Jerusalem (2013) Reviews

• Jerusalem 3D is a gem

  espoeth2014-02-05

  Jerusalem succeeds in two major ways - firstly, it manages to present the religious heritage of the city with incredible sensitivity and respect. It could have taken the faux-moral high ground of concluding that religion, and not land, is the cause of all war - and thus saved face. Instead, it considers its audience and gives screen time to the three great religions fairly and equally, not taking any one side. It is able to connect the three to a common ancestry through the clever and subtle marriage of archaeological digs and visual effects. Its second success is in capturing the sounds, sights and smells of the ancient city with startling realism. None of the thousands of people featured in its majestic shots appear to be looking at the camera, yet are too real to be extras. You feel the experience of being there in person, peering into ancient rituals and customs from a perspective few get to see. As a viewer, you are left not with a shallow materialistic mantra of "can't we all get along?", but of a sense of curiosity and wonder, and a desire to explore and research what the film describes as the "heart of the world".

• A wondrous tour with breathtaking visual, and an identifiable beauty beyond restriction of one faith.

  quincytheodore2015-12-04

  Jerusalem is the kind of film usually displayed on shopping center to advertise the new flat or curved television set. It's an undeniable graphical masterpiece as every shot is done with such precise cinematography. Its frame, composition of scenery, the contrasting shadow and lighting, one can take a random screenshot and it would be an impressive work of photography. The documentary takes audience through walks and lives of the holy city's citizens. It mainly tells the culture of three different major religions from perspectives of young women. They depict the city and its meaning to them, both personally and culturally while Benedict Cumberbatch narrates how the place came to be. It's a grand view of many corners and landmarks, taken in such angle that it is simply immersive. The high rise scene is gorgeous, meanwhile the first person perspective, especially when the camera walks through gates of houses, mosques or churches, is intimately welcoming. Every shot is taken with purpose and they are never out of focus, it offers a steady pace throughout the entire visual marvel. Granted, it doesn't cover much of the more bloody history, yet this is meant for a testament of human cultures and celebration of life. It's simply a marvelous display of excellent cinematography, regardless of one's faith.

• Jerusalem

  Suradit2015-12-04

  Watching this as a video on a television, as I did, probably meant it wasn't as impressive as it would have been in a theater, but it was beautifully photographed. It presented a reasonably even-handed and, as far as I know, accurate portrayal of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities residing in Jerusalem. It was a decidedly superficial and elementary presentation. I'm not sure who the intended audience was, though the approach suggested it was aimed at school children or possibly as a tourism promotion. There was no reference to any of the difficulties faced between the communities, at least until the conclusion when a vague mention was made of historical conflicts and a hope that seeing the commonalities and shared faith of Christians, Muslim and Jews might eventually be considered more important and valuable than the emphasis on differences. Overall it was nicely done, but very superficial and lacking any depth. I doubt many people would come away motivated to work for peaceful coexistence, though maybe those who are open-minded will better understand that Jerusalem of all places ought to inspire peace rather than conflict between the three major Abrahamic religions.

• Interesting documentary

  mohamadkarasneh2016-01-20

  I had a nice time watching Jerusalem, the aerial shots of Palestine and Jerusalem gives an artistic and beautiful look on the country and makes you really want to see this piece of heaven. The film starts in introducing the three major religions in the country starting with the oldest (the Jewish) and ending with the newest (islam), and each religion is introduced by a teenage girl from each religion and culture. To be honest as a Muslim i learned a couple of things about how other religions see the holy city, i cannot verify nor deny the accuracy of Jewish and Christian information presented in the film, I can say that Islamic fact was mostly true but the film was short and the Islamic (and Christian) side of the city was really shallow presented, i liked how it talked about the month of Ramadan and "the dome of the rock" but it didn't mention the "far mosque" to the side of "the dome of the rock" which is important as well in our religion. I saw a familiar culture And faces looking like us in the Muslim side of the city making me want to visit the city even more. The film also tackles an important issue in the culture of the city at the end which is getting to know other religion people and stating that we have a lot in common, of course what is preventing such blend is the political conflict happening in the city and the country in general, i loved seeing the city without Israelis police and checkpoints between every two checkpoints in the city which we see in news. I would like to state my opinion in the Palestinian - Israeli conflict, as the film states the Jews return to the city making {aliaa': going to a higher place} and searching for the lost temple which was destroyed, well, we have no problem of Jews coming to Palestine, but to problem starts when Britain gave the country to Israel and they killed and removed the native citizens out of their homes, some died in 1948,1967 and other wars, and many emigrated to Jordan with a strong will in their hearts to return to their land, i hope we find a solution where Palestinians return to their homes, lands are returned, and digging and attempts to destroy our mosques are stopped, then we can have a peaceful blend of cultures that really suites the holy city. Mohamad karasneh Jordan

• Glorious photography...and a bit stiff

  poikkeus12015-12-24

  JERUSALEM is a vivid documentary about how three faiths somehow manage to coexist in an exclusive piece of international real estate: a spiritual nexus of humanity. The film is only 45 minutes long, so there's scarcely enough time to go into the city's history. Even the portion on biblical archeology could be expanded into a multi part series. Basically, the filmmakers show modern-day JERUSALEM through the eyes of three young women - Christian, Muslim, and Jewish - as they try to explain why the city is so special to them. The problem is - the young women don't get to explain why Jerusalem is so special. Individual sequences are ravishing, with a wealth of long tracking shots and a few astonishing digital recreations. The film itself, however, doesn't have much of a story or point of view. Without a specific focus or point of view, JERUSALEM can seem like eye-candy; visually engaging, but emotionally remote.