Welcome to Sarajevo | | Cast : | Stephen Dillane, Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tomei | | Director : | Michael Winterbottom | | Studio : | Miramax Home Entertainment | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | November 26, 1997 | | DVD Released Date : | April 05, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | June 17, 2005 | | Summary | nice window into hell---or one of them, at least. | Content
 | As someone who followed the carnage in the former Yugoslavia with great morbid fascination during most of the 1990s, I found much of this film quite accurate.
There is a long and bloody history between the ethnic groups of Yugoslavia of which none are guiltless, but what happened in the early 90s was almost ENTIRELY the doing of the Serb leadership, namely Karazdic and Milosevic who both deserve a special seat in hell. It was also the fault of the West, namely the West Europeans, that nothing was done until hundreds of thousands had been displaced, killed, and wounded---in particular, the British government was openly sympathetic to the Serbian side, and much of the Western Europeans also were afraid of having another Muslim state at their doorstep (the reason they keep refusing Turkey entry to the EU). It was also partially Clinton's fault for refusing to go it alone when the Europeans balked, until much too late in the game. But at least US military power was used for some cause other than oil or imperialism, for a change.
"Welcome to Sarajevo" touches on all these points but very subtly; this is not a Spike Lee soapbox-and-a-megaphone type of movie, nor is it the kind of schmaltzy and posturing Hollywood misery-exploitation movie that I feared when I saw that Woody Harrelson had one of the starring roles.
As filmmaking it is competent but hardly stellar---pacing is a bit slow, some dialogue and acting was jarringly subpar (Marisa Tomei was NOT well directed at all), and the plot is fairly predictable and ordinary. However as history and journalism it is worth watching, this film takes us behind the usual nightly 30 seconds of carnage film footage and humanizes the conflict by showing us not only the physical but also mental and emotional environment that these people endured for so many years.
The last scene, of a classical concert outdoors in Sarajevo near the end of hostilities, is simple, direct and beautiful.
PS. It is also true however that had what happened in the ex-Yugoslavia happened in some Third-World non-white country (and much worse things DO happen in those countries all the time, e.g. Sudan and Rwanda) it never would've garnered anywhere as much media attention. And it is also sadly true that had the victims been Christians instead of Muslims, more would've been done much much sooner. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 08, 2005 | | Summary | Lack of balance leads to lack of credibility. | Content
| In short, the film does a fairly good job of getting the message across, as it should do, in making people aware of the evils of war and the fact that the international community is often slow to act. At the same time, however, it does not provide a balanced examination of the situation on the ground, which only weakens the very effect it is trying to create.
What the film ends up doing is the one thing it must avoid at all cost in order to be effective: NOT to choose sides. The Catholic Croats and the Muslims are the "victims," while the Orthodox Serbs are wholly to blame... That is neither witty nor wise when trying to carry out a "noble cause." There is a term used in such situations and it's called... propaganda!
A more balanced and objective approach (i.e. there are no good guys and bad guys in such conflicts) with less bias and closed mindedness would have made the film more effective and therefore, more successful. The ultimate goal is good, but the method used is not necessarily the correct one.
Another setback is in relation to the acting (or lack of it); that is to say that the cast are badly in need of acting lessons (with the exception of Woody Harrelson)! The acting-oh my- the acting is beyond words... School plays (and pre-school for that matter) have better actors! It is truly sad...
Yet another weakness is in relation to the very poor dialogues and the weak plot/storyline for which the writers and director are to blame.
In conclusion, the potential for a good movie was there if only the writers/director had the ability to... write and direct! A shame really... |
| Rating | | | Date | August 06, 2004 | | Summary | Sad look at war | Content
| I loved this movie and Stephen Dillane was great. He does not get the recognition that he deserves. Also this was the first movie where I actually liked Woody Harrelson. I would recommended that everyone see this movie. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 04, 2004 | | Summary | Far from perfect, but well worth seeing | Content
| The story revolves around a team of news people who are covering the war in Sarajevo and the rescue of some children from an ophanage. It tries to say something important about a war and a place that was practically ignored. I've always been interested in learning more. This movie doesn't answer my questions. I'm still confused about the difference between the Bosnians and the Serbs and why they were fighting. But I did get a feel of the place which I never quite got before. And as films go, the story is a patchwork of pieces and not put together well. Woody Harrelson and Marisa Tomai are in it but their parts are quite small. This is far from a perfect film. However,I'm glad I tracked it down and saw it. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 07, 2004 | | Summary | A Balkan Tragedy | Content
| In the spring of 1992, news correspondents from around the world descended upon Bosnia to document the most horrific conflict Europe had seen since World War II. WELCOME TO SARAJEVO is the story of those correspondents and the surreal world they entered when they checked into their rooms at the Holiday Inn (which, as fate would have it, was located right on the infamous boulevard known as Sniper Alley; they couldn't have found a better place to view the action if they tried). One of those correspondents, Michael Henderson (Stephen Dillane), has very little patience with colleagues like Jordan Flynn (Woody Harrelson) who always find ways of involving themselves in the stories they're covering. "We're not here to help - we're here to report," he says. But Henderson finds it increasingly difficult to remain detached from the carnage around him, especially when Serb artillery and Serb snipers start targeting Sarajevo's children. Frustrated by networks (who would rather lead with stories about the Duchess of York's marital problems) and world leaders (who condemn the killing while allowing it to continue), Henderson finally decides to act; if he can't stop the war, then he can at least save the life of a child. WELCOME TO SARAJEVO is based on "Natasha's Story," the 1993 memoir of ITN correspondent Michael Nicholson. Director Michael Winterbottom has fashioned a remarkable film by taking the events in Nicholson's book and interweaving them with actual footage of the siege of Sarajevo. And he's couldn't have assembled a better cast; Stephen Dillaine and Woody Harrelson give the performances of their careers (thus far) as Henderson and Flynn, and they're ably supported by Kerry Fox, Marisa Tomei, Emira Nusevic, and a charismatic, pre-ER Goran Visnjic (who comes close to walking away with the movie). When WELCOME TO SARAJEVO was released on VHS, one of the Amazon.com reviewers took former President Clinton to task for his "lies" about Bosnia, but he neglected to mention that most of the events depicted in this film (Bosnia's descent into war, the breadline massacre, the establishment of Serb-operated concentration camps in Omarska and Trnopolje) took place when George H.W. Bush was in the White House. Clearly there's blame enough to go around. Bosnia wasn't just failed by the U.S., Britain, France, and the U.N.; Bosnia was failed by the world. And the world should be ashamed. As for WELCOME TO SARAJEVO, it's a vivid and unforgettable portrait of one of the most lunatic periods in recent history. Don't miss it. |
|
Picture 01 (20)
