For Santiago's previous missive on HBO, click here.

For Oliver Haberdasher's counterargument, click here.

I'm a huge movie buff. I wasn't always this way though. Up until two years ago, I didn't watch very many movies, eschewing them for SportsCenter re-runs and episodes of 1960's cop shows (don't ask). Though after I responded in the negative one too many times to the query "Hey have you seen _____?" I made it a point to watch as many films as I could.

One of the steps I took to catch up on my personal film viewing deficiency was to start watching a lot more HBO. HBO has always had the best and most diverse selection of movies of any network on television (plus 100% more nudity than the Disney Channel). As an added bonus, HBO had an impeccable lineup of original series, like "Deadwood," "The Sopranos," "Entourage," "Flight of the Conchords," and my personal favorite "The Wire."

However, of these series, only "Entourage" is still producing new episodes, so whatever allure HBO's impressive original series lineup may have had is largely gone by now. It's unclear if/when HBO will develop any quality new series to replace them. So now the worth of HBO is dictated almost entirely by the quality of the movies--and of course, the occasional mini-series--they acquire the rights to.

So let's examine some of the movies HBO is currently showing and see how they rate:

The Kingdom: Decent

Harry Potter 5: Good, if you're into that sort of thing

The Black Dahlia: Worst movie ever made

American Psycho: Trippy, but good

Ocean's Thirteen: Fun

Rush Hour III: Bleh

The Simpsons Movie: The truth

Boys Don't Cry: Hilary Swank's vagina

Beerfest: Meh

Blood Diamond: Solid, if a little preachy

It seems like there's about a 1:1 ratio of decent to abhorrent movies, with the occasional excellent flick thrown in there.

So even if HBO onDemand seems more like HBO "ehWhyNot" most times, it's still the number one choice in premium cable.

Though we'd recommend getting Netflix instead. But that's a whole 'nother debate.

What’s really important?
What’s ferris wheel?

A DeBeers diamond
only holds meaning
to the beholder.
Bottom line:
I’m robbed by gravel name.

Hair! Who the hair cares!?
I don’t want hairin’ gravel blood
forever engraved on our ring.
I am not a walking billboard.

And what if I lose it?
Then it’s paperclip.
But I could never paperclip love.

I own this love;
we own this love;
we will never paperclip this love.

Tür : Gerilim / Dram / Macera
Gösterim Tarihi : 2 Şubat 2007
Yönetmen : Edward Zwick
Senaryo : Charles Leavitt
Görüntü Yönetmeni : Eduardo Serra
Müzik : James Newton Howard
Yapım : 2006, ABD

Oyuncular

Chris Astoyan (Billy) , Leonardo DiCaprio (Danny Archer) , Jennifer Connelly (Maddy Bowen) , Djimon Hounsou (Solomon Vandy) , Francois Grobbelaar (Mercenary) , David Harewood (Captain Poison) , Caruso Kuypers (Dia)
Afrikalı iki genç adam... Biri paralı asker olarak orduda görev yapan Danny Archer, diğeri ise yıllar evvel evinden koparılarak elmas madenlerinde çalışmaya zorlanmış Solomon Vandy... Ortak bir coğrafyaya ait olsalar da, birbirlerinden oldukça farklı geçmişlere sahip bu iki gencin yolları, varlığı ile herkesi büyüleyen bir elmas nedeni ile kesişiverir.

Çok değerli bu elmasın peşinden Amerikalı gazeteci Maddy Bowen'le çıktıkları yolculuk, Solomon için koparıldığı ailesine yeniden ulaşabilme, Danny için ise hayata ikinci bir başlangıç şansı demektir.

Kuşatma, Son Samuray gibi aksiyon dozu yüksek filmlere imza atan yönetmen Edward Zwick, son çalışması Kanlı Elmas ile yine heyecan yüklü bir hikaye ile beyazperdede. Üstelik Leonardo Di Caprio, Djimon Hounsou ve Jennifer Connelly gibi isimlerle birlikte...

