for each rhythm. Perfect!

Amazing DVD.......2007-04-05

For anybody who wants to learn the techniques and rhythms of the tabla, I highly recommend you purchase this instructional DVD. He takes you step by step on which finger(s) to use and he will do it repeatidly and slowly so that way you can understand it and play along with him. There's alot more in there that he teaches, just take a look at it. By next year, I'll be a pro or close to it. Thanks alot for the DVD, its really helpful.

Great learning tool.......2007-01-10

I have been playing drums, congas and Djembe for about ten years now. Most of what I've learned has been self taught,(books, tapes, videos and DVDs) after some basic classes. I have also played with an African drum and dance group for 8 years. This DVD is an excellent product for the beginning Doumbek player(which I am). Starts with the basics:How to hold the drum, how to get the various sounds from the drum correctly. There are many practice rhythms that directly apply to the other classic rhythms that are demonstrated later on. The notation is clearly explained and it is easy to follow along with the DVD. Amir Naoum starts with the basics of the rhythms and elaborates on them as each lesson progress's. Amir's presentation is geared for the new doumbek drummer and he appears to have a gentle sense of humor.

Average customer rating:

it is a must for ABBA lovers!
I love ABBA
ABBA the movie
Get it whle it lasts!!!
ABBA - The Movie

ABBA The Movie
Starring: Anni-Frid Lyngstad , Benny Andersson , Björn Ulvaeus , Agnetha Fältskog , and Robert Hughes (III)
Director: Lasse Hallström
Manufacturer: Polydor / Umgd
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Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000AYYVME
Release Date: 2006-03-28

Customer Reviews:

it is a must for ABBA lovers!.......2007-05-12

If you like ABBA music that is the movie you might want to see.I enjoyed watching it!

I love ABBA.......2007-01-21

I bought this DVD expecting viewing it to be as enjoyable
as the other ABBA DVD's I have purchased. The "plot"
consists of a country and western DJ chasing ABBA all over
Australia to get an interview. Too much of the inane trials
and tribulations of said DJ and not nearly enough of the ABBA
performances. I love ABBA and dearly love to watch them perform.
I've seen -The Movie- about a dozen times now and saw something new
and very enjoyable each time. Lasse the director said the "plot"
was necessary because people would get bored if there were
nothing but performances. I disagree! I dearly love to see them perform,
I'm glad I bought -The Movie- and encourage others to buy it if
they love ABBA as much as I do!

ABBA the movie.......2007-01-16

Music was very good but some songs were cut short. Too much showing "our hero" and his problems. Should have more of ABBA and less of him. Also,the plot was a little thin.

Get it whle it lasts!!!.......2007-01-09

I waited a lot of years for this to be released in the US and it finally has happened. Awesome Movie and a must own for all ABBA fans of all ages. You will not be disappointed. Order it today!!!

ABBA - The Movie.......2006-09-14

I last saw this production in 1981. I was stationed at the American Embassy in New Delhi at the time. Someone had it on a VHS tape, second or third generation ... it was a horrible copy. BUT: it was ABBA! This DVD release is SO much better ... WIDESCREEN ... DTS sound ... CLEAR! It immediately brought me back to that time period. ABBA had their fingers on the pulse of a time period that still pulsated with the Beatles' music, James Bond, the upheavals of Vietnam, the Munich Massacre, the Russians in Afghanistan, Nixon's resignation, etc. Their music, in contrast to many events of the time, was cheerful/upbeat. The girls in the group were positively lovely, the outfits the band wore were great, and the MUSIC was absolutely outstanding. This DVD covers it all. Forget the inane supposed "story," sit back, and be fully entertained by one of the world's premier musical groups. ABBA: like the song that ends the movie - THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC!

Average customer rating:

Windows Vista
vhs tapes
disk doesnt work
An illuminating survey
i wuold recemend thisto every body

Heritage - Civilization and the Jews
Starring: Abba Eban
Director: Julian Krainin , Peter Rosen , Alan Rosenthal , Eugene Marner , and Marc Siegel (IV)
Manufacturer: Homevision
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Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006IUI4
Release Date: 2002-10-22

