Angelina Jolie Steps Behind the Camera ‘In the Land of Blood and Honey’
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ABC News’ Imtiyaz Delawala reports:
Academy Award-winning actress Angelina Jolie often tackles violence and war in her action films.
But her latest film, “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” she tackles it in entirely different way, delving into the lives of innocent people caught in the middle of the war in Bosnia in the 1990′s.
For the first time, Jolie stepped behind the camera, writing and directing the film that examines the Bosnian conflict through the eyes of characters witnessing the systematic violence and genocide that enveloped the region for more than three years.
“I was thinking and meditating on these international themes of violence against women, lack of intervention, and how human beings are changed and warped by war, and how some people come out stronger and some people are truly broken,” Jolie told “This Week” anchor Christiane Amanpour, who covered the conflict in the 1990′s. “There’s no safe way to tackle these subject matters, but I think the important thing is to discuss them and tackle them.”
While the United States was heavily involved and finally ended the Bosnian conflict in 1995, the war that raged for more than three years in the heart of Europe was considered one of the greatest collective failure of international diplomacy since World War II.
“It’s infuriating how long it took to intervene,” Jolie said of the conflict. “When I say ‘intervene,’ I don’t mean always boots on the ground, I don’t mean that. It’s just being conscious, discussing it, not hiding the issues, and figuring out and working towards solutions with the people on the ground.”
While Jolie is a Hollywood star known more for her high-profile film roles and her relationship and family with actor Brad Pitt, she says those who know her well know that tackling such as serious subject matter as the Bosnian war is not out of character.
Jolie serves as a Goodwill ambassador to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Jolie did extensive research for “In the Land of Blood and Honey” in order to try to capture individual stories from the conflict.
“There’s a great photograph that I had in the office,” Jolie said, describing a photo of a Bosnian woman. “She’s got the pearls, and she’s dressed. And she’s done her hair. And it’s just, you may shoot at me, but you will not remove my humanity, my dignity, my self, my person. I am going to continue to keep my head up.”
When casting the film, Jolie decided to turn to local actors who lived through the war, on all sides of the ethnic divides.
“I would not have done the film without them,” Jolie said. “It belongs to them, it’s their story.”
Actresses Zana Marjanovic and Vanessa Glodjo said they were moved by the script written by Jolie, which they said didn’t soften the conflict as many films do.
“When I read the script, it was — I had knives in my chest, in my stomach,” Glodjo said. “And I said, ‘My God. What is this? What is this really? It’s so strong.’”
Both actresses said they hope the film serves as a reminder of what happened during the Bosnian conflict, and the physical and emotional destruction of the war.
“Our fear is the silence. Our fear is ignorance. Our fear is that people won’t know what happened,” Marjanovic said. “And being ignorant about what happened leaves a chance that it may happen again.”
Jolie said she was “very moved” by her experience making the film, and said she hopes it conveys the people of the region well.
“There is something in this film we hope through the music, through the people, through the relationships, that also shows the warmth and the love, and the humor, and the life of the people from this part of the world that is special,” Jolie said.
Watch Christiane Amanpour’s full interview with Angelina Jolie Monday on ABC News Nightline.
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wow. Good for her. I’ll have to buck up and prepare myself for something brutal and go see it. Women are such strong strong beings. We take such a world of crap in this world. We raise all the children, we do all the hard hard jobs that take patience and perserverance, we are judged for our looks, valued only for our sexual attracrtiveness, not allowed to be human. You see debates on here about abortion – as if women are nothing. Having no value. Do you ever see someone say hunt the man down who got a women pregnant and sterilize him? Oh, he has a baby on the way he didn’t want, he shoudl have kept his pants on, he should have his boys cut off. Women are so such strong beings. I actually like that a women who does not appologize for her sexual side is also so strong as a women, though, her being so good looking actually detracts from the idea that a women is valuable as a person. good looking women are always valued. Wonder how much of this message of hers woudl get press if she had a Rosanne Barr face?
Posted by: SandraD | December 4, 2011, 12:58 pm 12:58 pm
And when Anjelina says “blood” she really means it…
Posted by: Jiji Moran | December 4, 2011, 2:53 pm 2:53 pm
She is being sued for stealing the idea from Bosnian-Croatian journalist and author James J. Braddock (aka Josip J. Knezevic). He claims that Jolie “copied, stole” elements of his 2007 book “The Soul Shattering” to write the script for the film. The story came out yesterday – Funny how that never came up in this interview – that’s right – Jolie only does taped interviews and she dictates the content. I expect better from Amanpour.
Posted by: Catty | December 4, 2011, 3:05 pm 3:05 pm
Catty, Amanpour is a true journalist, not a tabloid reporter. You should go back to US Weekly site.
Posted by: True | December 4, 2011, 4:05 pm 4:05 pm
The Serbs brutaly raped about 50000 women and girls with the intention to make them pregnant and then have them detain until pregnancy is far enough to make abortion impossible, “to have the Serbian children”. Rape was their “weapon of war”.
