Jerusalem (2013) User Reviews

Glorious photography...and a bit stiff

[poikkeus1 · 6/10 · 24 December 2015]

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.

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

[quincytheodore · 8/10 · 4 December 2015]

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.

Interesting documentary

[mohamadkarasneh · 8/10 · 20 January 2016]

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

Slightly clumsy at times, but overall a good summary of the city

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 27 January 2019]

"Jerusalem" is an American English-language IMAX documentary from 2013, which means that this one is also already over 5 years old. It was written and directed by Daniel Ferguson and I was a bit surprised because I am not really familiar with the name and I have seen a lot IMAX stuff and normally they use filmmakers from other IMAx works (most of all McGillivray of course), but his inclusion here has probably to do with his experience on the subjects (in the widest sense) as he worked on several films about Mecca. His recent work here runs for 44 minutes, slightly over, and as such still falls into short film territory by imdb standards, even if it is close. Narrator is Oscar-nominated actor Benedict Cumberbatch and I found his narration pretty stale and lackluster and maybe the weakest aspect of the entire project. Luckily like many other times they also have locals narrate at least on some occasions and listening to the young woman and all her dedication and enthusiasm was fun in my opinion and elevated the material. I think when the film focuses on why the city is so special and worth visiting and not on religion, this movie was at its best. It does not suck when focusing on religion, but it gets slightly worse. Then again, of course you cannot leave that component out when talking about a city like Jerusalem. But maybe you can make it more interesting to audiences. Overall, I am not entirely impressed by checking this one out, but it is good enough for me for a positive recommendation and actually I feel a slight urge to visit Jerusalem at some point, so mission accomplished I guess. I hope perhaps Ferguson gets a chance to elaborate on other subjects away from his expertise in the Middle East. His style here is good enough in my opinion to make an impact in other fields too and I probably would have kept watching if this was a full feature 1.5-hour documentary. Thumbs up. Go check it out, regardless if you are from Jerusalem/Israel or from anywhere else in the world.

Jerusalem 3D is a gem

[espoeth · 9/10 · 5 February 2014]

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".

Experience the Wondrous Splendour, Jerusalem

[DanielTaotua · 10/10 · 21 April 2014]

As one of great Faith in the Christian beliefs, I went knowing I would see and experience the mother land - Jerusalem, Israel. Growing up, like many, I have heard of the many stories of Christ Jesus and the many amazing works recorded in the Bible. As you can imagine, this was only a historic imagery I could only grasp through the retelling of events that happened many many years ago. So when I was up early this morning at 5:30am I wondered what I would do with my day off during the long Easter break. I looked up movies that I could go an watch and came across the Jerusalem 3D IMAX screening. This was surely a divine appointment for me to go and see this film as I had no intention prior to today to see this film nor go see a movie or even go out. I went on my own to this film and had never regretted the choice to make the long journey into the city to watch Jerusalem. It was an awe inspiring film with majestic panoramic views of Israel's beautiful landscape. The very opening moments of the intro over whelmed me and I was in tears through out the film as I was exposed to the wondrous splendour Jerusalem presented. I saw the ruins and monuments, the reconstructions of famous sites and buildings and also the people of Jerusalem. The history behind Israel was wonderfully narrated as I took in the realisation that this was the centre focal point of the 3 power faiths - Jewish,Muslim & Christian faiths are all rooted here in this Holy Land. I went away knowing so much in the 45min film and was equipped with inspiration and drive to one day visit Jerusalem,Israel. My heart automatically yearned for Jerusalem and I instantly fell in love with her grace and precious priceless value. I was deeply moved watching Jerusalem due to my spiritual ties to Israel and my strong love for Christ as this was the place he spent his last few days leading into the festival we celebrate, Easter. I encourage all to see who have the chance to view this on the big screen. A must see in my opinion. Thanks for reading. Hopefully I'm writing about My own experience about Jerusalem once I fulfil a dream to make a trip there and retell it from my own personal account.

We LOVE this movie

[julieharward · 10/10 · 14 October 2017]

My husband and I viewed this movie prior to visiting Jerusalem in March 2014. We loved this movie, and are going to show it for our annual family Christmas party. We are taking all of our children and grandchildren to Jerusalem in December. This will give everyone a chance to view the culture before we go. A must see!

Beautiful, with a few misses

[edblackham · 8/10 · 8 January 2022]

We enjoyed the show in 3D, but it could have been so much better. I was in Jerusalem for four months as a study abroad student, and I know too many sites were ignored. First and foremost the Garden Tomb. To me, the one place in the city I felt true peace. The upper room also could have been shown easily in a minute or two. Maybe they could not go past 45 minutes but I wish they would have.

Jerusalem

[Suradit · 5/10 · 4 December 2015]

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.

magnificent , but too short !!?

[fanan450 · 8/10 · 17 October 2018]

I really enjoyed watching this movie ,it was magnificent the camera work , the colors , everything was perfect . in my humble opinion this movie must be divided to a parts , because it's about the most holy city in the world which had longest history even before abraham's religion , so you can't summarize this long story in 44 minutes .

8/10

Alireza.Akhlaghi.Official

[alireza-akhlaghi84 · 8/10 · 21 February 2019]

Jerusalem is the name of a city which is the site crossroads of three continents, as well as a three-dimensional social with three important religions, each of which follows its customs. In this regard, Daniel Ferguson has created a forty minute documentary on the city and examined the nature of this city both historically, geographically and religiously. The film has been technically very robust and we have seen beautiful, meaningful images always with a strong dialogue. The documentary deals with the theme of the project without any tendency and follows the views of three Jewish, Christian and Muslim girls respectively. Religious and building ceremonies, as well as religious celebrations and holidays, are well depicted as if they left the viewer in the same place. The fascinating documentary evidence of Jerusalem from a particular angle suggests the peaceful coexistence of their masses as if they have learned how to live their lives in the vicinity. The selection of three girls from the perspective of their views points to the future of that place. They are a peace-loving generation who demands tranquility with love for their land.

Holly City

[nike-swamish · 8/10 · 4 April 2020]

I have visited this place i must say amazing city one of the oldest. Nothing like this modern and old structure wow movie shows all sites of city simply amazing ✌🏽