CAPS

Linkler

Part1

Part2

Part3

Part4

Part5

Part6

Part7

Part8

Part9

Part10

]]> http://diamondstudearrings.wordpress.com/?p=23 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:18:11 +0000 twitwoot http://diamondstudearrings.wordpress.com/?p=23 In December of 2006 a powerful film called Blood Diamond was released in the United States. It is a dramatic film that helped to expose the way that diamonds are often sold by warlords in Africa to help them fund their armies. Also called conflict diamonds, blood diamonds have helped to fund many of the atrocities that have occurred in Africa.

While a work of fiction, the movie brings up some very real concerns. Several multi-government committees have been formed to address this issue. Most diamond dealers now take efforts to ensure that their diamonds are not blood diamonds. They generally use what is referred to as the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme, or KPCS for short.

KPCS is intended to ensure that only diamonds that are known to be from conflict free sources are purchased. Established in 2003, the KPCS is a preventative measure that helps make the buyer feel more comfortable that they are purchasing conflict free diamonds.

There are several requirements that a diamond must meet. Most of these requirements focus on the shipping of the diamond. Each shipment must be transported in a tamper resistant container and accompanied by a KPCS Certificate that has been validated by the originating country. The certificate must be designed in a manner that is not conducive to forgery, and it must be uniquely numbered and describe the exact contents of the shipment. When transporting this container, it is only allowed to be transported to other KPCS countries.

The KPCS has helped to reduce the flow of blood diamonds. In 2006 the KPCS monitored more than 480 million carats of rough diamonds that were valued at more than $35 Billion.

I'm excited to see Jennifer Connelly take a turn down sci-fi street. I haven't seen Dark City or Labrynth but they're certainly on my To Do List. I will overlook The Hulk based on the lackluster bits and pieces of it I have seen. I guess I've only ever watched Jennifer in Requiem For A Dream, A Beautiful Mind, and Blood Diamond. All very potent dramatic roles. She strikes me as a very cerebral performer and I find her choice of roles intriguing.

Blood diamonds or conflict diamonds

Conflict diamonds first captured the world's attention during the brutal conflict in Sierra-Leone during the late 90's. Rebel groups such as the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) took control of diamond mines and used forced labour or slave labour to dig and scavenge for diamonds. These diamonds were then sold at a handsome profit to jewelry and luxury goods companies. It is suspected that Cartier, Bloomigdale's, Bulgari and Harry Winston were all part of this trade though it is very difficult to prove so as it becomes impossible to prove the origin of a diamond once it is cut and 'cleaned'. Top notch companies also bought blood diamonds in bulk quantities and stored them in underground vaults so as to keep the demand(and subsequently,the prices) at a perennial high.

The money earned by the rebel groups in this manner was channelized into several other illegal activities,particularly (in procuring) arms and ammunition. Entire cities and towns were bombed and many innocent civilians killed in the subsequent gunfire. Those who survived the battering were taken in-the young boys were recruited as troops in the RUF(they were young and could be trained and brainwashed),the strong adult men in their prime were used as 'hands' in the diamond mines. The onslaught continued and sent the African economy reeling-unable to cope with turbulent conditions.

Thus a continuos cycle of exchange and trade-a supply and demand chain was setup between the diamond  trade and arms and ammunition trade-both flourished financially and the sale of one fed the other-a symbiotic relationship was setup. Arms were used in battles to secure mines and diamonds were used to procure arms.

Nearly 136,00 kg or 130 million karats of gem stones are sold each year,earning annual profits of over $26 billion.Of this figure a minimum of 4% is netted from the sale of blood diamonds.

Though the Kimberley process has in a long way stanched Africa's bleeding,it has not completely eradicated blood diamonds-they continue to be sold.

A fact: Surat is the center of the world's diamond cutting and polishing industry. Ninety-two percent of the world's diamonds are crafted here. It continues to remain the single largest passage for blood diamonds.

