The Square (2013 film): Difference between revisions
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''The Square'' received universal acclaim, currently holding a 100% "fresh" rating on review aggregator website [[Rotten Tomatoes]].<ref>{{rotten-tomatoes|771363914|The Square}} Retrieved January 28, 2014</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has an 83/100 rating, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{metacritic film|the-square-2013|The Square}} Retrieved January 28, 2014</ref> |
''The Square'' received universal acclaim, currently holding a 100% "fresh" rating on review aggregator website [[Rotten Tomatoes]].<ref>{{rotten-tomatoes|771363914|The Square}} Retrieved January 28, 2014</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has an 83/100 rating, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{metacritic film|the-square-2013|The Square}} Retrieved January 28, 2014</ref> |
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The ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' described it as "A compelling inside look at the cascading series of revolutions and counterrevolutions that have shaken Egypt since the beginning of 2011."<ref>{{cite news|last=Turan |first=Kenneth |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/chi-square-review-0117-20140116,0,7541213.story |title=Documentary The Square, nominated for an Oscar, details life in an Egyptian crossroads |publisher=Chicago Tribune |date=February 11, 2011 |accessdate=January 18, 2014}}</ref> The ''[[Washington Post]]'', described it as "elegantly shot and structured, but infused with rough, spontaneous energy; global in its consciousness but intimate in its approach; carefully pitched but emotionally wrenching; deeply troubling but ultimately exhilarating."<ref>{{cite news|last=Hornaday|first=Ann|title=‘The Square’ movie review: An exhilarating portrait of Egyptian politics|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/the-square-movie-review-an-exhilarating-portrait-of-egyptian-politics/2014/01/15/692ff142-7d49-11e3-93c1-0e888170b723_story.html|accessdate=6 February 2014|newspaper=Washington Post|date=16 January 2014}}</ref> Writing for ''[[Bright Lights Film Journal]]'', Gregory Stephens suggests the film soberly "confirms that only rarely do revolutions 'jump their tracks' so that a new script can be written. ... This disaffection, both spontaneous and stylized, makes good copy, and good theatre. On whether or not it can lead to a new script of how government 'of the people' serves the often conflicting interests of its citizens, the jury is still out."<ref>{{cite news|last=Stephens|first=Gregory|title=Recording the Rhythm of Change: A Rhetoric of Revolution in 'The Square' |url=http://brightlightsfilm.com/recording-rhythm-change-rhetoric-revolution-square/|accessdate=7 May 2014|publisher=Bright Lights Film Journal|date=7 May 2014}}</ref> |
The ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' described it as "A compelling inside look at the cascading series of revolutions and counterrevolutions that have shaken Egypt since the beginning of 2011."<ref>{{cite news|last=Turan |first=Kenneth |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/chi-square-review-0117-20140116,0,7541213.story |title=Documentary The Square, nominated for an Oscar, details life in an Egyptian crossroads |publisher=Chicago Tribune |date=February 11, 2011 |accessdate=January 18, 2014}}</ref> The ''[[Washington Post]]'', described it as "elegantly shot and structured, but infused with rough, spontaneous energy; global in its consciousness but intimate in its approach; carefully pitched but emotionally wrenching; deeply troubling but ultimately exhilarating."<ref>{{cite news|last=Hornaday|first=Ann|title=‘The Square’ movie review: An exhilarating portrait of Egyptian politics|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/the-square-movie-review-an-exhilarating-portrait-of-egyptian-politics/2014/01/15/692ff142-7d49-11e3-93c1-0e888170b723_story.html|accessdate=6 February 2014|newspaper=Washington Post|date=16 January 2014}}</ref> Writing for ''[[Bright Lights Film Journal]]'', Gregory Stephens suggests the film soberly "confirms that only rarely do revolutions 'jump their tracks' so that a new script can be written. ... This disaffection, both spontaneous and stylized, makes good copy, and good theatre. On whether or not it can lead to a new script of how government 'of the people' serves the often conflicting interests of its citizens, the jury is still out."<ref>{{cite news|last=Stephens|first=Gregory|title=Recording the Rhythm of Change: A Rhetoric of Revolution in ''The Square'' |url=http://brightlightsfilm.com/recording-rhythm-change-rhetoric-revolution-square/|accessdate=7 May 2014|publisher=Bright Lights Film Journal|date=7 May 2014}}</ref> |
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===Accolades=== |
===Accolades=== |
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Revision as of 18:39, 7 May 2014
| The Square (Al-Midan) | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Jehane Noujaim |
| Produced by | Karim Amer |
| Starring | Khalid Abdalla Ahmed Hassan Dina Abdullah Magdy Ashour Sherif Boray Aida Elkashef |
| Cinematography | Jehane Noujaim Muhammad Hamdy Ahmed Hassan Cressida Trew |
| Edited by | Christopher de la Torre Mohammed el Manasterly Karim Fanous Pierre Haberer Pedro Kos Stefan Ronowicz Shazeya Serag Angie Wegdan |
| Music by | Jonas Colstrup Score: H. Scott Salinas |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | GathrFilms Participant Media |
Release dates | |
Running time | 108 minutes[1] |
| Countries | Egypt United States |
| Languages | Arabic English |
| Budget | $1.5 million[2] |
| Box office | $124,244[3] |
The Square (translit. Al-Midan) is a 2013 Egyptian-American documentary film by Jehane Noujaim, which depicts the ongoing Egyptian Revolution of 2011 from its roots in Tahrir Square.[4] The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 86th Academy Awards.[5]
Release
The Square premiered on January 18, 2013 at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for World Cinema in the documentary category.[4] Due to the ongoing nature of the Egyptian Revolution, Noujaim updated the ending of the film over the summer of 2013.[4] The film was subsequently also named winner of the People's Choice Award in the documentary category at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.[6] The production is done in the native languages of its cast, and is presented with English subtitles.
