Forgotten Sons

Marillion
FORGOTTEN SONS

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Armalite, street lights, nightsights
Searching the roofs for a sniper, a viper, a fighter
Death in the shadows

He'll maim you, he'll wound you, he'll kill you
For a long forgotten cause, on not so foreign shores
Boys baptised in wars

Morphine, chill scream, bad dream
Serving as numbers on dog tags, flak rags, sandbags
Your girl has married your best friend, loves end, poison pen
Your flesh will always creep, tossing turning sleep
The wounds that burn so deep

Your mother sits on the edge of the world
When the cameras start to roll
Panoramic viewpoint resurrect the killing fold
Your father drains another beer, he's one of the few that cares
Crawling behind a Saracen's hull from the safety of his living room chair

Forgotten sons, forgotten sons, forgotten sons

And so as I patrol in the valley of the shadow of the tricolour
I must fear evil, for I am but mortal and mortals can only die
Asking questions, pleading answers from the nameless faceless watchers
That parade the carpeted corridors of Whitehall

Who orders desecration, mutilation, verbal masturbation
In the guarded bureaucratic wombs

Minister, minister care for your children, order them not into damnation
To eliminate those who would trespass against you
For whose is the kingdom, the power, the glory forever and ever, Amen

Halt who goes there?

Death

Approach, friend ...

You're just another coffin on its way down the emerald aisle
When your children's stony glances mourn your death in a terrorist's smile
The bomber's arm placing fiery gifts on the supermarket shelves
Alley sings with shrapnel detonate a temporary hell

Forgotten Sons

From the dole queue to the regiment a profession in a flash
But remember Monday signings when from door to door you dash
On the news a nation mourns you unknown soldier, count the cost
For a second you'll be famous but labeled posthumous

Forgotten sons, forgotten sons

They're still forgotten

Peace on earth and mercy mild, Mother Brown has lost her child
Just another Forgotten Son

Ringa-ring-o-roses, they all fall down

Down ...

Forgotten Sons

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Promises

PROMISES

Documentary
made in 2001

Written and directed by
Justine Shapiro
B.Z. Goldberg




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The feature film long documentary PROMISES was in theaters and won numerous prizes on film festivals all around the globe, before it was finally published on DVD in America.

It describes the everyday life of Jewish and Palestinian children in Jerusalem, facing the never ending state of civil war that wrenches Israel for so long now, and only brings pain and sadness to everyone involved.

B.Z. Goldberg, born and raised in Jerusalem, went to America and became a filmmaker. Years later, he returned to his native country and made this documentary where he shows how Jewish and Palestinian children live in this constant state of war. They describe their view of the situation, and of the people "on the other side of the fence".

Each of those kids first has clear and distinctive views about who in this conflict is "right", and who is "wrong". But during the interviews, some of the kids start asking questions, and develop an interest to personally get to know those kids beyond the Checkpoint ... And so, a groundbreaking (and dangerous!) experiment is waged. And those who participate in this venture, see things with different eyes afterwards.

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PROMISES is one of the most intense and moving and important documentary I have ever seen. After it had been around the world on festivals and in cinemas, it finally also was published on DVD in America.

In Germany, PROMISES has been shown on TV and has been for public sale on VHS tape only in the years 2003 / 2004. After that, the movie could only be purchased by schools, as teaching material (on a VHS tape, and for a outrageously high fee).

In 2011, this documentary will be one decade old - but the topic it deals with is still as present (and pressing!) as it has been for so long ... and the message of this documentary is timeless, and universal.

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"PROMISES stops you in your tracks. It reminds you that children are very connected to God. It is deeply touching and disturbing to see how alike all children are and how religion turns them into each others enemies. It is a movie that changes you."
(Mike Nichols, Film Director)
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"Impressive, moving and deeply authentic. One of the best films about the Middle East I have ever seen. The rhythm of the editing leaves you at the edge of your chair. If I had my way, the next Middle East peace summit would start with a screening of PROMISES."
(David Grossmann, Israeli author)

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IVAN'S CHILDHOOD (1962)

IVAN'S CHILDHOOD
Russia 1962

directed by
Andrei Tarkovsky

Starring

Nikolai Burlyayev
Valentin Zubkov
Yevgeni Zharikov
Stepan Krylov
Nikolai Grinko
Irma Raush

Music
Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov

Cinematography
Vadim Yusov

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Ever so often, I discover things on YouTube by Related Videos of something I watched before, or also by the video recommendations on my Starting Page.

Today, I stumbled over a complete posting of Andrei Tarkowski's debut film IVAN'S CHILDHOOD from 1962. As I knew about the movie, but had not watched it, I took the time and did so. And I found reason enough to collect it in a playlist on my channel, and then also to make a entry here.

The movie is in Russian, with English subtitles.

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I had indeed watched several scenes from this movie before: In a fan-made video for the song THE BOY WITH THE GUN by David Sylvian.

Although the lyrics and the movie's plot don't match in detail, I found the video very amazing, as I loved the song, and was captivated by the intenity of the images. Hope you enjoy ...

David Sylvian
THE BOY WITH THE GUN

from the album
SECRETS OF THE BEEHIVE
1987

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"PROMISES stops you in your tracks. (...) It is a movie that changes you."

PROMISES

is a stunning and prize winning feature documentary

by Justine Shapiro, B.Z. Goldberg and Carlos Bolado.

I highly recommend watching it.
You can buy the documentary on DVD
here!

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The story of PROMISES

Jewish filmmaker B.Z. Goldberg returns from America to Jerusalem, where he grew up as a kid, and starts a documentary about seven Jewish and Palestinian children, who only live 20 minutes away from each other - but due to the political situation, will never get to meet and know each other.

During the documentary, something ground breaking happens:

The children, who first describe the world they live in, defined by separation, war, brutality and death, all of a sudden utter the wish of getting to know "the other kids" ... And so, Palestine and Jewish children meet each other on one day.

They realize that, although there are many political, historical and social obstacles, that separate their two nations, there are even more (and more important!) things that connect them.

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Reviews, voices and thoughts on PROMISES ...

"PROMISES stops you in your tracks. It reminds you that children are very connected to God. It is deeply touching and disturbing to see how alike all children are and how religion turns them into each others enemies. It is a movie that changes you."
(Mike Nichols, Film Director)

"A project of love and devotion... This small film is a large masterpiece."
(The Jerusalem Post, Israel)

"Impressive, moving and deeply authentic. One of the best films about the Middle East I have ever seen. The rhythm of the editing leaves you at the edge of your chair. If I had my way, the next Middle East peace summit would start with a screening of PROMISES."
(David Grossman, Israeli author: The Yellow Wind; See Under: Love)

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Information

For more information, please visit

PROMISES' official website

Please check out

PROMISES on IMDb

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I MISS YOU

Uriah Shelton & Dash Mihok

I MISS YOU

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The song was written by

Kurt Farquhar, Brandon Jones,
Young Gei, and Dash Mihok

for the movie

LIFTED

which is now available on DVD:




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