A suggestion - watch the movie Blood Diamond for a comprehensive take on the subject. 

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それは，商品の供給過程に消費者はどこまで責任を負うべきかという問題かもしれない。

映画としては，ストーリーの展開に詰まって，最後に主人公を殺して終わるパターンなのはいただけなかった。

La prima è che non compare esplicitamente nessun brand, anche se la storia è costruita in modo tale che sia palese il riferimento al marchio più conosciuto per la categoria di prodotti coinvolta. La seconda è che l'influenza di questo film sulla reputazione di tale brand non è affatto positiva.

Stiamo parlando di Blood Diamond e di De Beers.

In realtà nella storia il nome non è mai citato ed è nascosto dietro lo pseudonimo Van de Kaap, ma chiunque guardi questo film non può che chiedersi se il cognome sia stato scelto a caso. Tanto che la De Beers stessa, in fase di lancio del film investì alcuni milioni di dollari in campagne pubblicitarie per contrastare l'effetto negativo che "Blood Diamond" avrebbe avuto sulle vendite.

Quello che ci ha sopreso è che basta una semplice ricerca in Internet per scovare numerosi documenti che legano De Beers ai diamanti insanguinati.

E ci chiediamo: questo film ha fatto veramente riflettere i consumatori sull'eticità e l'utilità di questo bene?

In 1999, in Sierra Leone, the fisherman Solomon Vandy dreams on the day that his young son Dia Vandy will become a doctor. His dreams are shattered when the rebels invade his village and kidnap him to work in the diamond mines. Solomon finds a huge pink diamond and while hiding it, the commandant of the rebels sees, but the rebels are attacked and Salomon is arrested by the government army. While in jail, the wounded commandant tell the prisoners that Salomon found the stone, and the mercenary smuggler Danny Archer from Zimbabwe releases Salomon and proposes to exchange the diamond by his missing family. Using the idealistic American journalist Maddy Bowen, Danny locates the wife and daughters of Salomon in a refugee camp, but is informed that his son has been recruited by the rebels. Salomon and Danny consolidate a partnership, with Salomon looking for and finding his son, and Danny looking for the diamond and finding redemption.

cast:

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This is the first movie I watched during the movie marathon last weekend. Sayang, ga ada subtitlenya, but it's okay, dan sepanjang film, I keep wondering the accent of Leonardo DiCaprio, is it South African-English accent or what?

best quote:

Danny Archer: I like to get kissed before I get fucked.

Another thing, Leonardo DiCaprio shirtless = hotttttt!!!

Anyway, this movie is so good, tapi sayang ga dapet oscar, cuma nominasi doang *shrugs*

trailer:

Men nu har jag sett Blood Diamond och The Departed båda med Leonardo DiCaprio i huvudrollerna och även m jag tyckte att han var underbar i Gilbert Grape så har han inte varit någon jag gått igång på direkt.

Detta har ändrats för DiCaprio har blivit vuxen och har i dessa 2 filmer gjort ett fantastiskt jobb. Det är bra manus och skådisar i båda filmerna och man känner verkligen att det är filmer som biter tag i en. Så har ni inte sett dom så gör det för allt i världen ni kommer inte att bli besvikna.

White Light is a movie about child soldiers in Uganda and the area around PSJ resembles very closely the terrain and hills in Uganda. Obviously PSJ as a movie making centre is not sustainable but if it happens once or twice a year the locals will be happy.

Port St Johns is ideal because of location and price but a little far from the big cities for transporting equipment and people. One can't win 'em all but two out of three ain't bad.

http://www.dispatch.co.za/article.aspx?id=205514

Once. It's about an Irish street singer in Dublin (he really is the lead singer for 'The Frames'- one of my favorite bands) who meets and makes music with a young woman from Eastern Europe. I can't really figure out what I like so much about this one, except that there is something really deep here about relationships that skips the typical Hollywood theme of dreamy attraction then mind blowing sex, but instead reflects sacrifice, honesty, and even self denial. Be ready to dodge F bombs.

