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Ehud Barak, Israel's defence minister, has said that his country must recognise that the world will not put up with decades more of Israeli rule over the Palestinian people. "The world is not willing to accept - and we will not change that in 2010 - the expectation that Israel will rule another people for decades more," he said. Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been stalled since Israeli forces launched a 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip in December 2008. such as adopting the vision of two states for two peoples and curtailing settlement construction.
"But we also should not delude ourselves. The growing alienation between us and the United States is not good for the state of Israel," he said. "We extend one hand in peace to all our neighbours who wish for peace. Our other hand grasps the sword of David in order to defend our people against those who seek to kill us," he said. Israel's Memorial Day, which is dedicated to the nearly 23,000 fallen soldiers and civilian victims of attacks, is observed with a two-minute nationwide siren when people stand at attention, traffic is halted and everyday activities come briefly to a standstill. ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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“At last we have the movie every would-be cinematic visionary has been trying to make since 1927.” - AO Scott, NYT
Fritz Lang’s film was a wonder to me the first time I saw it. The images used in the film helped me to get lost in the dynamic world Lang created. The film has many layers and it includes three different settings. The first is the Babel Tower symbolizing paradise, then the world of the machines that is inhabited by the workers and lastly the catacombs beneath the city made up of ancient ruins. This last setting is the place that the workers go to meet and hear their spiritual guide and prophet Mariam.
There is a rhythm in the motion of the factory workers on the factory floor. They move in unison and in sync with there fellow workers. Their synchronicity is symbolized in their motions, ebbing and flowing like the current of an ocean, they appear to be one body accomplishing one great task.
In the film, the hero, Joh Frederson (Freder) is the rich playboy who is the son of the master and architect of the city. The workers do all the work and people like Freder live off the spoils of their labor. The children of the factory workers accompanied by Maria come to visit Babylon to see the world of their creator. Upon seeing them, Freder empathizes with them and makes it his mission to go and visit the world of the factory workers and understand their life.
In the scene below in the underworld of the factory we see workers enveloped in clouds of smoke. Then there is an accident and an explosion. Workers are injured and then the screen changes and we get a view of the machine (labeled Moloch!) as a great pit of fire that the half naked workers are being horded into to be burnt alive as fodder for the machine. It’s a scary vision and our hero Freder looks on this vision with dismay. Then we return to reality to see workers being carried off from the accident in stretchers.
This apocalyptic vision gets Freder thinking and he later returns to the workers and disguises himself as a worker and he tries as the film goes on to become their saviour.
Fritz Lang’s cityscape scenes are amazing works of art and the imposing architecture serves the ultimate purpose of portraying a world of sinister power. I was impressed with the film and looked on at wonder at the city that Lang created.
This clip shows the children of the factory workers accompanied by Maria visiting Babylon to see the world of their creator. Freder empathizes with them and makes it his mission to go and visit the world of the factory workers and understand their life.