Welcome to Sarajevo

Rating:
Summary: Welcome to "Hell" created by serbs
Review: Being a war journalist in a war where civilians,soldiers,police,criminals are against humanity is a living nightmare. This movie explains it all.
A British war reporter comes across a war orphanage and then one
Bosnian child steals his attention and he gets too emotionally involved with her as much as he is with the absurds of the war serb started and still controlled it. He does the best he can to transfer her to England to his own home - even if it means that he has to adopt her.

IT IS A WONDERFUL MOVIE and IT'S BASED ON A TRUE STORY.

Highly Recommended

Rating:
Summary: Sad look at war
Review: I loved this movie and Stephen Dillane was great. He does not get the recognition that he deserves. Also this was the first movie where I actually liked Woody Harrelson. I would recommended that everyone see this movie.

Rating:
Summary: A Balkan Tragedy
Review: In the spring of 1992, news correspondents from around the world descended upon Bosnia to document the most horrific conflict Europe had seen since World War II. WELCOME TO SARAJEVO is the story of those correspondents and the surreal world they entered when they checked into their rooms at the Holiday Inn (which, as fate would have it, was located right on the infamous boulevard known as Sniper Alley; they couldn't have found a better place to view the action if they tried).

One of those correspondents, Michael Henderson (Stephen Dillane), has very little patience with colleagues like Jordan Flynn (Woody Harrelson) who always find ways of involving themselves in the stories they're covering. "We're not here to help - we're here to report," he says. But Henderson finds it increasingly difficult to remain detached from the carnage around him, especially when Serb artillery and Serb snipers start targeting Sarajevo's children. Frustrated by networks (who would rather lead with stories about the Duchess of York's marital problems) and world leaders (who condemn the killing while allowing it to continue), Henderson finally decides to act; if he can't stop the war, then he can at least save the life of a child.

WELCOME TO SARAJEVO is based on "Natasha's Story," the 1993 memoir of ITN correspondent Michael Nicholson. Director Michael Winterbottom has fashioned a remarkable film by taking the events in Nicholson's book and interweaving them with actual footage of the siege of Sarajevo. And he's couldn't have assembled a better cast; Stephen Dillaine and Woody Harrelson give the performances of their careers (thus far) as Henderson and Flynn, and they're ably supported by Kerry Fox, Marisa Tomei, Emira Nusevic, and a charismatic, pre-ER Goran Visnjic (who comes close to walking away with the movie).

When WELCOME TO SARAJEVO was released on VHS, one of the Amazon.com reviewers took former President Clinton to task for his "lies" about Bosnia, but he neglected to mention that most of the events depicted in this film (Bosnia's descent into war, the breadline massacre, the establishment of Serb-operated concentration camps in Omarska and Trnopolje) took place when George H.W. Bush was in the White House. Clearly there's blame enough to go around. Bosnia wasn't just failed by the U.S., Britain, France, and the U.N.; Bosnia was failed by the world. And the world should be ashamed.

As for WELCOME TO SARAJEVO, it's a vivid and unforgettable portrait of one of the most lunatic periods in recent history. Don't miss it.

Rating:
Summary: A Balkan Tragedy
Review: In the spring of 1992, news correspondents from around the world descended upon Bosnia to document the most horrific conflict Europe had seen since World War II. WELCOME TO SARAJEVO is the story of those correspondents and the surreal world they entered when they checked into their rooms at the Holiday Inn (which, as fate would have it, was located right on the infamous boulevard known as Sniper Alley; they couldn't have found a better place to view the action if they tried).

One of those correspondents, Michael Henderson (Stephen Dillane), has very little patience with colleagues like Jordan Flynn (Woody Harrelson) who always find ways of involving themselves in the stories they're covering. "We're not here to help - we're here to report," he says. But Henderson finds it increasingly difficult to remain detached from the carnage around him, especially when Serb artillery and Serb snipers start targeting Sarajevo's children. Frustrated by networks (who would rather lead with stories about the Duchess of York's marital problems) and world leaders (who condemn the killing while allowing it to continue), Henderson finally decides to act; if he can't stop the war, then he can at least save the life of a child.

WELCOME TO SARAJEVO is based on "Natasha's Story," the 1993 memoir of ITN correspondent Michael Nicholson. Director Michael Winterbottom has fashioned a remarkable film by taking the events in Nicholson's book and interweaving them with actual footage of the siege of Sarajevo. And he's couldn't have assembled a better cast; Stephen Dillaine and Woody Harrelson give the performances of their careers (thus far) as Henderson and Flynn, and they're ably supported by Kerry Fox, Marisa Tomei, Emira Nusevic, and a charismatic, pre-ER Goran Visnjic (who comes close to walking away with the movie).

When WELCOME TO SARAJEVO was released on VHS, one of the Amazon.com reviewers took former President Clinton to task for his "lies" about Bosnia, but he neglected to mention that most of the events depicted in this film (Bosnia's descent into war, the breadline massacre, the establishment of Serb-operated concentration camps in Omarska and Trnopolje) took place when George H.W. Bush was in the White House. Clearly there's blame enough to go around. Bosnia wasn't just failed by the U.S., Britain, France, and the U.N.; Bosnia was failed by the world. And the world should be ashamed.

As for WELCOME TO SARAJEVO, it's a vivid and unforgettable portrait of one of the most lunatic periods in recent history. Don't miss it.

Rating:
Summary: Far from perfect, but well worth seeing
Review: The story revolves around a team of news people who are covering the war in Sarajevo and the rescue of some children from an ophanage. It tries to say something important about a war and a place that was practically ignored. I've always been interested in learning more. This movie doesn't answer my questions. I'm still confused about the difference between the Bosnians and the Serbs and why they were fighting. But I did get a feel of the place which I never quite got before. And as films go, the story is a patchwork of pieces and not put together well. Woody Harrelson and Marisa Tomai are in it but their parts are quite small. This is far from a perfect film. However,I'm glad I tracked it down and saw it.