Blood Diamond. This one made me want to do something that matters in the world. Watching people bleed and die so that pretty diamonds can sit in our mall displays and on our fingers was pretty enlightening. AND the fact that these things go on in my world and I had never heard about it??? It really does encourage me not to waste my life. I am going to stand before God one day. I hope the most I can say for myself is NOT that I worked hard for a cushy life. We really can make a difference in our world in so many ways.

BTW check out my link in the side bar under pretty good sites, called 'Download Movies' - that's where I get mine or click here.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend, Diamonds are forever, so they all say. Bling! Bling! Bling!

I watched a documentary on The History Channel on Blood Diamonds this morning and is so moved to pen this. While I have not being bestowed with the mega-Bling of my life, I am thankful towards the producers of this documentary for such blatant awareness.

Blood diamonds are also known as Conflict Diamonds because they were used by the rebels of certain African countries to terrorise and enslave innocent civilians. In Sierra Leone, the rebel group of the Revolutionary United Front used revenue from the Bloody Bling and enslaved more civilians to work in the diamond mine. Poverty is a vicious cycle, and so is violence. Just to think of amputations, rape, murder and bloody massacres, it's enough to make a lady sick to think that the little bling on her finger is the cause of such an inhumane disaster. To read more about Blood Diamonds, visit this site: http://www.stopblooddiamonds.org 

Awareness and not feigning ignorance is also a beauty of ladyhood. Of course, not all is lost if you want a little bling in your life. Buy conflict-free diamonds which is in compliance with the Kimberly Process, ask the retailer where the bling comes from. Of course, it's not the surest way to determine if that bling is bloody or not, since corruption reigns high in conflict countries.

I personally love the other idea of buying vintage :D As I am in this really "vintage" and sentimental phrase, a vintage bling just recycles the bling and not add to the bulging demand for blings. Furthermore, u get an antique jewellery design thrown in with the bling, i don't see why not?? ;-)

Not for Bloody Blings,
Jooli

The acting of the characters is good, and the violance in the movie is justified to give an accurate representation of the circumstances at the time in Sierra Leone and really help to bring accross the movie's message. I highly recommend watching this movie if you want to learn a bit more about the conflicts around diamonds in Africa.

Blood Diamond is the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) - an ex mercenary from Zimbabwe - and Solomon Vandy (Ntare Mwine) - a Mende fisherman. Both men are African, but their histories as different as any can be, until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond that can transform their lives. While in prison for smuggling, Archer learns that Solomon - who was taken from his family and forced to work in the diamond fields - has found and hidden the extraordinary rough stone. With the help of Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an American journalist whose idealism is tempered by a deepening connection with Archer, the two men embark on a trek through rebel territory, a journey that could save Solomon's family and give Archer the second chance he thought he would never have.

Related Movies

• The Interpreter
• The Constant Gardener
• The Last King of Scotland
• Out of Africa

It never fails. I watch a great political movie like Michael Winterbottom’s A Mighty Heart, starring Angelina Jolie as Mariane Pearl (or Blood Diamond with Leo DiCaprio, or Syriana with Matt Damon and George Clooney), and I’m immediately inspired to do something. The courage and grace of French/Cuban journalist Mariane Pearl (as seen in this Oprah interview), during and in the aftermath of her American journalist husband Daniel Pearl’s murder in 2002 Pakistan, demands nothing less than some kind of concrete nonviolent action. I can’t watch these compelling stories strictly as passive entertainment. “I have to do something!”, I always end up saying.

And then it hits: the feelings of powerlessness, the frustration, even self-loathing; the sense that I’m a little dustmite, an annoying mosquito in the drawers of the powers that be. What can I, of all people, do?

