MovieChat Forums > Bikur Ha-Tizmoret (2008) Discussion > No Wonder This Got Snubbed By The Idiots...

No Wonder This Got Snubbed By The Idiots At The Academy


Israeli writer and directors Eran Kolirin debut is a beautifully
restrained tale of learning to face unfamiliarity with nobility and
dignity. The Band's Visit delicately constructs a small scale
masterpiece that achieves more with mood and body language as compared
to spoken language. The writing is clever and gives actors the room to
explore their characters with physicality and never once does it feel
unauthentic.

Stranded in the middle of Israel's Negev Desert, eight men of The
Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra try to handle cultural and
language barriers with modestness. As a bus pulls away we are left with
8 men dressed to the nines in robin blue uniforms helplessly stuck in
an airport on their way to perform at an Arab Cultural Center in Petah
Tiqva. After a few phone calls and some sweet talking with the help of
Chet Baker the band arrives in the town of Bet Hatikva. The groups
tight lipped leader Tewfig is confronted with a series of setbacks and
is forced with the task of making sure his men are taken after. With no
hotels in town and no transportation leading out Tewfig is reluctantly
excepts an offer from a heaven sent restaurant owner by the name of
Dina.

Over the course of the night Egyptian and Israeli culture intertwines
awkwardly yet charmingly in multiple small scale adventures. Tewfig and
Haled (the band's young ladies man) stay at Dina's house while Simon
and two others spend the night at an employee of the restaurant while
the other three just sit outside all night and play music. Tewfig and
Dina decide to take a night out on the town, in this case a simple
bleak restaurant and begin to get to know each other. The two don't get
to know each other by asking a lot of questions about each others
personal history but rather embrace the chance to enjoy the simple
beauty of just physically being around someone. An especially touching
scene has Tewfig showing Dina how he conducts his orchestra by the
gentle movements of his arm. Haled opts to take a look around the city
with crushingly shy Papi and his set up date which has them ending up
in a roller rink. Haled acts almost as an older brother to Papi and
helps the inexperienced boy land the girl he is too shy to make the
moves on. And while all of these character come together and share each
others melancholy they still remain isolated and self-reflective.

Simon and the rest of the gang spend their night entertaining and being
entertained by an Israeli family. Over the course of an awkward dinner
Simon and his band mates quietly sit back as the family argues over
various things such as how the husband and wife met until a comically
genius impromptu version of George Gershwin's "Summertime." More than
any other point in the film does Simon's stay seem to bring out the old
ghosts of Egypt and Israel's broken relationship. While Kolirin never
hits the audience over the head with a political statement it's
presence can still be felt like a recovering wound. While other members
of the band attempt to make phone calls while fending off a dedicated
boyfriend waiting for a phone call, Simon spends more time with the
family. Upon viewing the families young child with the slightest change
in facial posture it is evident that Simon has finally completed his
unfinished sonata. It is moments like this that really show how
skillful Kolirin is for a first time director.

While not a whole lot happens in this short 87 minute film we are left
with a lasting impression. The mixture of comedy with melancholy
balances each other out and leaves a bittersweet touch on the overall
feel of the film. The film's musical selection could not have suited
the story anymore impeccably and compliment the feeling of longing the
entire film has. The films strong point is that it relies on nuances
and not theatrics, substance and not style, honesty and not
distraction. Not only does The Band's Visit evoke the beauty in
language but it shows beauty in the communal power of the language of
music. While the characters in this film may think they are lost it
doesn't necessarily mean they are and with The Bands Visit it seems
they are stuck out of necessity rather than mistakenly.

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That's a really detailed and relatively accurate summary, but I don't think you should reveal every single plot point in the film. You give away the whole movie to people who haven't seen it.

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you talk to much & what was the reason of starting this thread when u should have put it in the synposis section, fool

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[deleted]

It only got snubbedd because it contained more than 50 percent english so it technically wasn't a foreign-language film

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dude that makes no sense, how about films made in England, Australia, Canada, Scotland, South Africa and other english speaking countries, are they not for foreign films. All it needs to be is a film NOT made by and a america studio. I do not believe the category at the Oscars is foreign-language, but just foreign film. But I could be wrong.

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The official title of the category is Best Foreign Language Film and in order for a film to qualify it must be made by a non-American studio AND have more than 50% of its dialogue in a language other than English. Also, only one movie per country is allowed to be eligible and each country's film industry chooses which film they will submit.


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Gotta love the idea that someone (anyone) might still think that either the rules or the choices of those Oscar folks (otherwise known as the AMPAS) would make sense. Especially in the Foreign Language category. LOL.

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