It seems hard to believe that, a mere twenty-four years ago, a conflict was seething at the edge of Europe that was to kill well over a hundred thousand people and displace some four million more. The break up of the former Yugoslavia was bloody in the extreme, with combat tactics echoing the fiercest battles of World War Two. At the heart of it all, the Siege of Sarajevo (today the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina) was particularly pitiless and was to last four grueling years, witnessed by the largely helpless onlookers of the UN who, despite their bravery and humanity, were hamstrung by international convention and bureaucratic incompetence.
Into this seething cauldron of ethnic tension, Bruce Dickinson and his band would travel to entertain the struggling civilians caught in the crossfire. A remarkable concert by any standards, it stands as a testament to the unifying power of music under the most difficult of circumstances and the film paints a compelling portrait of the courage and survival instinct of ordinary people, caught at the heart of historic events outside of their control.
Released on DVD and Blu Ray (with an accompanying soundtrack on CD) by Eagle Rock, ‘Scream for Me Sarajevo’ is a barebones release with no extras or additional enticements on offer, not that the film needs them. Insert the DVD into your player and you’ll be greeted with an exceptionally loud blast of music accompanying a black and white montage of live clips from the Sarajevo show. Given that the DVD contains only the film, the menu options are scant: play, scene selection and subtitles. There’s no audio selection as the DVD is encoded in Dolby Digital Stereo, but then that’s to be expected given the technical limitations of the film, and the soundtrack is more than clear enough with the music punchy and dialogue audible throughout. In terms of video, the near-medieval conditions of Sarajevo during the conflict means that footage of the actual concert is of bootleg VHS quality, although it still captures the incendiary power of the performance, and the film predominantly comprises archival footage interspersed with contemporary film of the survivors returning to the city. The modern material is well-filmed in HD, potentially benefiting the blu ray format, but it’s the archival footage, as raw and shocking in its urgency as it is grainy in quality, that bleeds from the screen and, for this, the DVD is perfectly sufficient. It’s horrifying to see a modern city reduced to ashes in front of your very eyes and, when one of the interviewees points out that the siege was longer than the epic battle of Stalingrad, the ensuing footage underscores just how easy it is for civilization to devolve into chaos.
Although ostensibly a film about Bruce’s appearance in the city, ‘Scream for Me Sarajevo’ pulls no punches when it comes to detailing the siege and setting the historical background. The context is important, particularly for those too young to remember the conflict, because it serves to show in just how dire a situation the inhabitants of Sarajevo were. Thus, the first twenty minutes or so is very much a potted history of the conflict, related by those who were there and inter-cut with footage of the siege. It’s horrific and the film deftly brings a war, that has largely gone forgotten in the west, into sharp relief. The reminiscences of the survivors, so calmly delivered, are remarkable, showing the human cost of a merciless conflict as the unhappy citizens of the city banded together to deliver plays and musicals in the face of huge personal danger. Their courage and humanity is inspirational, and the struggles of young musicians just to have a chance to practice their art will resonate with anyone who takes their freedom to play for granted.
By the time Bruce and his band appear, the scene has been well-set and the return of the key players to the much-recovered city proves particularly emotive viewing. Given the conditions on the ground, it’s amazing that the band ever attempted such a journey, and Major Morris, whose absolute dedication to making the remarkable event take place, shines as he describes the logistical difficulties of drawing all the threads together. Although UN helicopters were originally planned to transport the band, in a war zone nothing is ever simple, and, as the protection of the UN unravels, so the film ramps up the tension as Bruce and his band make their way through the front lines, paperless and with scant hope of achieving their goal.
As mentioned earlier, footage of the concert itself is understandably limited, but even so it blazes away with ferocious intensity, making it clear that the audience desperately needed the release of a live show to distract them from the horrors of the siege. Bruce and his band clearly rose to the occasion, giving everything they had despite Bruce’s stated misgivings about being able to live up to expectation and it’s easy to see that the show was a powerful moment in an otherwise bleak existence.
After ninety minutes, this brilliantly-edited film comes to its haunting conclusion. The impact upon the band, even at the remove of two decades is profound, with bassist Chris Dale, in particular, retelling the tale with compassion, frequently welling up as he recalls the kindness and generosity of his hosts. A spark of hope in a hopeless situation, the film is life-affirming and heart-breaking in equal measure. The fervour of the UN personnel who worked so hard to make it happen, the real-life tragedy unfolding around the band and their audience and the war-torn backdrop all result in a film of compelling drama which makes you realise that the smallest kindness can make the biggest difference to someone’s life. A hugely important film, ‘Scream for me Sarajevo’ demonstrates the remarkable, unifying power of music under the most trying of conditions and it is a testament to the spirit of the young men and women who clung on to a dream even as their world burned around them. It is essential viewing. 9
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