BEAUFORT

Israel, 2007, 120 minutes, Colour.
Oshri Cohen, Itay Tiran, Eli Altonio.
Directed by Joseph Cedar.

Beaufort is an austere film about the 2000 withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon. Beaufort is an old crusader castle (which has seen many wars over many centuries) and is in Lebanese territory. During the occupation from 1982 to 2000, it served as an impregnable fortress though the continued target of Hezbollah rockets.

The film confines its two hour running time to the castle and the preparations for leaving, the continued bombardment, defusing bombs, packing, dreams of what the soldiers will do in the future. The commander, very young, is psychologically affected by the orders to leave and the seeming surrender of the castle as well as the final orders to blow it up.

The film remembers the war with Lebanon, its 18 years and the cost to Israel and the difficulties for some Israelis for face the withdrawal whereas others welcomed it.

Finished before July 2006, Beaufort has very strong resonances with what happened in the Israeli invasion of Lebanon last year and the confrontation with Hezbollah and the question of whether that is the right way to go and how futile it is.

1. The impact of the film for an Israeli audience? Worldwide audience? Lebanese audience? The picture of the culmination of the first Lebanon war? The withdrawal of Israel from Lebanon and what it signified?

2. The topicality of the story – the events of 2006 in the retrospect of the eighteen years war between Lebanon and Israel? The occupation of southern Lebanon? Hezbollah and its armaments? The bombing of Israel, the bombing of southern Lebanon? The nature of war? The possibilities for peace?

3. The reconstruction of Beaufort Castle on location, the exteriors, the interiors? The landscapes and the mountains? The ruins of the castle itself? In southern Lebanon? The re-creation of the fortifications, the tunnels? An authentic feel of realism? Everything filmed on the one set – and then the final blowing up of the set as the blowing up of the fort? The atmospheric musical score? Songs?

4. 2000, the planned retreat from Lebanon? The Beaufort Castle and its occupation – and the prologue giving the information about the history of the castle and the succeeding generations who were in it? The range of soldiers? The symbolic significance of Beaufort? The strategic importance? It being avoided in the 2006 war? Beaufort as a tourist attraction?

5. The preparations for the withdrawal? Policy, the pressure of protests, the role of the government? The pressure from Lebanon? The occupation itself? The range of soldiers on Beaufort, in the lookout posts, the information about incoming missiles? The soldiers themselves? The munitions experts? The detonation experts? The links with headquarters? The psychological pressure on the soldiers and the commander?

6. The focus on the short days of action before the actual withdrawal? The effect on the men? The arrival of the bomb demolition expert, his hesitations, communicating with headquarters, the confrontation with Liraz? His going on the mission? His death? (And his father later going on television and the television interview about the significance of his death – and the whole war against Lebanon?)

7. Liraz as commander, his age, inexperience, his wanting to be an officer, the various attempts, his passing the exams? The confrontation with the demolition expert? The reaction to his death? His reactions with the other men, their contradicting him, his dogged patriotism, the fanaticism, his ambitions in terms of being a commander? His inability to move under fire? The decisions about the retreat and the blowing up of the castle? His talking with the men, his powerlessness? The final confrontation of what he should do – and his wanting to stay until the end? His finally giving the order to leave?

8. The other personnel, their work together, the dangers of the incoming missiles, the continual announcements about their being under fire, about the end of the impact? The fort and its demolition? The deaths? The good friendship, the discussions amongst themselves, the meals, prayer? The man with the fiancée in New Jersey? The phone calls to families? The age of the young men, their service? Feeling isolated? The good humour amongst themselves, and their compassion on one another in injury and death?

9. The men who died, the explosions, the missiles, dragging the man to safety – and his later dying? The report on the television news and their watching it?

10. The details of the characters of the soldiers, their various roles, the log for keeping watch? The packing up? The generator breaking down? The sense of fear? The man who could not go on watch any more? Liraz allowing him to stay off?

11. Meir and the setting up of the explosives to blow up the fort? His detailed work? The soldiers getting on the tanks? The packing up? The orders from Command? The final blowing up of the mountain? The spectacular explosion?

12. The questioning of the occupation of Lebanon? The role of Hezbollah? Not seeing the enemy? Their firing the missiles? The deadly nature of the missiles? Death and injury? The effect on morale?

13. The 21st century and the state of action between Israel and Lebanon? The Hezbollah? The importance of seeing this kind of film as a recording of an eighteen-year period of history? The withdrawal of Israel? The nature of loyalty and patriotism in Israel? Their lack of knowledge of the enemy? The 2006 events?