The story of "The Band Visits" is very simple. It tells the story of the Egyptian police band of Alexandria, who was invited to perform in Israel. As a result, they got off the wrong car on the way and were trapped in an Israeli town in the desert. The town is very small and has no hotels. In the words of the heroine Tina in the film, "there is no Arab culture, no Israeli culture, or even no culture", and there are just people everywhere. Band members can only sleep in the homes of small town residents, and the film focuses on what happened one night.
The combination of Egypt and Israel will always be a combination of Mars hitting the Earth in my mind. The four Middle East wars, Egypt's anger by the Arab world after the establishment of diplomatic relations between Egypt and Israel, etc., etc., constitute the hostility and misunderstanding between the two peoples. I thought I would see elements of blockbuster films such as hostility, explosions, horror, etc., but I did not expect this film to give me a different kind of surprise.
The film has always been a light atmosphere. There are no quick shots and deliberate conflicts, only a touch of warmth, vicissitudes and sadness. Use casual details to express deep connotations.
Entering Tina's small restaurant, I found the photo of the salon on the wall, and the photo of the Centurion Tank in the Fourth Middle East War. The band members quietly covered the photo with their hats.
Only a military fan like me would pay attention to this detail, hehe! Sharon was the hero who turned the tide in the Fourth Middle East War. The Centenarian tank was Israel's main force in the Fourth Middle East War, so the photo must be referring to the Fourth Middle East War. In the fourth Middle East War, the Arab coalition led by Egypt launched a surprise attack, which almost pushed Israel to the brink of subjugation. Sharon turned the tide, Israel turned defeat into victory, and the Egyptian army suffered heavy losses, which became an eternal pain in the hearts of Egyptians.
"Alexandria is a big city with a lot of people, lights and noise so you can feel like you're alive". This is also Tina's words, but the film expresses that in such a quiet town, everyone finds the truest side of their life and makes everyone feel alive.
Tina and the band leader had a faint affection for each other. Tina asked the leader to drink, and the leader restrained the impulse with reason and went back to the room to sleep. I woke up in the middle of the night and found that the band boy in the same room was not with me. I went out to look for it, but found the figure of Tina and the boy who were shaking the rain and clouds. 's performance.
The second conductor of the band, when he graduated, wrote the beginning of a concerto, which was never completed because of marriage, pregnancy and children. At night in the town, the music box on the side of the crib suddenly got inspiration.
5. The Israeli man in the play once suggested to the second conductor: "You know what? ... Maybe it can end like this, that's the kind of ... sudden end, no sadness, no joy, just a small room, a lamp , a bed, a child sleeping, and... endless loneliness." And the film ended abruptly.
There are many similar details. After watching the film, I felt that the superstructure such as politics and national barriers are actually far away from us. We are just ordinary living beings, and we all share common troubles, sorrows and joys. Only love, family, friendship, etc. are our eternal human nature. Perhaps this is the universal value. Let us cherish everything around us and be silent in the happiness of ordinary people. "The Tower of Babel" uses extreme techniques to describe misunderstandings and estrangements, while "The Band Visits" uses a touch of comedy to explain that the most beautiful things in common with human beings are similar in purpose. Individuals may prefer the latter expression.
The soundtrack and songs in the film are very nice, especially the song when the Egyptian boy taught the Israeli boy to fall in love, but unfortunately I don't know the name of the song. It is a great pity that this film lost the right to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film because of too many dialogues in English (Egyptians and Israelis communicate only in English).
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