O Ocaso de um Povo

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.

Good war movies are all anti-war movies. 'Circle of Deceit' (the original German title is 'Die Fälschung') released on screen in 1981 confirms this. The film occupies a special place in the creation of the German director Volker Schlöndorff. It is a political film and a personal film, the last of the director's first creation period, the last of his films in which the heroes live passionate love stories, derailed or made impossible by wars or social conflicts. Most of the story takes place in Beirut and in the Lebanon torn by civil war, but the political message mainly refers to the relationship between the Western society consuming journalistic sensations and the conflicts that take place in seemingly distant areas of the world (at least so they seemed at that time).

Georg Laschen, the main hero of the film, played by the wonderful actor who was Bruno Ganz, is a war reporter. Two revolutions took place in the reporting and dissemination of international news in the 40 years that have passed since the making of this film. At the end of the 1980s, it was the emergence of cable news which became popular enough in a short time, so that the fall of the Berlin Wall or the first Gulf War were broadcast live worldwide, and the news consumers were exposed directly to the images of the occurring events. A few years later, the Internet became ubiquitous, and every owner of a laptop or mobile phone became not only a consumer of news 24 hours a day, but also a potential source of news and images, instantly accessible anywhere. In the early 1980s, however, the responsibility for generating news was still entrusted to a small group of reporters broadcasting from the hot areas of the globe. The potential to inform and misinform was also present, then as now, in any report and the information has since become commodity. Reporters and photographers risked their lives (for a consistent pay in many cases) but what reached the news consumers were the sensational information, politically filtered by the editors, chosen according to the fashion of the day and the public's current interest for one cause or another. In the film, a flight of several hours transported the hero from the comfortable and safe world in which his only problems were those related to the family, in an area of war where life and violence coexisted in a way that can be understood only by those who have lived in such a part of the world. The process of knowledge that Georg Laschen goes through is not only a course of political education that leads him to reviewing his opinions about good and evil, justice and truth, but also one of personal knowledge. Can love be a savior, or any relationship is just an escapist fun, an illusory and temporary refuge? Can one rely on himself in limit situations? What are the limits? What is any of us able to do to in order to survive?

'Circle of Deceit' offers to Bruno Ganz the opportunity of one of his top creations, and it reinforces my opinion that he was one of the best, if not the best German film actor of the last half century. Hanna Schygulla plays the ambiguous role of a woman who chooses to live her life, femininity, motherhood in the neighborhood of death. This is perhaps not her best role. Much of the filming took place on location in Beirut, in a relatively safe area but close enough to the conflict to provide not only authentic scenery and extras, but also the noises and images of the conflict seen from short distance. This is one of the most realistic films about and against the war that I have seen, a film that blows up the boundaries between fiction and reality, between 'art' and documentary. The director uses in many scenes the style of war reporting, and after a while violence becomes the normal, while the scenes of normal life turn into surrealist experiences. The film was made 40 years ago, and can be considered 'historic' in its details of the Lebanese civil war. In the 40 years since the filming of 'Circle of Deceit' we saw similar images of war, terrorism, destruction, from many other parts of the world in fiction films and in the news. The change is that distances seem to have become smaller, the seemingly distant conflicts became actuality for all areas of the world because of the flow of refugees or the global export of terrorism. The individual confrontation with the absurdity of war and violence as true as ever.

I agree with Benjamin Stello of Sweden but want to add that the Film is made on Location in Beirut and is nearly Documentary. It is before Israel invaded Lebanon to get rid of PLO Terrorists. It shows the situation after Lebanese Civil War that started 1975. Beirut is divided into many Rival Quarters. The Palestinians Controlling part of Beirut. A Hellish situation where everybody is Against everybody. Similar to Yugoslavia some years later. Another Book I recommend is Thomas Friedman's "From Beirut to Jerusalem" which describes Beirut a few years later. This movie I only saw once in 1982 and is unforgettable. I also recommend other films by this Director. The Tin Drum and Others.

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.

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.