Furthermore, what makes me think I have anything to say that anyone could want to hear, or any skills that are of use in the struggle against such powerful and entrenched warmongers? I’m just a pathetic little schoolteacher. I’m a blogger with a readership of about 12, most of whom probably feel as powerless as I feel, otherwise why would they be mucking about here on the internet instead of out in the streets actually doing something. (Yeah, why ARE you here, by the way? I never had the guts to ask before…)

But those feelings of powerlessness are exactly what the enemies of peace and justice want us to feel. That, and fear, are what keep the downtrodden down, and what keep the genuinely powerful but woefully misled majority silent. Therefore, refusing to give in to those feelings of apathy and fear is the first and most essential step in taking victory away from the perpetrators of violence, in dulling the power of the sword (and the bulldozer, in the violence they would do to our planet). This step does not bring me much closer to knowing what I can do to help, but it at least gets me out of that comfy little foxhole/prison they would have me fall asleep in.

Besides, where are the streets anymore? Does protest actually matter? Are these the streets, these electronic alleyways lined with dirty windows, through which we see silly dressed-up kittens, old instructional video footage of James Brown teaching us to dance the boogaloo and funky chicken, and dumpster upon dumpster filled with porn?

In a media-saturated society, it’s easy to shut down, to screen out, to remove ourselves from all this trivia and complicated mess that surrounds us. Yet we can do something else, from right where we are. We do it through real relationships, with real people, out living real life. The “streets that have no name” lead to our churches, our neighborhoods, our schools, our families. We can talk straight, do what we can to educate those whom we see every day, and hope that some of it sticks.

And yes, the Internet is The Street also. Furthermore, it’s as powerful a tool for doing good as it is for spreading, um, …fertilizer. We can use it to stay informed, or to publicize important information so that others are better equipped. We can donate money to some inspired project, like musician Peter Gabriel’s work with WITNESS providing hundreds of video cameras all over Europe, Africa and Asia, to document human rights abuses and bring to light what most abusers would prefer remain in darkness.

And last but not least, we can cry out ourselves --here in our little cul-de-sac blogs and boutiques of opinion-- believing that if even one more person is saved (in body or spirit) by our dozens of attempts, by our refusal to stop caring, then we’ve done what we could, and it was good enough.

Or, …we can choose to go where the action is. For example, today I went to Jesus Manifesto and found out that its founder/editor Mark VanSteenwyck is joining with Christian Peacemaker Teams. Which means he’ll soon be putting his own ass on the line to keep local journalists, lawyers, human rights workers and labor organizers safe, in one of the dozens of war zones throughout the world. Mark is a young man with a new baby… a baby he cares enough about to try remaking the world into a safer place for him to grow up in. Furthermore, Mark trusts Jesus with his life, and that of his family.

In Colombia, Palestine, Congo, Iraq, and other conflict zones, hundreds of regular Joes and Janes on Christian Peacemaker Teams act not as soldiers, uninvolved journalists or security contractors but as friends, layman ambassadors, and prayer warriors. They accompany the powerless. They teach conflict resolution. They are patriotic but peace-loving, believing it is just as important to change the hearts and minds of combatants on both sides as it is to preserve the lives of the oppressed, those caught in the middle of it all. As Westerners (mostly American and Canadian Mennonites, Brethren, and Quakers, with a few Catholics, Baptists, Presbyterians and “Other” thrown in for balance) these teams really do show a Power to the People kind of courage and hope. They walk in the Spirit. They keep the conversation going, with the local Joachims and Juanas, while huge nation-states and mindless terrorist organizations prove every day that the way of the gun only results in more confusion and violence.

In Iraq Tom Fox, a CPT human rights worker, lost his life in the midst of that confusion and senseless violence. Tom was one of four CPT members kidnapped in March 2006. Though his colleagues were rescued, Tom was not so fortunate. But the witness that he presented to the world had an impact, and the CPT work in Iraq continues even now.

