O Ocaso de um Povo

A German reporter Georg Laschen (Bruno Ganz) arrives in Beirut, Lebanon with a photographer Hoffmann (Jerzy Skolimowski), aiming to write an article on the inflammatory situation there. The city has more or less been turned into a huge war zone where bombs and gunfire are ever-present especially during the dark hours of the day. Laschen's own personal motives for accepting such a dangerous job are related to his frustration about his troubled marital situation back in Germany; something he tries to overcome by striking up a relationship with Ariane (Hanna Schygulla), a white woman living in Beirut. Despite witnessing many atrocities, or perhaps because of it, Laschen struggles to achieve an understanding of the motives of the warring parties who both claim to fight for peace and freedom and accuse each other of barbaric acts of terror.

The film was shot on location in Beirut which guarantees a very authentic look to the damaged city. Many of the "action" scenes also look very effective and the sense of danger is well created, even though the main focus is given to psychological things like Laschen's attempts to grasp the situation, not thrilling bomb attacks and firefights. Sometimes the pacing feels a little slow, but the acting is good throughout. Especially the brooding Ganz and the pragmatic Skolimowski play well together, bringing life to their very different characters.

The most notable sentiment present in the film is the complete lack of optimism. The war is portrayed as completely inhumane and unheroic waste of life: the photographs and scenes depicting unspeakable mistreatment of civilians stay in the viewer's mind for a long time. The film doesn't offer a hopeful or positive message on either of its two levels, general or personal – no solution for either the war or Laschen's own anxiety seems possible. "Our only real chance to fight the violence is to not let it start in the first place" is the vibe I'm getting out of the film – an effective piece of cinema.

Volker Schlöndorff became one of the doyens of New German Cinema in the 1960s and 1970s, along with Wim Wenders and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Schlöndorff's work included "The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum", "The Tin Drum" and "Die Fälschung" ("Circle of Deceit" in English). This one casts Bruno Ganz as a journalist sent to Lebanon to report on the civil war there. The movie never takes sides in the war, instead focusing on the journalist's realization that it's hard to be neutral in a situation where all sides are shooting at each other. Even more impressive is that they filmed on location in war-torn Beirut. Apparently they filmed in "safe" sections of the city but could see evidence of the fighting. Beirut, once known as the Paris of the Middle East, became a proxy war between Israel and its Maronite allies, and Syria and its Shiite allies, and other factions. As bad as things were when they filmed "Circle of Deceit", Lebanon had yet to see the Sabra and Shatila massacres (when Phalangists massacred Palestinian refugees).

Anyway, it's a really good, really intense movie. The ethical questions surrounding reporting on war are probably some of the most important, and the movie does a fine job looking at them. I recommend it.

Lacking even a token gesture of Hollywood gloss, this inside look at the Lebanese civil war is strong stuff indeed, which may be why it never found an audience (in this country at least) when first released. The filmmakers made use of actual Beirut locations to follow the brutal, ambiguous account of one journalist's education into the abject moral poverty of violence, and the documentary realism of the background lends a frightening authority to the subject. It's difficult at times to tell just what is real and what is staged, and the essential nihilism of the conflict is further reinforced by the film's detachment from any political sympathies, although there's something uncomfortable in the idea of a German citizen pondering the immorality of genocide. We're led to assume his private and professional ethics are being tested in the face of such extreme bloodshed, but it's hard to avoid making deeper historical connections.

Volker Schlöndorff, famous german director who won the foreign language- oscar for "Die Blechtrommel", here presents a picture about a journalist doing a reportage in Beirut during the riots between Christians and Moslems. Georg Laschen, a german journalist, travels to Beirut for seeing things and making a great story out of it. He leaves behind his marriage, which is in a crisis, but can not completely forget about it. So he finds himself always split between cruelty and war in Beirut and the things in Germany that need to be soluted. The director did a brilliant job. Accompanied by some very great actors and actresses, the whole film is very true to life. War is shown in all it's cruelty, but without the need of showing too explicite violence. The film does not transport a one-and-only message that he tries to confirm, but presents the viewer a very complex movie, a film who needs viewers that are willing to think. Contributing to this effect is the fact that the film is done in different languages. While German is the "basic", the actors speak to different persons in different languages (English, French, Arab). Overall, a brilliant film. Not for popcorn, maybe, but definitely very worth seeing.

This film should be seen by all.The picture of a civil war is excellent and could relate to many other places like Bosnia.It is very clearly shown how people behave in such absurd situations : some accept them and change but other maintain their humanity. Particularly chocking is the treatment of children, presented in such a realistic way that the film looks as a documentary ( may be it is a documentary for this part ?).When you listen to a sister treating the small boy as an object bought in a departments store or a doctor suggesting to change ill boy for another you would like to cry.Fortunately Hanna Schigulla is there and her radiating presence is bringing such a humane note that you maintain your hope in the human race.