The Liberace of Baghdad (2005)

Held up in a heavily fortified Baghdad hotel, Iraq's most famous pianist Samir Peter tries to survive the "peace" of post-war Iraq as he waits for his visa that will grant him a new life in America.

Director:

Sean McAllister

Stars:

Samir Peter, Sean McAllister

4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Samir Peter	...	Himself
Sean McAllister	...	Himself

Storyline

Held up in a heavily fortified Baghdad hotel, Iraq's most famous pianist Samir Peter tries to survive the "peace" of post-war Iraq as he waits for his visa that will grant him a new life in America.

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Plot Keywords:

iraq | hotel | airport | family relationships | father daughter relationship | 

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Genres:

Documentary | War

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC Four [uk]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 January 2005 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Baghdad, Iraq

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Team Productions, Tenfoot Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Remarkable Testament

I was thrust into this gem while I surfed the cable this Sunday morning. What kept me there was not an abiding interest in Iraqi affairs. It was merely my humanity. Not something another reviewer had any gumption about. Any attempt to review this as some treatise on politics fails at its first attempt.

We are brought into the life of a man who has welcomed an invitation to be depicted to Western cameras under increasing risk for his life and the lives of those around him not including Sean who interviews him over the course of almost a year.

The painting we see is not a pretty nor a safe one. The scenes we see are tense and real in a gritty sense.

The talent or perhaps lack of talent of this man are not the question here. That other reviewer forgets that Liberace was not a classical musician, Liberace was a showman, a lounge act that grew out of proportion to his real musical talent. But this musician demonstrated more seeds of a talent than Liberace ever did. His sounds were not always studio quality...but who cares. And I really don't see why the other reviewer had such an obsession with it in the first place. He must really believe movie titles or something.

The film was about humanity from the center of topical politics. And there lies the excellence of this film. And that is where we go and why we are entranced beyond the trappings of a hotel besieged by what seemed to be mostly American soldiers.

And this is why I recommend this. It is a testament to reality - with all of its flaws and contradictions.

Recommended without reservations.