Last year, I met somebody here in Chicago who knew Tom Fox, who told me about something else Tom had done. There was a working collective of painters and artists in Baghdad that Tom had contacts with, and he acted as a go-between, helping set up channels for some of their remarkable and accomplished paintings to get out of Iraq. Those paintings are still coming over, to the Iraqi Art Gallery here in Chicago, in the Rogers Park neighborhood. This is not far from Living Water Community Church, where my own church (Reba Place) did a church plant in the early 1990s. The nonprofit’s director and curator, Chuck Trimbach (a former colleague of filmmaker Harold Ramis), is still plugging along after three years. But in the present political and economic climate he’s got to be scraping the bottom of the barrel by now. And it’s a shame, because the paintings are both excellent and affordable. More importantly, the artists who get the lion’s share of the profits need help, now more than ever.

Meanwhile in Iran, Mennonite delegations are practically the only Westerners that their president and more moderate religious leaders are willing to talk to or trust. And in a context of trust, even a controversial message (like “stop denying that the Holocaust occurred”) can be delivered face-to-face, which is precisely what those delegations have done. (“Speak the truth in love,” Jesus said. Right?) I know some folks, including my friend Dr. Tom Finger, who participated in these talks.

So I may never get to the front lines. But this is 2008. This is the internet. This is the worldwide church, established and empowered by Christ, which knows no national boundaries, and continues to dismantle the artificial boundaries of denominational division. This is the small world that they kept telling us was on its way. The battle lines keep moving, and they get more blurry every day. The battle to uncover and stand upon the truth is one we are all called to. So come on out of that foxhole now. We’re gonna need some help. Besides, you won’t be alone.

One major event down, two to go: finals and preparing for the trip. Finals should be fairly easy. Not too stressful. Other than the not-having-a-place-to-live thing, the actual studying and tests should be a breeze. Luckily, I have some great friends who will provide a couch or spare bed for me to sleep on while I count down the days. It's down to 9. The last stretch is finally here and there's not too much I can do now other than wait. I've been waiting for this week for almost an entire year. I still remember the day that I sat in the combi (van) at 5 in the morning on the way to the airport to leave Cape Town. I listened to the "Blood Diamond" soundtrack. Stunning. The title of the song was "Goodbyes." Fitting. The smell of the ocean was still lingering and the mountains hovered over. I wanted to cry but I couldn't because I knew I'd be back. Little did I know that hope would become reality less than a year later. Not only would I be back, but back for three months. I've never gone anywhere for that long without moving there, let alone another country, let alone AFRICA! It's still so crazy. Yet it feels so right. I'm truly blessed.

Blood Diamond is a film that takes place in Africa during a time of civil war. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Danny Archer, a former Mercenary from Zimbabwe turned diamond smuggler. Djimon Hounsou counters DiCaprio playing Solomon Vandy, a Mende Fisherman who’s been taken as a slave. Separated from his family, Solomon finds an enormous Conflict diamond that he buries and then after escapes. Eventually fate brings both Solomon and Archer together and it seems finding where Solomon hid this diamond could help them attain mutual goals. Of course, it is no walk in the park. The two men have to travel threw a chaotic, violence filled civil war to find their precious trophy. 

While the intensity of the journey itself is enrapturing, there were some problem areas. In particularly the way the film ended. Without giving anything away, the film really should have ended on the mountain top with the plane flying away. The audience is intelligent enough to decipher what happens after that, and what did happen felt forced and uncomfortable compared to the rest of the film. Also, the role of the reporter, played by Jennifer Connelly, often seemed forced, as though she was speaking the message of the movie to the viewers. It felt a little moralizing, and insulting that the writer and or director didn’t think the viewer could figure out the message on their own accord. But while the film occasionally borders preachy it in general manages to stay balanced both by entertainment and the true heart behind what fuels the story. One of the men in the story said, 

“People are just people, they aren’t bad, it’s the things they do that are bad.” 