The film was released on Netflix and in exclusive locations across the United States on January 17, 2014,[7] giving Netflix its first Oscar nomination. The final version was modified to take political developments into the final version, as released on Netflix.
Reception
The Square received universal acclaim, currently holding a 100% "fresh" rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.[8] On Metacritic, the film has an 83/100 rating, indicating "universal acclaim".[9]
The Chicago Tribune described it as "A compelling inside look at the cascading series of revolutions and counterrevolutions that have shaken Egypt since the beginning of 2011."[10] The Washington Post, described it as "elegantly shot and structured, but infused with rough, spontaneous energy; global in its consciousness but intimate in its approach; carefully pitched but emotionally wrenching; deeply troubling but ultimately exhilarating."[11] Writing for Bright Lights Film Journal, Gregory Stephens suggests the film soberly "confirms that only rarely do revolutions 'jump their tracks' so that a new script can be written. ... This disaffection, both spontaneous and stylized, makes good copy, and good theatre. On whether or not it can lead to a new script of how government 'of the people' serves the often conflicting interests of its citizens, the jury is still out."[12]
Accolades
The Square received the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary at the 2013 Sundance film festival[13] and the best feature award from the International Documentary Association.[14] It was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2014 Academy Awards.[15]
Cast
| • Khalid Abdalla | • Dina Abdullah | • Magdy Ashour | • Ramy Shaath | • Pierre Seyoufr | • Ragia Omran | • Khaled Nagy |
| • Sherif Boray | • Aida Elkashef | • Ramy Essam | • Ahmed Saleh | • Salma Saied | • Bothaina Kamel | • Ahmed Hassan |
Crew
| • Amir Abdalla — co-executive producer | • Ibrahim Alhusseini — executive producer | • Daniel Catullo — executive producer | • Virginia Cromie — associate producer |
| • Adam Del Deo — executive producer | • Gavin Dougan — executive producer | • Geralyn White Dreyfous — executive producer | • Jodie Evans — executive producer |
| • Stuart Farmer — co-executive producer | • Maxyne Franklin — executive producer | • Nicole Guillemet — co-executive producer | • Muhammed Hamdy — co-producer |
| • Alexandra Johnes — co-producer / executive producer | • Sarah E. Johnson — executive producer | • Yasmin Kamal — associate producer | • Pedro Kos — co-producer |
| • Clark Langon — co-executive producer | • Mike Lerner — executive producer | • Clare Munn — co-executive producer | • Arif Naqvi — co-executive producer |
| • Lisa Nishimura — executive producer | • Khalil Noujaim — executive producer | • Tarek Shoeb — co-executive producer | • Lekha Singh — executive producer |
See also
- Tahrir 2011: The Good, the Bad, and the Politician, a 2012 Egyptian documentary film
References
- ^ "THE SQUARE (15)". Kaleidoscope Entertainment. British Board of Film Classification. December 20, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
- ^ "The Square (2013) - Box office / business". Internet Movie Database. Amazon.com. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
- ^ The Square at Box Office Mojo Retrieved January 28, 2014
- ^ a b c "Filmmaker Noujaim Talks Sundance Winner Egyptian Revolution Doc 'The Square,' Updates Ending in Cairo". IndieWire, July 12, 2013.
- ^ "The Square - Documentary Feature". ABC. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
- ^ "TIFF doc The Square wins People's Choice award". CBC News, September 15, 2013.
- ^ "Netflix gets its first Oscars nod with 'The Square'".
- ^ The Square at Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved January 28, 2014
- ^ The Square at Metacritic Retrieved January 28, 2014
- ^ Turan, Kenneth (February 11, 2011). "Documentary The Square, nominated for an Oscar, details life in an Egyptian crossroads". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
- ^ Hornaday, Ann (January 16, 2014). "'The Square' movie review: An exhilarating portrait of Egyptian politics". Washington Post. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
- ^ Stephens, Gregory (May 7, 2014). "Recording the Rhythm of Change: A Rhetoric of Revolution in The Square". Bright Lights Film Journal. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
- ^ "2013 Sundance Film Festival". Sundance Institute. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
- ^ McNary, Dave (December 6, 2013). "'The Square' Takes Top Trophy at International Documentary Awards". Variety. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
- ^ "Nominees for the 86th Oscars". Retrieved February 6, 2014.