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  • Widescreen 1.78:1
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  • English: Dolby Digital Stereo
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    Persona Non Grata
    /Accent Film Entertainment . R4 . COLOR . 67 mins . MA15+ . PAL

      Feature
    Contract

    Oliver Stone’s new documentary, Persona Non Grata, is his persistent quest for a private interview with the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. It appeared overseas mid last year in one of Stone’s DVD Boxsets, as well as on US television, and now we’re treated with an individual release from Accent Entertainment.

    With a slightly similar take to Michael Moore, and a vast knowledge of world politics, Stone throws himself and a small production team into the very heat of the Arab-Israeli conflict, along hotly contested borders of Israel and Palestine. For 60-odd minutes, we’re shown glimpses of the terror, and glimpses of normal life, in these volatile regions. Stone was also lucky enough to interview a large number of people active in the political and military conflict; including previous Israeli leaders, a head Palestinian official and, most interestingly, three Palestinian dissidents dubbed ‘freedom fighters’.

    Exploring, in fascinating detail, the affects Arafat’s leadership has had over the conflict; Stone attempts to unravel what appears to be an infinitely complex issue. Taking a grain of salt from both camps, he seems to genuinely be interested in the truth (philosophical debate on the nature of truth: tomorrow!) behind the façade, and tries to present something as fairly as possible. History has told us that no one involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict is without blame, and Persona Non Grata has that feel to it. Stone clearly realises this fact, which is apparent in his film.

    Stone has also been very careful in presenting a clear and universally non offensive aim or intention. Fahrenheit 9/11 fell down dramatically because Moore’s direct aim was to tell as many as possible the true nature of the Bush administration, and its involvement behind the terrorist bombing of the World Trade Centre. Before you even begin to watch Moore’s film, you know you’re going to be hit with propaganda – simply because from the very beginning, the intention to ‘inform’ the public regarding a controversial issue was founded.

    Persona Non Grata maps the brief period Oliver Stone spends in Palestine and Israel, documenting his quest for a private interview with Yasser Arafat. Along his journey, Stone hears individual views regarding the conflict (from various people mentioned earlier), yet these people’s statements need not be tainted in order to support is agenda. This is simply because his agenda is free from political bias, as the film is a straightforward account of his arduous task.

    As a documentary host, Stone is fantastic. His presence is far less invasive, his questions are far less pointed, and the nature of Persona Non Grata’s direction is no where near as contrived as most who produce this type of documentary (including our loveable liberal, Michael Moore). This film provides far more food-for-thought than many of Stone’s other films; that in their complexity, always manage to tie up loose ends and conclude with the slam of a door. Stone merely acts as a facilitator for the audience, rather than posing as Big Brother.

    While Persona Non Grata certainly succeeds in terms of content, it is certainly let down by some very distracting camera work. Often, striking or unusual cinematography is instituted for artistic reasons, yet met by widespread disappointment, like the recent action-thriller The Bourne Supremacy. Other times, this ‘striking or unusual’ cinematography is nothing other than an objective mess, again met by widespread disappointment. Those young, budding cinematographers at the Sunshine Tafe would be outraged. Persona Non Grata is clearly a case of option B. Shot on what seems to have been three or four digital cameras (simultaneously); the camera is often unnecessarily shaky, things are often out of focus, other cameramen are then often in focus, and everything generally looks very unprofessional. I, like anyone, can appreciate the odd school-funded doco; but this is not the right time to give someone like me the camera and scream ‘shoot!’ (for a variety of different reasons).

    At just over an hour at length, Persona Non Grata is very short, which is probably blessing rather than a drawback. In the past, Stone’s films have often been unnecessarily long and poorly edited (in terms of content rather than technique), such as JFK. Those like me who are keenly interested in the Arab-Israeli conflict may be disappointed, as there was clearly a lot of footage that went unused, but for most casual viewers it will be ideal.

    Unfortunately marred with a few technical issues, Oliver Stone’s Persona Non Grata still stands as a captivating film. His ‘objectivity’ is respected, and the nature of a far less pointed documentary will please many. Alongside all this is an excellent soundtrack, which serves to suit the film perfectly.

      Video
      Audio
      Extras
    Contract

    The quality of video is quite ordinary. Heavy grain is the main issue, a result of the poor lighting conditions and the type of camera used when filming. This means colours are very soft, the general detail level is low and blacks are not solid – appearing as a grain-filled grey.

    It sounds terrible, but is oddly tolerable. There are no problems with the transfer, (the film is infact so brief that it fits on one layer) rather serious issues with the original material. ‘Guerrilla’-styled documentaries often look similar to this, so depending on what you’re used to, you’ll either hate or not recognise the flaws in the video.

    The audio department is in a similar position to the video. The source is not good, at all. In the staged interviews speech is delivered perfectly, but when on the street or filming in unprepared locations, there is distortion and background noise rampant. The quality of the background music, and the sparing sound effects used are perfect, but much of the footage (probably about half) was probably recorded from microphones built into the camera, which produces poor sound.

    No extras at all, which following my review of The Corporation is a little disappointing. There are subtitles, which you’ll probably want to use, that cover both the English and Hebrew/Arab dialogue.

    Oliver Stone’s quest for the elusive Yasser Arafat proves fascinating. His lack of a clear political agenda will certainly be welcomed, especially amidst the flow of propaganda from all corners of the globe following in Moore’s scarring footprints.


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  •   And I quote...
    "Oliver Stone’s quest for an interview with the elusive Yasser Arafat proves fascinating and absorbing."
    - Nick Watts
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Onkyo DR-S2.0
    • TV:
          Samsung 68cm
    • Speakers:
          Onkyo HTP-2
    • Centre Speaker:
          Onkyo HTP-2
    • Surrounds:
          Onkyo HTP-2
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard RCA
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
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