HORS LA VIE (HOLD ONTO LIFE)

Lebanon/France, 1991, 97 minutes, Colour.
Hippolyte Girardot, Rafic Ali Ahmad.
Directed by Maroun Bagdadi.

Hors La Vie (Hold Onto Life) is a vigorous Lebanese-French? co-production, written and directed by Mahoune Bagdadi. (Unfortunately, after the completion of the film, Bagdadi died accidentally from a fall into a liftwell.)

The film is based on a memoir of a French photojournalist and his being a hostage for over 300 days in Lebanon. He is presented as an ambitious journalist, young and inexperienced in the ways of Lebanese armies, suffering the humiliation and indignities of his captivity, the uncertainties, the attempts to escape, the support of some of his captors? On the whole, he is seen generally in isolation or with his captors.

The film also offers a portrait of Lebanese terrorists, their ordinary lives, the motives for their taking hostages, their treatment of the hostage.

The film has an authentic and gritty touch, is very physical in many of its sequences, making the audience share the hostage experience of the central character.

A strong document of the '90s, a fiction that brings home to audience the impact of fact.

1.A passionate film, Lebanese background, Arab sensibility, French techniques and collaboration? The perspective of the Lebanese film-maker?

2.The title, the hero being out of his ordinary life, holding onto life, the hostage experience?

3.The use of Beirut locations, the war torn and bombed exteriors, the buildings and the streets, the interiors, the homes? The atmosphere of a war torn city? Its atmosphere? Lebanese television, music? The musical score? The subjective style and hand-held camera techniques?

4.The audience and sympathies for the Lebanese situation, sympathy for the Lebanese themselves, for terrorists? For foreign hostages? The impact of the bombed city? The violence, the factions in the city, the taking hostages, hostages as bargaining points?

5.The portrait of Patrick in the war situation, the journalist, his eagerness in taking photographs, the dangerous situations, his wanting interviews? His being seen as a foreign imperialist?

6.The drama of his being taken in the street, held in the car, his initial fear, the ways of transferring him from cars to buildings, the blindfold, the violent treatment? The impact of not seeing, not knowing, the accumulating fear?

7.The detail of the hostage experience, the places of imprisonment, the cars, the dark and the candles, the locked doors, the locked windows? The possibilities of washing and the humiliation, lavatory experience, the pyjamas, the quality of the food, the decision to go on a hunger strike, the pangs of hunger, the need for candles? Illness and treatment?

8.The people taking the hostages: the man in charge and his overall command, Felipe and his friendliness, the exchange of names, Patrick teaching him? The mercenary and his violent and gung-ho, manic behaviour? The humour in the American Lebanese who had been in Hollywood, an extra in Taxi Driver, imitating Robert de Niro? The range of the other captors? Communication, hopes, hopes dashed, fears created by lies?

9.His being kept in the house, the family, the child wandering into his room, the mother and her gratitude towards Patrick for his help?

10.The passing of time, the loss of sense of time, the overwhelming experience, the growing bewilderment? His being wrapped in sticky paper and taken under the truck? The sequences of his illness? Opening the window, getting the key and wandering the house? The repercussions?

11.The war issues, the desire for exchange of prisoners, Patrick not knowing these issues?

12.His wanting to get out, the false getting out? Finally released, wandering the beach, doffing the Arab clothing, going to the hotel, the reception of the journalists - his being back in his own world?

13.The dependence on Isabelle, her photo on the wall, keeping in touch with reality, the emotional dependence and longing? The tearing up of the photo?

14.Patrick back in his own world, the cafe, discussions with his friends, with Isabelle? His having taken the phone number, ringing the phone - and the empty house and no answer at the end? Symbol of the hostilities in Lebanon?