Amazon.com

Over the course of nine hours, this sumptuous PBS documentary from 1984 chronicles the history of the Jewish people from biblical times through the 20th century. This is not, however, a documentary solely about Judaism; it is instead an in-depth look at the history of Jewish interaction with the world at large, a look at how Jews have shaped communities around them and how the communities around them have shaped the Jews. Host Abba Eban, who has served as foreign minister of Israel and Israeli ambassador to the U.N., is authoritative and knowledgeable in his explications. Using paintings, artifacts, modern cinematography of ancient sites, readings, and theatrical music, Eban brings drama and tension to events long past. The spanning of five millennia necessitates at times briefer detail than a viewer may like, yet it also provides a sampling of history that may provoke the viewer into seeking more information. This marvelous set should be experienced by anyone who desires a greater understanding of the Western world and the role of the Jews in shaping it. --Jenny Brown

Customer Reviews:

Windows Vista.......2007-07-27

It is so great that I want to install the Interactive Multimedia DVD in my new PC but seems it doesn't work with Windows Vista. Did anybody solved this problem?

vhs tapes.......2007-06-11

The set of 5 tapes arrived in an insulated box but the tape box itself had
a dent in it. That first tape on that side of the box had split in two on
the plastic. I did write the company about it and they answered very quickly and said to send the tape back and they would replace it. My husband decided he would try to clue the broken piece. Fortunately it
worked so we decided to forgo the mailing back of the tape. The outer box
that this set was mailed in was not dented and we think that the box with
the tapes was damaged before it was put in the mailing box. Accidents do
happen and it would not prevent me from ordering again from this company.

Rosamond S.

disk doesnt work.......2007-03-10

the very first disk was defective and i called the company and they told me "tough"

An illuminating survey .......2006-05-28

Abba Eban was not only the most accomplished and articulate of all Israeli diplomats, he was also a person of immense learning and intelligence. Had he wished he could have taken a different road in life and become like his close friend, Bernard Lewis, a great scholar. Instead he made a certain sacrifice and devoted his life to the cause of helping the Jewish state come into being and survive.
This nine- part series is not concentrated on Israel but rather is a survey of Jewish civilization. Eban tries to show us how Jews interacted with the surrounding world, both learning and giving to the larger native socieities. From Babylon and Egypt to the Western Civlization of the present day Eban relates a story of a small people's long journey and meetings with others.
This is an illuminating survey and will give anyone who wishes to know more about Jewish life and history a real opportunity to do so.

i wuold recemend thisto every body .......2006-05-06

ok i love history about our poeple wich is the jews and i love this movie i 1st saw this on t.v wow and it is not just arbarbs kid!!!!!!!!!!! ok u are wrong about that and it tells what you need to know

Average customer rating:

a beautiful, nostalgic, helpless and sad love story
a masterpiece of subtlety!
Iranian Love Story
Change of heart . . .
a quiet film that deals with suffering, love and sacrifice

Baran
Starring: Hossein Abedini , Zahra Bahrami , Mohammad Amir Naji , Hossein Mahjoub , and Abbas Rahimi
Director: Majid Majidi
Manufacturer: Miramax
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ASIN: B00006ADG0
Release Date: 2002-10-22

Description

Winner for Best Film at the Montreal Film Festival, this wonderfully romantic and uplifting story is from the acclaimed director of the Academy Award(R) nominee CHILDREN OF HEAVEN (Best Foreign Language Film, 1999). In a Tehran building site, a 17-year-old Iranian named Lateef is known more for his playful antics than his hard work. Then things take an unexpected turn when an Afghan coworker falls from the building and the worker's son, Rahmat, enters the scene to become the new provider for his family. But even as Lateef finds himself irresistibly drawn to Rahmat, it's not until the revelation of Rahmat's secret (that he is actually a young woman, posing as a man) that both of their lives are forever changed! A humorous and moving love story of the most romantic kind -- critics everywhere have declared this delightfully entertaining motion picture as one not to be missed!

Customer Reviews:

a beautiful, nostalgic, helpless and sad love story.......2007-03-25

this film is like a sad and melancholy poem, a well-woven persian tapestry. the human heart would never stop to seek love, no matter how helpless it might turn out. and one thing is never wrong: only love can change one man's way of thinking and the complete different way to look at things.

a masterpiece of subtlety!.......2006-12-17

This is a superbly nuanced film and it gives me
an idea, albeit sad, on the inhibitions imposed by
the muslim culture: you cannot express your feelings
of love openly. It's one highly recommended!

Iranian Love Story.......2006-09-15

This is a low-key but affecting story about a young man learning to love.

Seventeen-year-old Latif works at a construction site for a friend of his father. He's all hormones and bumptiousness, quick to laugh, and quick to pick fights with the older workers who toss jibes at him. Many of his co-workers are Afghani immigrants who have left their war-torn country looking for a better life. Latif is in charge of the kitchen, preparing meals and serving tea to the workers. When one of the Afghani workers falls out a window and breaks his ankle, he sends his son Rahmat to take his place, since the family desperately needs the money. This boy isn't strong enough for heavy labor, so the foreman puts him in the kitchen in place of Latif.

