Luxor4u

This week I have been fortunate enough to watch 'Mandella's long walk to Freedom', 12 years a slave and tonight the surprise Oscar nominated 'The Square' (Al Midan). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2486682/ For me The Square was the most thought provoking, hard hitting and emotional of all three. The film begins following the birth of the revolution and follows it through to the present. The film follows life during the revolution of some main key activists including the actor Khalid Abdalla and the wonderfully liberal and passionate Ahmed Hassan. Some of the footage shown in the film has not been seen before and footage that has been seen before comes across very different when not portrayed by the media. What becomes very apparent early on is that there was only going ever going to be 2 options for the Egyptians - the Brotherhood or military rule again. It was interesting how very quickly the main protestors ( many of them liberal and very well educated) eventually became portrayed by the Media has nothing more than trouble causes. This film shows warts and all and doesn't particuarly show either the Brotherhood/morsi government nor the military in very good light. Pushing all politics aside the most poigniant moment in the film is when one of the protestors already predicts how those following 2 years would play out. The film ends with the message and hope from one of the main characters that onday hopefully The mighty Egypt will be a free and civil society without military rule or another Pharaoh.......after the film I did think to myself ''I wonder really how much Egypt has changed- will the film 'The Square' be screened in Egypt? - sadly I think possibly not.

Some people are arranging some unofficial screenings later this week in Cairo. I wonder whether they will pull it off. I don't see how it could EVER pass the censors and really there is no way they could even just cut some scenes to sanitize it because there would be maybe 15 minutes left of the film, but on the other hand if it wins an Oscar not allowing it will be a political problem as well.

Great film .

Be quick if you want to watch it, I'm sure it will be deleted soon.

The Square (English subtitles) (HD too)

very good timing, two minutes into watching it, yet another power cut, fifth one in as many days.

First of all, thanks Keefy for giving us the opportunity to watch this much talked about documentary. Although it was interesting seeing a first person account from day one, remove this central player and all you are left with is what is already well documented public knowledge. Saw nothing new, if anything, it was quite a watered down representation of the times. At least they quickly realized that they should never have left the square, but so did the rest of the world, but unfortunately the foothold was lost and the damage done. I wonder if they had of stuck it out and not taken the word of the armed forces that their demands would be met, would it have saved lives, or increased the losses up to the present day.

Well it only lasted a day (it's now gone)

I will try to find another one