The high points of the film were the cinematography and the stellar acting. The film was shot exotically and yet remained palpable. The entire movie boasted a grit and coloring that made Africa come alive on your screen. It was no surprise to see Leo DiCaprio shine on screen, it’s become expected. Djimon Housou was nothing short of incredible, and Jennifer Connelly played her part cold and calculated, yet with a grain of sentiment. Each character has an agenda that forces him or her to be in distrust of everyone. The roads that some of the relationships take to develop trust are forced, but credible, while others are equally believable in remaining eternally antagonistic. By the end, the characters may have changed, altered slightly, but they still are there to fight for the goal they started with to the bitter death. 

In any case I say if you haven’t seen it already, go to your local video store and rent it. It’s a very moving and intense film. Three out of Four stars.

Crítica ao filme "Blood Diamond" por Douglas Lobo.

Para além dos méritos cinematográficos, “Diamante de Sangue” (Blood Diamond, EUA, 2006) se impõe sobretudo pelo tema. Por trás de clichês do cinema comercial, é um alerta sobre o risco de movimentos populistas que utilizam a ideologia nacionalista em benefício próprio, sem compromisso com a ética e os Direitos Humanos. Alerta válido para a África dos anos 90 – período do filme -, mas também para a América Latina de hoje.

O diretor Edward Zwick coloca em “Diamante de Sangue” clichês que o cinema americano sempre utiliza ao mostrar o continente africano. Tudo é exótico, turístico até. Mas sem exageros - só concessões mínimas para a indústria: pouca paisagem, algumas cenas de combate, melodrama, um ritmo alucinante em alguns momentos, a realização voltada para o astro Leonardo Di Caprio. Garantida a atenção da plateia pelos artifícios comerciais, o filme trata de abordar a temática social e política da exploração dos países periféricos pelas grandes potências.

No caso, Serra Leoa, país da África Ocidental que viveu uma guerra civil durante a década de 90. Na guerra, os diamantes do país eram vendidos ilegalmente no exterior pelos revolucionários da Frente Revolucionária Unida (FRU), que tentavam destituir o presidente Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. Os rebeldes ficavam com um percentual do dinheiro e utilizavam o restante para comprar armas. Os revolucionários ficaram conhecidos pelas mutilações, violações e assassinatos contra a população de Serra Leoa, além de terem recrutado e treinado crianças para a Frente. Baseado nestes factos históricos, o filme aborda aspectos como a cooperação internacional, o interesse de corporações privadas nos conflitos armados e a eterna posição dos países periféricos de fornecedores de matérias-primas para as potências industriais.

Em “Diamante de Sangue” há poucos heróis. Os revolucionários praticam barbaridades contra seu próprio povo, a empresa Van de Kamp, que compra os diamantes, é na prática a financiadora da guerra civil, o contrabandista Danny Archer (Di Caprio) vende armas aos rebeldes, a jornalista Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connely) se sensibiliza com as vítimas, mas ao mesmo tempo busca firmar a carreira na cobertura da guerra. Herói mesmo só o nativo Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou). Só ele sabe onde está o maior diamante de Serra Leoa e este é o único elo que o une aos demais.

Uma guerra é feita por muitos. “Diamante de Sangue” evita o discurso fácil de culpar unicamente a exploração das grandes potências pelos conflitos nos países periféricos. A maior violência em Serra Leoa é praticada pelos próprios revolucionários, que massacram seu povo, armam suas crianças, escravizam os mais fortes e vendem para uma corporação estrangeira a maior riqueza de seu país – os diamantes. Os actos sanguinários da FRU são acompanhados por discursos de soberania e nacionalismo perigosamente presentes ainda hoje na retórica de movimentos, governos e partidos populistas – talvez não mais na África, mas certamente na América Latina.