Enraged, Latif loses no opportunity to torment Rahmat, until the day he sees the lad furtively combing out his long, black hair and realizes Rahmat is a girl, a beautiful one at that. Latif goes from bitter to smitten, and takes to protecting Rahmat from the other workers. He even risks jail to keep her from being picked up by the Immigration officers. When the foreman is forced to lay off the Afghani workers, Latif's new love disappears back into her country neighborhood. Latif uses all his spare time to find her, and all his money to help her dirt-poor family. Through all of this, he never actually talks to Rahmat, or spends any time with her. Loving her though, transforms him from a callow youth into a compassionate, even noble, young man.

Baran presents a type of love we in western societies don't usually experience. Latif's behavior towards Rahmat is fervent, self-sacrificing, and abstract. The idea of his love for her seems to drive him more than the prospect of actually interacting with her. Part of this is surely cultural. At the movie's end, just when it seems that they're about to talk, she throws a buhrka over her head and turns away to her father's truck. Latif is left with a hair pin she dropped and the image of her footprint in the mud, soon washed away by heavy rains. You can imagine how this intense, abstract emotion could be transformed in young men into a willingness to die for the abstract idea of a perpetual afterlife.

Hossein Abedini gives an energetic but emotionally shaded performance as Latif. Actress Zahra Bahrami doesn't speak one word for the entire movie, but conveys all of Rahmat's feelings and yearnings through her lustrous black eyes. Director Magid Majidi does a great job conveying the dust and sweat of hard labor - there's a particularly wrenching scene where Rahmat and other women find work lifting heavy boulders out of a cold stream. Without romanticizing, he also shows us the bonds that form among poor working men.

I've also seen Majidi's film Children of Heaven, about a brother and sister in a poor neighborhood in Tehran, and would recommend it highly.

Change of heart . . ........2006-08-20

This is a gently heartbreaking film set in Tehran, a city flooded with Afghan refugees during the time of Taliban rule in their homeland. It touches on several themes, including the plight of the refugees, and those of them who work illegally as laborers in the construction industry. Much of the story takes place at a construction site, where the central character, a young Iranian, a short-tempered lad full of complaints about his lowly status among the other workmen, gradually discovers within himself a heartfelt compassion for the refugees in the person of a girl masquerading as a boy to support the family of her disabled father, injured at the work site.

The young man's compassion is ignited by the love he begins to feel for this girl, and there begins a series of selfless sacrifices that he makes for her and her family. Though they never exchange a word in the film, she leaves a deep impression on him, and he is utterly changed by his experience. A story that is about the transformation of character, the film sometimes struggles to externalize this process, often observing the main character as he watches from the sidelines, wordlessly ponders his situation, or goes in search of the girl and her family. Director Magid Magidi compensates in part by revealing the working conditions of the men, the difficulties of the contractor in charge of them, and the unforgiving weather (snow, rain, cold) in which they all labor. Recommended for the window it opens into a world rarely revealed by the cinema or the news media.

a quiet film that deals with suffering, love and sacrifice.......2006-06-13

Baran is a beautiful film that, oddly enough, primarily takes place at a construction site in Iran. The plot is simple and sweet; the characters are well-developed; the cinematography is often stunning ... Baran has all the makings of a great film, and it is, indeed, very enjoyable.

There were 2 things that I especially liked about this movie. First of all, Baran is the first Iranian film I've seen, and I was grateful for a glimpse into a culture that I know very little about. I thought Majid Majidi - the director's - portrait of Iranian and Afghan-refugee workers was at once lovely and painful. Specifically, it is somewhat difficult to view the conditions that the characters live and work in - and yet - the film in no way asks for sympathy. It is simply telling a story, and the characters happen to work low-paying, back-breaking jobs. That is their reality. Also worth noting, the entire movie does not take place at a dirty, grimy job-site. The main character, a teenager named Latif, leaves on several excursions. These scenes are especially beautiful. Even if this film lacked plot and characters (which it, thankfully, does not), I would have to give it some credit for the aesthetic quality of these scenes.

The second thing that I especially liked about this movie was the way it was able to make a very innocent and restrained gesture seem provocative. There is a footprint in the mud toward the end of the movie that is - somehow - an evocation of sexual and emotional longing. There is another scene, during which a male and a female pick up a basket of food that has spilled, and though their hands never touch, it is one of the most erotic cinematic moments I think I've ever witnessed.

