1. June, 1982 - The First Lebanon War. A lone tank and a paratroopers platoon are dispatched to search a hostile town - a simple mission that turns into a nightmare. The four members of a tank crew find themselves in a violent situation that they cannot contain. Motivated by fear and the basic instinct of survival, they desperately try not to lose themselves in the chaos of war. Director: Samuel Maoz Writer: Samuel Maoz http://filmeducation.org/teachingtrailers/secondary/activities_lebanon.html http://filmeducation.org/teachingtrailers/secondary/activities_lebanon.html
2. The trailer begins with the reflection in a puddle of a soldier holding a rifle; the reflection is shattered by a pair of boots. Based on the trailers' opening shot, what themes might you expect the film to deal with? How well do you think this works as the opening to the trailer? By the opening shot I would think that the genre of this film is a drama and maybe a what could be classed as a ‘real life’ situation in the film. I think that the opening scene to the film represents how broken and damaged a soldier life can become. As the reflection starts off with a clear image but is broken when the soldier simply steps into the puddle. This could also be representative of the destruction the soldiers cause in the war.
3. As the film is not in English, subtitles are used to convey the dialogue. How does this compare to any other subtitled films you may have watched? Other films that use subtitles only use them for a small amount of time for example when another character of another nationality is introduced. But as this film is based on a true story having the characters talking in the language of the country the film is based in would be an important factor of the film to make it more realistic. Language of the film: Hebrew
4. Look closely at the different camera angles used: there are some unusual and interesting shots in this trailer. What effects do these choices have on your reaction to what you see? The majority of camera angles used are close ups to show the cramped conditions the soldiers live in within the tank. This could also represent how close their relationships are in war conditions. Some shots used show a target on the screen targeting different people. But as the action builds the camera with the target on starts to get more shaky showing how the tension builds throughout the trailer.
5.
6.
7.
8. The Lebanese civilians are viewed through the cross hair of the soldier's tank. Have you seen this technique used before? Where? What effect does the repeated use of this shot have on our understanding of the characters in the trailer and their feelings about their role in the war?