Nos Estados Unidos o filme foi acusado de “liberal” e “politicamente correto” por alguns jornalistas, já que chama à responsabilidade os consumidores de diamantes dos países industrializados, que involuntariamente terminaram por financiar a guerra civil. A cobrança é feita no decorrer do filme e principalmente no final, nos créditos de tela. Mas o que “Diamante de Sangue” tenta mostrar é justamente a complexidade dos conflitos armados nos países periféricos, em que muitos são (voluntariamente ou não) os vilões, poucos os heróis e por trás dos discursos e de boas intenções só há um grande motor: o dinheiro.

What follows is a collaboration with the wonderful artist Rick Mobbs.  This is the door to his refrigerator…

Wonder what the rest of his appliances look like?

Rainbows on the wall

Such a dazzling effect

Sunlight’s encroachment

Illuminating specks

Slender tranquil beam

Falls to hand adorned

With a golden ring

Holding stone earth born

The subsequent array

Splashing each color sewn

Upon the darkened nether

Of what I should have known

Familiar symbol of love

Familiar symbol of pride

Wrenched form goddess earth

By those with tortured hide

A moment of reflection

Caused such reflection

From beauty to morose

With silent inflection

For here as I sit

Dazzled by physics

Pondering the particles

And wave dynamics

Children hide from bullets

And machines of war

So that consumers

Find vanity in stores

.

I would be remiss if I failed to point out the title is in homage to Whypaisly from whom it was "borrowed".

Sullo sfondo della guerra civile in Sierra Leone, si intrecciano le tre storie dei protagonisti. Il film inizia con l'aggressione in un piccolo villaggio della Sierra Leone, dove Salomon Vandy (( Djimon Hounsou )), a cui è stata sottratta la famiglia, viene fatto prigioniero dai ribelli per essere utilizzato come schiavo per ritrovare diamanti. Mentre è sotto la prigionia ribelle, Salomon ritrova un leggendario diamante rosa, che rappresenta la possibilità di riscattarsi, di uscire dall'incubo in cui vive e magari di ritrovare la sua famiglia e suo figlio, che intanto è stato assoldato tra le fila ribelli. Salomon però finisce in prigione, dove conosce Danny Archer (( Leonardo DiCaprio )) abile contrabbandiere ed ex mercenario dello Zimbawe, alla ricerca anch'egli di una svolta per poter finalmente riuscire a scappare da tutta quella malvagità di cui lui stesso é stato artefice, che ritrova appunto nel diamante. Con l'aiuto di una reporter Maddy Bowen (( Jennifer Connelly )) che vuole denunciare il traffico illecito di diamanti, i tre affronteranno diversi rischi pur di ritrovare il diamante nascosto dal contadino.

"La distanza tra noi e l'Africa è minore di quanto crediamo, le nostre vite e i nostri destini sono collegati ai loro, perché quando facciamo un acquisto, le ripercussioni sono globali: essere consumatore significa avere un atteggiamento politico"

Questo è il messaggio di Edward Zwick che riesce come al solito a farci immedesimare nella realtà che vuole proporci, come è capitato recentemente per "L'ultimo Samurai" e meno per "Glory". Allo spettatore la scelta di cogliere o meno il messaggio del film, che c'è sicuramente ma allo stesso tempo non è troppo forte, poichè il film è molto incentrato sulla figura di DiCaprio e della sua redenzione. Fantastica le ambientazioni e la fotografia. Magistrale DiCaprio per la sua interpretazione, che gli ha permesso di essere nominato all'oscar come attore protagonista (( anche se personalmente lo avrei nominato come attore non protagonista in Departed )) Non convince invece Djimon Hounsou, nominato anch'egli all'oscar però come attore non protagonista e giusta la scelta di non nominare Jennifer Connelly visto il ruolo troppo marginale.

La Frase:
"Stia attenta a parlare di diamanti miss Bowen...
in America li chiamano BlingBling, ma qui diventano BangBang"

Anyway im not here to advertise the film but the clip below is basically the real version of that. It is a documentary by Al Jazeera on the rising number of child soldiers in Congo. It includes some disturbing scenes with real life stories from former child soldiers and victims of their crimes.

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7659244604438813517&hl=en]