"Notes after الحــــــدود الملتـــــهبه (Flaming Borders)"
(a "Movie Review" accompanied by GIFs)
Its been days ago when this person watched that old movie from Saddam-era Iraq.
Made years after the Iran-Iraq war, the movie shows much about the battle scene if not romanticising the Iraqi side as passionate in defending their country, what more of desiring for Arab unity especially amidst Iranian attacks.
But for this writer, the movie showed was like any other propaganda. Yes there was a tone of Arab unity, but since Saddam Hussen 'Baathised' Iraqi cinema it turned out to be glorifying him as he rallied his people against Khomeini's Iran, or in his view: liberating Arab-majority areas from Iranian oppression.
Most of the scenes were focused entirely on the battlefront, of men in uniform doing commando-type actions, of braving the enemy's fire in the trenches, what more of firing guns at the enemy having its human wave attacks especially those of youngsters if not children running at heavily-mined fields with promises of "going to paradise" by their mullahs.
But, in spite of those battle scenes being emphasised, there were also scenes featuring family life, such as how a mother truly cared about her children after their father got killed because of his beliefs, if not how they supposed Baathism so much that they even had a picture of Saddam Hussein in the living room! Anyway, in any other propaganda movie it tried to invoke family values (such as respect for elders), trying to idealise the Arab family as a good example the way it invokes wartime patriotism of the Saddam's armed forces, aside those of unity and resilience as a form of resistance.
However, in spite of this 'praise', this person also shared his review some unlikely notes in it. Knowing that the movie was at first a propaganda, it tries to promote Saddam Hussein and Baathism as a better ruler and ideology for Iranian Arabs than those of Khomeini and his Islamic Republicanism- if not trying to insist that the war was a modern-day Qādisiyyah.
Otherwise, it reminds of a low-budget movie with all its campiness- thanks to their script and exaggerated scenes stressing on wartime/family values romanticism. Thus, one would think why on earth having watched that 1984-made Arab movie if not describing that the movie isn't even popular or even artsy unlike those of what most people accustomed to?
Anyway, here is a last GIF for this post.
Its been days ago when this person watched that old movie from Saddam-era Iraq.
Made years after the Iran-Iraq war, the movie shows much about the battle scene if not romanticising the Iraqi side as passionate in defending their country, what more of desiring for Arab unity especially amidst Iranian attacks.
But for this writer, the movie showed was like any other propaganda. Yes there was a tone of Arab unity, but since Saddam Hussen 'Baathised' Iraqi cinema it turned out to be glorifying him as he rallied his people against Khomeini's Iran, or in his view: liberating Arab-majority areas from Iranian oppression.
Most of the scenes were focused entirely on the battlefront, of men in uniform doing commando-type actions, of braving the enemy's fire in the trenches, what more of firing guns at the enemy having its human wave attacks especially those of youngsters if not children running at heavily-mined fields with promises of "going to paradise" by their mullahs.
But, in spite of those battle scenes being emphasised, there were also scenes featuring family life, such as how a mother truly cared about her children after their father got killed because of his beliefs, if not how they supposed Baathism so much that they even had a picture of Saddam Hussein in the living room! Anyway, in any other propaganda movie it tried to invoke family values (such as respect for elders), trying to idealise the Arab family as a good example the way it invokes wartime patriotism of the Saddam's armed forces, aside those of unity and resilience as a form of resistance.
However, in spite of this 'praise', this person also shared his review some unlikely notes in it. Knowing that the movie was at first a propaganda, it tries to promote Saddam Hussein and Baathism as a better ruler and ideology for Iranian Arabs than those of Khomeini and his Islamic Republicanism- if not trying to insist that the war was a modern-day Qādisiyyah.
Otherwise, it reminds of a low-budget movie with all its campiness- thanks to their script and exaggerated scenes stressing on wartime/family values romanticism. Thus, one would think why on earth having watched that 1984-made Arab movie if not describing that the movie isn't even popular or even artsy unlike those of what most people accustomed to?
Anyway, here is a last GIF for this post.