Worth noting - Baran moves rather slowly. I wouldn't say it's boring, but it's certainly languid. There also seem to be a few problems with the flow of scenes. I could be wrong, but occasionally, I found myself disoriented when it would cut abruptly from one moment to the next. But this is really a trivial observation. Overall, Baran is a very nice film. If not profound, it's at least quietly beautiful.

Average customer rating:

Not heros. They wanted to choose their own manner of death.
Excellent documentary on tragically unknown subject
Lost history
The battle for Vilna

Partisans of Vilna
Starring: Roberta Wallach , and Abba Kovner
Director: Joshua Waletzky
Manufacturer: New Video Group
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0007GP6YW
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Description

An enormously riveting and inspirational tale of WWII and the Holocaust like no other, PARTISANS OF VILNA is the first documentary to chronicle the amazing endeavors of the Jewish resistance fighters, who courageously staged a sabotage offensive against the Nazi army in the Polish city of Vilna. Co-written with passionate devotion by director Josh Waletzky and producer Aviva Kempner, the film has been lauded as "rich, poignant, terrifying and even ennobling" (L.A. Times).

Customer Reviews:

Not heros. They wanted to choose their own manner of death........2007-05-31

Audiovisual material is nearly necessary to get a realistic take on the extermination of yiddish jewery. Waletzky's material does very well in this regard.

More importantly Waletzky's commentary is on this DVD and as far as commentaries go, it added significantly to the deapth of the film.

One reviewer writes "Jewish community in Vilna put up a heroic resistance". They didn't. And this is an unrecognized aspect of the tragedy. A partial reason for this is because the jewish leadership were the first to be liquidated.

I'd suggest listen closely to Waletzky and mostly the witnesses. The witnesses express their frustrations, their own understanding of their hopeless situation.

That which set them apart from the overwhelming majority, decisive for their fate, was that they consciously decided to choose where or how to die. Paradoxically, this psychological stance, dramatically increased their chance of surviving the genocide. Many nevertheless did not.

Fighting back became a viable option towards the end of the occupation, when most of Lithuania's Jewery were already exterminated.

The resistance had no effect on the genocide. Their actions were uncoordinated and often hindered by Jews in the Ghetto who thought they would possibly live out the occupation, and their extermination that came with it, or often hindered by other partisan groups. There was not even one raid set against Ponar or similiar locations.

But view the film and learn "why".

Excellent documentary on tragically unknown subject.......2006-10-17

The well-known Warsaw Ghetto uprising was going to be producer Aviva Kempner's focus when she went to Israel to interview survivors, but a recommendation by a museum director turned her attention to a lesser-known partisan movement. In the Jewish-quarter-turned-ghetto of Vilna, the partisans -- mostly Socialist, Communist and Zionist youths -- unified and slowly came to the realization that the Nazis meant to exterminate the 20,000 Jews left.

Partisans of Vilna tells the story of these courageous men and women, many of whom fought and fought for years only to be rewarded with the fact at the end of the war that 20,000 Jews had dwindled to 3,000. They had no national army to back them and were even faced with antisemitism from their Russian, Polish and Lithuanian partisan tallies in the cold Eastern European forests. Their hardest conflict, however, came against the local Jewish police, who tried to appease the Nazis by letting them take small numbers of Jews to the death camps in order to save the majority. That was a hopeless idea, but the film demonstrates that a hope that time would save the Jews was not ridiculous and eventually made sure more of Vilna's Jews chose not to join the armed insurgents.

DVD Extras: Accompanying this 20th-anniversary edition are plenty of educational bonuses. An audio CD of Yiddish songs from the film, mostly inspired or written by the fighting partisans themselves, is accompanied by a 10-page Yiddish and English songbook with voluminous notes. Also here is a 29-page study guide, with historical background, questions for discussion, a timeline and a stellar bibliography that will be perfect for those whose curiosity is sparked. Commentaries include a filmmaking-focused one from director, co-writer and narrator Joseph Waltezsky, and another by producer and co-writer Aviva Kempner, who gives greater historical context and reveals tidbits of information about the people and places that didn't make it to the film.

Lost history.......2005-07-06

There is not nearly as much of this kind of material as there could be available. I feel this dvd did a good job of showing that the Jwish community in Vilna put up a heroic resistance even with the local community and he Soviet Union putting roadblocks in their way. To many people can only look to Sobibar or Warsaw when this shows how wide spread the desire was to fight back.
The educational materials, the CD of partisian songs with translations make this an outstanding resource for teachers as well.

