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| Movie Review: The Bands Visit (Bikur Ha-Tizmoret) Alternate Title: Lost in Translation
Story: Would international relations
fare better if ordinary citizenry negotiated peace? This small, charming
and uplifting film by first time Israeli director and writer Eran
Kolirin gives this idea credence. A small Egyptian Ceremonial Police Band from Alexandria gets lost in
the Israeli desert as they try to find the desert town where they are
supposed to perform. Instead of arriving in Petach Tikva, they find
themselves in the similar sounding Beitha Tikva. Out of money, with
the last bus gone for the day, a sympathetic female owner of a cafe
extends her hand in aid. How these fish out of water Egyptians deal
with their Israeli hosts and vice versa is the beauty of the film. Small
scenes of dialogue, all using broken English as their common language,
turns ordinary events into humorous and touching moments. If you are a fan of small Indie films with a beating heart, then check
this one out. Acting: The entire cast was terrific, including,
Sasson Gabai, Ronit Elkabetz, Saleh Bakri, Khalifa
Natour, Shlomi Avraham, Rubi Moskovitz, Uri Gavriel, Imad
Jabarin and Tarak Kopty
Predilection: None
Critters: A small street dog in a cameo role
Sex Spectrum: Sexual tension ran high throughout but
there was only a hint of a sex scene.
Blatant Product Placement: None
Soundtrack: Some nice tunes wafted throughout the
film. Visual Art: The starkness of the landscape was visually
interesting.
Theater Audience: Crowded for an early Sunday morning
show.
Weather: Warm in the Israeli desert
Sappy Factor: 0
Quirky Meter: 0
Squirm Scale: 0
Drift Factor: I was entertained for the whole film.
Predictability Level: High
Tissue Usage: 0
Oscar Worthy: Once again the Academy has disqualified
a film in the foreign film category because there was too much English
used in the film. The Academy needs desperately to update its rules
in this category.
Big Screen or Rental: Rental would be fine. Moments
in the film reminded me of the classic flm, The Russians are Coming,
without the satire.
Length: 85 minutes
LOBO HOWLS: 7
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