- Actors: Branko Djuric, Rene Bitorajac, Filip Sovagovic, Georges Siatidis, Serge-Henri Valcke
- Directors: Danis Tanovic
- Language English, French, German
- Classification: 15
- Studio: Momentum
- VHS Release Date: 27 Jan 2003
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00007JGIO
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 11,697 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
A brilliant take on the tragedy that beset his country, Danis Tanovic's directorial debut No Man's Land is a bleak comedy set during the war in Bosnia. The story begins as a group of Bosnian soldiers emerge from a fog to realise that they have strayed into a thin strip of land unclaimed by either side in the conflict. A bloody sequence of events ensues, which results in a disputed trench being occupied by weathered Bosnian veteran Branko Djuric and his opposite number, Rene Bitorajac's Serbian greenhorn. There's a standoff between them, complicated by Djuric's injured colleague lying atop a "bouncing mine". He's a human booby trap--move him and the everything within 50 yards will be blown sky-high. As the blue-hatted, ineffectual UN are called in, and with the world's media, led by the late Katrin Cartlidge as a rather snotty BBC reporter, swiftly arriving on the scene, this single trench becomes an almost Beckettian metaphor for the war.
Tanovic is not especially concerned with taking sides in the Bosnian-Serb conflict. Whatever its causes, both sides are seen to be as bad, or more accurately as desperate, as each other. That it's hard, for outsiders in particular, to tell who's who much of the time only heightens the irony. There's anger at the media intrusiveness ("Does our misery pay well?" screams Djuric at the reporters), but what's really conveyed is a sense of the absurdity, futility and intractability of war, as summarised in the final image. From the grotesque mess of conflict, Tanovic has fashioned a perfectly judged and beautifully executed movie.
On the DVD: No Man's Land is presented in widescreen with a Dolby 5.1 soundtrack. There are no extras, other than an English language option for the hard of hearing. --David Stubbs
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Last year, just before the Academy voted their choices for the Oscars, Miramax launched a campaign. The campaign was pretty simple - to have the Academy, who's vote choices included Best Foreign Language Film, to actually have SEEN the foreign language films they were voting from. The only Miramax film in this category was the hugely popular French movie Amelie, which is what most would have been voted for without the campaign as it is probably the only film most of the voters would have seen, so this was a brave and rather admirable step for Miramax to take. The campaign was launched, the films were viewed, and No Man's Land, a Bosnian film, won.
Whether it is, in fact, better than Amelie or whether the Academy followed suit from Cannes and thought it was too 'lightweight' for an Oscar is debatable but this is still a very good war film.
The story is pretty simple. In 1993, two Bosnians and a Serb are caught in a trench between enemy lines. They - eventually - call a truce as one of the Bosnians is lying on top of an unexploded mine, planted by the Serbs to fool the Bosnians when they think the soldier is dead, that would explode if he got up and kill all of them. Things start spinning out of hand when the UN and the media become involved, not least because they all seem to speak different languages.
Dani Tanovic's biting war film has satirical touches - the situation would almost be a comic set up if it were not for the threat to the soldiers' lives. The soldiers from the opposing sides (the third, on the mine, is a smaller though crucial part), through their fights and arguments learn a little about each other and both come to the conclusion that the war will solve nothing and it is the other side's fault it started. They both have opportunities to kill each other but do not, not because they become friends but because they realise that it would be a human being they were killing rather than just another enemy soldier.
Perhaps No Man's Land does not have the scope of movies such as Apocalypse Now, or the emotional depth of movies like Platoon or Schindler's List, but it still outlines how pointless war is and the effect it can have on people. It gets the message across well, as it shows us the situation from four different viewpoints - the soldiers involved; the concerned UN blue caps ("smurfs"); the nosy news reporter; and the indifferent bigwig (played by Simon Callow).
The situation in the movie has an effect on everyone's lives involved, and you will find yourself on the edge of your seat all the way up to the inevitable, and devastating, climax. At 98 minutes it is a little short but it still manages to fulfil its purpose and this is considerably better than some of the gung-ho war movies Hollywood sporadically spews out.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
It is simply one of the best films war I have ever seen.
It is film about life and how much is worth.See that film and ask yourself; how much do we appreciate and respect ourselves and others.It gives crule picture and all the answers,and it is not only a war film, it is film about humankind
It is film about life and how much is worth.See that film and ask yourself; how much do we appreciate and respect ourselves and others.It gives crule picture and all the answers,and it is not only a war film, it is film about humankind
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
After the first time I saw the movie I thought how it was the best, simplest and most honest portrayal of the war in Bosnia. Later on I realised it is true for any war. You are brought into the life of young people in front-line trenches, the way life really is when you face the end of the gun and not what is portrayed in newspapers and by politicians. Brilliant, tragic yet on verge of humour. Don't miss it!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Absurdity of War Laid Bare
My wife is Bosnian and this film means a great deal to her. However you need know nothing of that conflict to get the point. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mr. A. R. Boyes
Not just another war film
I heard that this film had got rave reviews and won prizes and watched it out of curiosity. Initially I thought it was just another war film -- in foreign. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Aunty Pog
interesting!
Almost all the film is in a trench.
Question: When you have a trench as setting and two simple characters as protagonists what you can make as film? Read more
Question: When you have a trench as setting and two simple characters as protagonists what you can make as film? Read more
Published on 13 May 2009 by Cinephilo
Simply outstandng
In part black comedy, throughout a harrowing anti-war film, "No Man's Land" takes us into the theatre of the absurd and a tiny amphitheatre, an abandoned trench between the Serbian... Read more
Published on 26 Mar 2009 by Budge Burgess
An Oscar-winner out of guilt?
"No Man's Land" is set in the Bosnian War 1992 - 1995, and the West has much to feel guilty about in its failure to act effectively to end the conflict, prevent crimes against... Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2009 by Peter Scott-presland
Not as good as expected
I had expected this to be far better than it actually was. After a promising start, the action became a bit contrived, especially with the introduction of the English journalist. Read more
Published on 25 Nov 2008 by The Beard
An apt metaphor
I thought this was an excellent and thought provoking film. Although it's humorous and light in tone, it nevertheless managed to convey the tragedy of the Bosnian conflict and the... Read more
Published on 22 Nov 2008 by Amanda Stevens
Tragic & funny.
I've just watched this film on T.V. and would agree with the other reviewers that is an wonderful film about the bosnian - serbian war. I especially rememeber the French U.N. Read more
Published on 10 Nov 2008 by Marmalade the Book Magpie
entertaining
This is a good entertaining movie. It shows how ridiculous wars can be and the ineffective abilities of the UN. Good stark end.
Published on 31 Mar 2007 by SHEI
Great film for the kids!
When i was young, my dad would whip is sausages out and get me to it whilst i watched this film.
A great film. The humour part is most prominent. Read more
A great film. The humour part is most prominent. Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2007 by J. Lawrence
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