Movie #1496 ........................."The Band's Visit"

Movie #1496 "The Band's Visit" -- I wanted to watch this film because we had seen the musical based on the movie this past October, so Dave and I watched it on the computer when we were flying to Arizona for a wedding the other day.  And it was a perfect film to watch on a loud plane --- because it was mostly full of subtitles, and the music (which there was a lot of) was well placed in the film and not just in the background (because we couldn't have heard it otherwise!)  When we had seen the musical, we thought there was a very thin plot, but what was there was very intriguing.  And we felt the same about the film that the musical is based on.  Actually, the musical adds the concert at the end, which was a nice bonus, and also quite a bit of music (since it is a musical) throughout by the individual band members.  What we really enjoyed about both is the style in which the story is told.  It is difficult to describe but I liken it to Wes Anderson's style --- where he stops action once in a while when we are first presented to a setting or people in that setting.  It is almost as if they were waiting for the camera to come in but it's to show how quirky these people are, and it makes the viewer oftentimes want to know all their back stories.  Anderson did this esp. well in "Grand Budapest Hotel" --- so you not only laugh through the scene, but at the onset when we first see the characters.  The same is going on here.  All the while, the film is very topical right now because it shows what happens when two cultures (in this case, Egypt and Israel) come together --- it's very awkward initially, but as the story progresses, we find that people aren't that different basically.  A lesson we need to study and learn right now!!! I recommend the film and give it 4 stars out of 5, but I also know that this film is not for everyone.  It's pretty quirky, very quiet, full of long moments of nothing while people stare at each other......but I enjoyed it a lot!

"THE BAND'S VISIT"       2007   PG-13        1 hour and 27 mins.

When an Egyptian police brass band travels to Israel to play at the opening of an Arab arts center, the group ends up abandoned and lost in a remote desert town, igniting a charming cross-cultural comedy. Defying expectations, the tiny Israeli community embraces the musicians, and both the Egyptians and the locals learn a few things about one another -- and themselves. This witty foreign-language film nabbed the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes.

Cast: Saleh Bakri, Ronit Elkabetz, Sasson Gabai,