Waltz with Bashir details

Waltz with Bashir
Formats: 18 DVD, Blu-ray
Starring: Boaz Rein Buskila, Ori Sivan, Roni Dayg, Carmi Cnaa'n, Shmuel Frenkel, Ron Ben Yisahi, Dror Harazi, Prof. Zahava Solomon
Director: Ari Folman
Genres: Animated - Other, Documentary - History, Military, Television - Military, World Cinema - German
Studio: FUSION MEDIA
Collections: 100 Most Wanted, Top Documentary
Name Discs
Waltz with Bashir
18 Feature

DVD Information

Run time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Rental release: 30 Mar 2009
Main languages: Hebrew, German
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Most helpful review Waltz with Bashir

  • 5 Star Visuals, 2 Star Narrative

    Rated - 3.0 stars  
    By a customer from Brighton , 21 Nov 2008

    [Highly rated reviewer]

    I saw this film when it was previewed. The animation is stunning; it has a 'rotorscope' ('Scanner Darkly') feel and is well worth seeing for that alone. The problem is that - unlike 'Persepolis', for example - there's so much narrative that the visual images have no space to breathe and the film is much less emotionally affecting as a result. This narrative - interviews with soldiers involved - is dense, unrelenting and focuses on the technical aspects of the operation. Perhaps this is one of the disadvantages of having the same writer/director/producer - no one was was able to say, 'Ari, sometimes less is more' (cf. the beautifully stripped-down 'American Beauty').

    The film gives no historical context, so it's worth a quick refresh on the 1982 Lebanon War before you see this. Nevertheless, it's well worth seeing.
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All reviews

(120)
  • Interesting and Power

    Rated - 4.5 stars  
    By a customer , 17 Jun 2013
    I've seen this film twice now, and both times the film has had the most profound effect on me. Some could say it's up to the mind of the viewer what they take from the film after viewing but I personally took a lot from it. Some say that the visuals take away from the impact the film SHOULD have but I feel that I should disagree, for reasons that become obvious if you were to watch it. I highly recommend this film. It forces it's audience to face up to the truths about war and their long-lasting effects to those involved after it has taken place. Very interesting and powerful.
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  • A new cinemagraphic language

    Rated - 4.0 stars  
    By Kw54 (44 reviews) from London , 07 Aug 2012
    A feature-length documentary made almost entirely by means of animation is its director Forman's way of confronting his experiences as a young soldier during the invasion of Lebanon in 1982-and specifically,the massacre of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps.

    The result is a compelling,and harrowing,depiction of warfare.
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  • Superbly done

    Rated - 4.0 stars  
    By a customer , 31 Oct 2011
    Haunting and very real. I was captivated from the start because, as in all good films, I really wanted to find out more about the characters. The ending was superbly done.
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  • Watch it for the story, not the animation.

    Rated - 3.0 stars  
    By J8stine (1 review) , 10 Oct 2011
    If you are an animation fan looking for stunning technical animation, this really isn't the film for you. It's a very faithful visual adaptation of a comic, whose style lends itself (unfortunately) to tweening.

    Having said that as a warning to those who may be seeking amazing 2D animation, there is no extreme faulting the actual story line, or the voice acting, which helped keep the film together where perhaps the animation was lacking.

    Overall, worth watching if you like listening to other people's harrowing tales with a mildly interesting visual twist.
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  • A haunting portrayal of a tragic historical incident

    Rated - 3.5 stars  
    By Swamibanderashi (3 reviews) , 08 Oct 2011
    A brutally honest story of an Israeli soldier who witnessed the massacres of Sabra & Shatila refugee camps, and his journey through meeting others who were there to overcome his mind-block of the events. Using animation to good effect, it gives the film a haunting, surreal feel which is actually more striking and poignant than if live action had been used, and all without the additional baggage that real actors would have brought to such sensitive subject matter. Very engaging, the end seemed almost to come too quickly and abruptly.
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