The battle for Vilna.......2005-05-07

This is the most thorough film of the resistance movement in Vilna, made in 1986 but only now getting widespread release on DVD. The documentary is told in retrospect by the survivors of the holocaust in Vilna, which resulted in the killing of over 90% of the Jews in what was regarded as the Jerusalem of Lithuania. For centuries Vilna had been a safe haven for Jews, a center of religious scholarship and a vibrant Yiddish community. As one survivor noted, Vilna isn't Vilna without its Jewish culture.

The film deals with the very troubling aspect of the Jewish police, or Judenrat, which was used by the Germans to keep the ghetto in line. Jacob Gens essentially served as the constable of the Jewish community during the German occupation, turning over members of the resistance with the false hope that this would spare the community at large. This led to horrible divisions within the crumbling Jewish community, which were painfully retold by the survivors.

The partisans took to the woods outside Vilna, joining up with Russian, Lithuanian and Polish partisan forces, and mounting a very effective resistance to German occupation until the Soviet tanks rolled in late in 1943. It was a tragic victory for the Jewish partisans, caught up in the wave of euphoria surrounding the defeat of the Germans, but having to bear witness to the destruction of the once proud Jewish quarter in Vilna.

Average customer rating:

Very engrossing story of the birth of Israel and subsequent
Lightweight, and biased
An inspiring series
Not for the beginner
Wish Ezekiel Could Have Seen This!

Israel: A Nation Is Born
Starring: Abba Eban
Manufacturer: Homevision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008UAMZ
Release Date: 2003-06-24

Description

This six-part chronicle of the birth and development of the Jewish state is hosted and narrated by former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Abba Eban, who also hosted Heritage: Civilization and the Jews. Eban, who played a pivotal role in realizing the dream of a Jewish state, points out that "the series is designed to provide an essential context to an inspiring human story."

Among those featured in interviews and rare archival footage are U.S. Presidents Harry Truman and Richard Nixon, and key leaders Winston Churchill, Anwar Sadat, David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, Menachem Begin, and Yitzhak Rabin. Together with Eban's firsthand testimony, this series achieves a diverse perspective of both the Arab and Israeli experience. According to Eban, Israel: A Nation Is Born is a "depiction of the turbulent and dramatic history of Israel, through the conflicts and tensions of five decades, climaxing in the brighter prospects of Arab/Israeli peace."

Customer Reviews:

Very engrossing story of the birth of Israel and subsequent.......2007-01-04

This is a very engrossing story of the birth of Israel, the subsequent ingathering of the exiles, and the development of the young country.

Lightweight, and biased.......2007-01-03

Abba Eban clearly loves his own role in history, and focuses heavily on events that he was a part of -- there's more about Israel's struggles at the U.N. in the late 1940's than, say, the '48 war. But Eban glosses over events in a rather underhanded way. For example, in describing the "Altalena" boat affair, he simply states that the specific events were deeply traumatic for Israeli society in the years to come... but I think we could stand to hear that the Haganah/Palmach actually shot at and killed Jewish Irgun fighters who were bobbing helplessly in the water, and this happened long after the Altalena had waved the white flag of surrender. In this and other ways, Eban displays a shocking bias toward the left. It simply is not honest about the events that modern-day Jews ought to know about. Because of his tendency to overload the brief chapters with diplomatic initiatives, rather than focus on other aspects of Israeli history or the conflicts as they occured on the ground, this series ends up being rather lightweight. And it lacks the emotional 'umph' that it ought to have. Cold, dry, not-so-factual.

