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Kandahar [DVD] [2001]
 
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Kandahar [DVD] [2001]

DVD ~ Nelofer Pazira
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Actors: Nelofer Pazira, Hassan Tantai, Ike Ogut, Sadou Teymouri, Hoyatala Hakimi
  • Directors: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
  • Writers: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
  • Producers: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English, Persian, Polish
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: PG
  • Studio: Ica Projects Ltd.
  • DVD Release Date: 26 Aug 2002
  • Run Time: 85 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000068OWN
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 79,145 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

Kandahar is a daring challenge to Afghan life. Told through the character of Nafas (Nelofer Pariza)--a young Afghan journalist who returns from Canada to save her estranged sister, who has threatened to commit suicide--it is an eye-opener about the plight of Afghan women.

On her journey to meet her sister, Nafas meets the prime features of the country--violence, disease, sexual discrimination and a terrifyingly dominant religion. The tempo of the film increases as she meets each new character. Among these are the victims of land mines who fight over prosthetic legs, the doctor who comes to the land in search of God, the many female voices silenced behind their burqas and the young boys who don't even know the meaning of the Islamic texts they memorise. The combination of vast, barren landscapes, haunting music and a poignant narrative is riveting. Mohsen Makhmalbaf, with his rustic imagery and documentary style, tells a story of great political, cultural and religious relevance in today's world.

On the DVD: Kandahar's bonus feature "Afghan Alphabet" (also made by Makhmalbaf) makes shocking revelations about the condition of Afghan refugees after the September 11 attacks. Focusing on a small group on the border of Iran and Afghanistan, it shows how deeply the Taliban regime scarred the Afghan people. --Anika Puri



Special Features

Farsi
Region 2
English
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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not Makhmalbaf's best work, 31 Aug 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Kandahar [VHS] [2001] (VHS Tape)
In Farsi this film is called 'Safar E Kandahar', which means 'Road To Kandahar'. I believe that to be a more apt title as this film is really a 'road movie'. It is episodic in structure as the main protagonist, Nafas, travels from the Afghan/Iranian border en route to Kandahar, the spiritual home of the Taliban. She meets many people on her way who give her help.

The film is set just before the solar eclipse of Summer 1999. Nafas is an Afghan refugee who has returned home from Canada in the hope of rescuing her sister. Nafas received a letter from her sister saying that she would commit suicide on the day of the eclipse as her life was so terrible under the Taliban. Nafas has only three days to rescue her sister as she did not get the letter until several months had passed.

This film, like many of Mahmalbaf's previous films, is very strong. There are some major problems though. Makhmalbaf appears to playing to an international market, with much of the dialogue in English. It does not fit at all and is used for purely polemic reasons. Whilst Makhmalbaf should be applauded for for being the only filmmaker (that I know of) who stood up and protested about the situation in Afghanistan, much in the way of character development suffers because of the shouting of facts and figures at the screen.

There are moments though that could only come from an Iranian film, such as prosthetic limbs being parachuted down to amputees who scramble to reach them first. Also where the UN teaches young girls returning to Afghanistan not to pick up dolls as they are usually booby-trapped with mines.

Perhaps I am being unfair on the film, but after watching Makhmalbaf's previous films such as 'Gabbeh' and 'A Moment Of Innocence' one expects much from the man. 'Kandahar' is a very good film. You should do your best to see it. In fact, you should do your best to check out a lot of Iranian Cinema. Maybe this film could be a starting place for you.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Harrowing journey into contemporary Afghanistan, 11 Sep 2002
By I. J. Scantlebury "scants" (Manchester) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Tells the tale of a woman who manages to escape from Afghanistan but is forced to return in order to find her sister in Khandahar. We begin the journey in a refugee camp in Iran and follow her through the devastated wasteland that has been created by generations of war. This is very a poignant story which illustrates the utter helplessness and hopelessness of the people she meets in the face of the Taliban and their fundamentalism.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A troubling masterpiece, 20 Feb 2003
By A Customer
I'd wondered how a film I'd enjoyed so much in the cinema would transfer to DVD. I needn't have worried unduly. This is an extraordinary piece of fim making, by turns emotional, subtle, sensuous, funny and frightening.

If there are faults they lie somewhere in the structure of the fim (the end in particular feels too abrupt)but this is a minor quibble. The acting is beautifully observed and I would recommend it not just as a commentary on Afghanistan under the Taliban but also as a more generally sharply insightful masterpiece by an Iranian director.

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