Beaufort (2007)

The story of a group of Israeli soldiers stationed in an outpost prior to the withdrawal of forces of 2000.

Director:

Joseph Cedar

Writers:

Joseph Cedar, Ron Leshem (novel)

Stars:

Alon Aboutboul, Adi Adouan, Ya'akov Ahimeir

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Alon Aboutboul	...	Brigadier-General Kimchi, division commander
Adi Adouan
Ya'akov Ahimeir	...	Self (as Yaakov Ahimeir)
Guy Apriat
Avi Ayoun
Itamar Barzani
Daniel Bednar
Alon Ben David	...	Self
Moshe Ben Shushan
Yaniv Ben Yitzhak
Yoav Bertan
Avi Bitton
Daniel Bruck	...	Pavel
Roi Carmel
Daniel Cedar

Storyline

BEAUFORT tells the story of LIRAZ LIBERTI, the 22 year-old outpost commander, and his troops in the months before Israel pulled out of Lebanon. This is not a story of war, but of retreat. This is a story with no enemy, only an amorphous entity that drops bombs from the skies while terrified young soldiers must find a way to carry out their mission until their very last minutes on that mountaintop. As LIRAZ lays the explosives which would destroy that very same structure that his friends had died defending, he witnesses the collapse of all he's been taught as an officer, and his soldier's mental and physical disintegration.

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | officer | bomb | israeli soldier | israeli | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Israel's official submission in the Foreign Language Film category for the 80th Academy Awards (2008). It was submitted after The Band's Visit (2007) was disqualified by AMPAS (see Trivia there).

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Quotes

Shpitzer: [while playing electric keyboard and singing a song in memory of Zitlawy] # I won't be afraid to fall / Won't be afraid to grow / To sink or swim / To live or die #

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Connections

Featured in A History of Israeli Cinema (2009)

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Soundtracks

Avot u-Banim
(Fathers and Sons)
Written by Eviatar Banai
Performed by Arthur Perzev

User Reviews

Among the best of war films

I'm not a fan of the war genre, but Beaufort plays out more as a psychological thriller, and I find it hard to fault. There was an amazing blend of naturalism, stylistic devices, humour, touching human drama and suspense - at one time I jumped in my seat like I never have before.

The camera movements and cinematography are excellent and reinforce a sense of claustrophobia as a group of Israeli soldiers keep guard at an historic fort within southern Lebanon, but are virtually under siege by Hezbollah forces. Character development is also excellent with much authenticity. The film focuses on the idiosyncrasies of various characters and how they interact with each other under the circumstances. Respect for the commanding officer is sometimes lacking, resulting in a lack of discipline and friction at a difficult time.

I count this film as one of my favourite films in the genre, kind of a cross between Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket and Sam Mendes' Jarhead, and as good as either of these. Like these two films, there is an understated political critique in how young men are pawns in the games played by those who live comfortably away from the field of battle and death. Whether you like war films or not, this is must-see cinema.

I saw the film's screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Details

Official Sites:

Metropolitan Films [France] Official site [Israel]

Country:

Israel

Language:

Hebrew

Release Date:

18 January 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bufor

Filming Locations:

Nimrud Castle, Golan Heights, Israel

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,808, 20 January 2008

Gross USA:

$102,591

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$271,340

Company Credits

Production Co:

United King Films, Metro Communications, Movie Plus

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1