An inspiring series.......2006-04-21

This six-part series does a great job of telling the story of the rebirth of the State of Israel. There are interviews with and footage of so many historical and political figures, such as Golda Meir, David Ben Gurion, Yitzchak Rabin, Moshe Dayan, Anwar Sadat, King Hussein, Harry Truman, Abba Eban (the narrator), and Jimmy Carter. There are also interviews with Arabs living in Israel, among them Hanan Ashwari, whom I admire on one hand for her feminist work (esp. since it's not often you see such a prominent feminist in the Arab world) but also feel misgivings about because she's said a lot of anti-Israel things, as though Israel is almost 100% wrong and her own people are almost 100% right, with no gray area or just owning up to some of the basic historical facts presented in this series, instead of painting Israel as an evil monster that can do no right. It really disturbed me to see a poster of Arafat, the father of modern-day terrorism, on the wall behind her. The historical facts as presented here show the nation's miraculous rebirth, the struggle it had on its way to being reborn, all of the wars Israel has had waged against it over the years just to defend its existence (the first of which was waged against it when it had barely declared its independence), the anti-Israel bias demonstrated by the UN while at the same time turning a blind eye to terrorism and wars waged against it at every turn, the years when it has experienced peace and calm instead of constant terrorist attacks or preparations for war, what a good job it did of taking in so many immigrants (from Ethiopia, the former Soviet Union, Europe, Northern Africa, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and those who voluntarily came from Western nations as opposed to immigrating because they had no other choice), what really caused the refugee crisis among the Arabs who fled Israel in the wake of the War of Independence, political developments, and, yes, the fact that it has made some mistakes over the years. But even though the government has made some mistakes, as all governments have, it doesn't change the fact that in 70 years, it went from a sparsely-populated near-wasteland to a thriving modern nation with a huge population, many new citizens taken in and made a part of society, and saw the rebirth of Hebrew, the only language to date which has come back from the dead. I don't see how it could be called one-sided, since the historical facts and evidence support these things so strongly, contrary to the lies spun by the anti-Israel lobby. Sometimes there is only one right side. They even, as aforementioned, had a number of interviews with people who have a different perspective on things.

However, I do agree that for the uninitiated, it might seem a bit overwhelming, since it does kind of start in media res. Someone not incredibly familiar with Israeli history might indeed want a lot more background information to put it all in perspective and understand the meaning of these names, organizations, and Hebrew and Arabic terms. It might have been better had it begun in the wake of WWI instead of on the eve of WWII, since the events that happened in the interwar years were so instrumental in shaping the course of Israeli history and its struggle for rebirth. It isn't fair to assume that just because you're already intimately familiar with this material, all other viewers are too. One also wishes there were a fourth disc in the series, to cover everything that has happened since 1997, the final year covered. Still, all in all, there's a lot of great material here and it should leave the viewer wanting more, inspired to read more and to find more documentaries like this one.

Not for the beginner.......2006-02-10

I rented this DVD because of the glowing reviews here and because I wanted a better understanding of the origin of the modern problems in the Middle East. Overall, I was disappointed by this offering because it didn't give sufficient background and seemed to speak primarily to those who already had a knowledge of the subject. (It also seems to me to be *a bit* biased in Israel's favor vis-a-vis the Palestinians, but that flaw could be accepted and filtered appropriately.)

For instance, the documentary jumps right into the last Zionist Congress in 1939 (or whenever it was), but they never define what the Zionist movement is or where it came from. I know some of this from my reading, but it would be nice to have a summary here -- especially as it relates to the main players in the rest of the documentary. I wish the documentary would have at least started with WWI and the British occupation of Palestine after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, rather than picking up at WWII and mentioning some of the WWI details later. Doing so would have answered questions like, "Why are the British so important here?"

Another example is keeping track of the people, places, and organizations, which are often named in Hebrew or Arabic and are unfamiliar to the uninitiated. It made the sequence of events hard to follow because we had a hard time keeping track of who was doing what and where. Using more text on the screen, more maps, more recaps, and perhaps more English translations would have improved things greatly, methinks.

The film certainly has value, not least because it is told by a participant and first-hand observer, but it is not for those without much familiarity with the people, places, and issues at hand.

Wish Ezekiel Could Have Seen This!.......2005-01-27

This is a Classy essential documentary. Not a question of if you should buy it; but rather it is a question of why you have not already! It is worth every penny!!! It explains and puts into context the Struggle of the Jewish people against German attempts to annihilate them, their stunning post-war ascension into Statehood in spite of the British (!!!) and the resulting International Geopolitical ramifications of this.
All of this amazing history is made clear and comprehensible in a DVD that includes rarely seen, priceless interviews with Zionist supporters such as President Truman, Clark Clifford and other clips such as that of Warren Austin and to many others to list that your children will not see in our ever increasingly anti-Semitic colleges and universities.
The segment which shows the crucial reading in the UN of the United States' recognition of the Jewish Provisional Government will bring tears and chills to anyone who has even the vaguest understanding of the Ezekiel Chapter 37 Dry Bones prophecy!
It is a mesmerizing story that every Jew and Christian in America should see. A story that spans the ages...of the struggles of a people to survive against supernatural odds and rise again to power and prominence in one of the few stories on earth that can literally claim to be a struggle of Biblical proportions.

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