Many of the people who watch your film, including me, don’t have any idea where the places you mention in your film are. There is a map of filming locations on the film’s website, but did you consider putting a map in the film?
Yes — I realize that — but on the DVD version there's a map, also, for reference — and I just hate to insert things like maps into a verite film. I mean, what does it matter, really, whether a particular scene is taking place in Khan Yunis or Rafah? It's all the Gaza Strip, in the end, and it doesn'talter the point of the material in any way.
One of the things that struck me the most about your film is the calm way in which people, and most of all children, react to gunfire. I recall several shots of children running for cover and laughing.
Yes — they are used to being shot at. It's something normal if you live in the Gaza Strip, so they get used to it and learn how to deal with it — otherwise they'd go crazy.
Whenever the Palestinian rock throwers appeared in your film I was reminded of the platitude, “Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” Did you have this saying in mind when you were editing the film? Do you think it applies?
No — not exactly. The Gaza Strip isn't a glass house. It's a big open-air prison camp. It makes very little difference whether the Palestinian kids throw stones or not — so why not? They are not behaving as people in a glass house; they are behaving as people who have nothing left to lose.
I had the “glass house” idea after the scene in which the Palestinian woman recalls her experience with the Israeli bulldozers, not after the rock thrower scene. Since the woman was angry at the destruction of her home and the threat to her own life, I assumed that she did have something to lose. Because the rock thrower scene is before the bulldozer scene, I probably made the connection that one led to the other. Bulldozers being bigger rocks.
Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
very interesting Quack, thanks so much! It's possible his thoughts on the impossibility of objectivity, while ultimately true, is also something of a cop out. What do you think?
2 - Xaraxa
haloo
i would like to knoe the e-mail adress of James Longely,or the e-mail adress of the writer of this article.
best regards
Xaraxa
3 - Alienboy
It is not allowed to post email addresses here - for your safety...