A Significant Waltz

I really liked “Waltz With Bashir.” Although much more graphic then I previously thought it would be, it was quite enjoyable. I think by animating the story, it gave us a different view of such a tragic event. It does not necessarily make the story easier to view, but it puts it in a different light, giving us an artistic appreciation of the events that took place.

I specifically liked the way the film was animated. Again, it reminded me of “Waking Life,” because of the stiffness the characters had, but realistic at the same time. In class someone mentioned the scene which the woman jumps in the water off of the boat, holding the soldier. This particular scene stood out to me as well because you saw each droplet of water appear after the splash. I think I liked this type of animation so much, simply because it was something different. The basic colors that were used put forth a certain mood of each scene, so that numerous colors weren’t needed.

I agreed with professor Lavine, in that the two most shocking scenes were the beginning and the end, particularly the beginning for me. When the film first began it showed a group of vicious-looking dogs running through the street. The color tones as well as the sounds just made that entire scene completely eerie, which I thought was a pretty intriguing way to start the film.
Finally, I thought the last scene with the live footage to be quite crucial to the film, as most other students thought. I think the real documented footage was a way to tie us back into reality from the animated version we had just seen. Although extremely graphic and depressing, it was important for people like me to see that video at the end because it made me understand the story better as a whole.

Overall, a really excellent film that I would recommend showing again in classes related to this topic.