Posted by: Hajrudin | December 4, 2011, 4:56 pm 4:56 pm
I was in Mostar,Bosnia 6 mos ago. Tears are still in my heart and soul at seeing the devastation that still exists in this once beautiful city. If you have never been there, keep your comments off this site. Angelina is telling the world what happened when the world turned it’s back on Bosnia.
Posted by: barbara | December 4, 2011, 5:30 pm 5:30 pm
To “True,” a real journalist asks the tough relevant questions, it’s a tabloid reporter that reads off a pr cleansed script. A real journalist would’ve asked about a federal lawsuit. One would expect more of Amanpour not to let her respected position be exploited so that Jolie can maintain a show of being serious and real. That 60 Minutes fluff piece on Jolie was also obviously pr garbage, stuff of tabloids. They should’ve been asking about those disgusting Vuitton ads taken in one of the poorest countries, where her “orphan” trophy is from, not celebrating them. Sickening. The first comment above was right about women’s experience in the world but needs a real role model.
Posted by: Dillon | December 4, 2011, 5:43 pm 5:43 pm
Why would Amanpour ask her about some baseless lawsuit. Jolie is a serious and sincere activist who feels strongly about these issues that most of us don’t want to delve into. Even though some of us have heard about the Serb-Bosnian war, not many of us have gone out of our way to find out more about it. Because of Jolie, we are now talking about it. The writer who has filed a lawsuit is a nobody until his claim is substantiated in court. Until then, Jolie doesn’t have to waste one moment defending herself. She is the superstar; people will always claim crazy things…that doesn’t mean that she needs to open up and defend herself every time!
Posted by: ZZ | December 4, 2011, 6:53 pm 6:53 pm
I don’t care how many bullets they dodge or schmattas they don, serious journalist or tabloid, they live and die by their ratings. Amanpour is no different. She “got” Jolie and she’s not going to let that get away by asking hard questions. She’s right up there with Ann Curry whose interviews are cringe worthy. Jolie has delusions of grandeur continually fed by the media. No one will ever have the guts to hold her feet to the fire on anything. Not her adoptions. Not her life style. Not her charity as tax shelter. And certainly not not her preposterous claim of writing a screenplay in the attic over the weekend (see Vanity Fair). She gets a pass because she sells. Period. Journalism is dead. Long live movie stars. They rule the world. Christiane Amanpour … shame on you. Women everywhere weep over this one.
Posted by: Caro | December 4, 2011, 7:03 pm 7:03 pm
I’ll tell you why christiane Amanpour did NOT ask Angelina Jolie any questions about this journalist’s allegations. Its because his are baseless. I don’t say this as a fan of angelina’s. I say this as a lawyer. Ideas are not subject to copyright. that’s why you can have thousands of romance stories, thousands of murder stories, thousands of RECIPE books all talking about the same chocolate cake or beef soup. that’s right IDEAS are not subject to copyright.
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What is subject to copyright is the actual expression of the idea. So, what I’ve written and you’ve written is subject to copyright. If you take what I’ve written, copy it, paste it on to something and claim that it is yours, then that’s copyright infringement.
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The second part of copyright infringement is that there has to be actual copying. Let’s go back to Cook book Recipes. My recipe may be exactly the same as yours but if I can show that I did not copy your recipe because mine was handed down from my grandmother’s recipe book, then voila – NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT.
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What this so called journalist looking for his 15 minutes of fame has done is to claim copying. But unless he can show passages and words in Angelina’s script that are copied from his own, there’s no copyright infringement or plagiarism. He has NOT SHOWN NOTHING. That’s why every serious journalist IGNORES this joker journalist claims.
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In the case of Angelina, her script, her everything is sooooo scrutinised, that had there been any real possibility of plagiarism, every significant news journalist would be over it like a rash. Imagine the headlines if it were true. But the truth is simpler. ANGELINA WROTE HER SCRIPT. THE JOURNALIST CLAIMING COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT AND PLAGIARISM IS JUST AN ASSS WIPE.
Posted by: lylian | December 4, 2011, 8:13 pm 8:13 pm
Well said Ms. Lylian, can’t understand all this hater accusation when Ms. Jolie have movies or film to promote. They pretend they know a lot information about her works in UNHCR. This woman is real and very talented..She is unique in many ways and I am proud I am a fan of her work,helping the helpless people all over the world. She is great and beautiful. Bold and sweet. Beauty with brain.Love her interviews and still looking for more interviews with her first project. Love this family and wish them good health.
Posted by: Edna | December 5, 2011, 3:30 am 3:30 am
When we begin to take our historical perspectives from a hawker of Luis Vuitton designer bags, a self-declared once heroin addict, a woman who has the ecological footprint of hundreds of Africans, a ‘humanitarian’ that briefly exits planes for photo shoots with refugees, a mother who takes in millions by putting her babies on tabloids in the name of charity but has little tax proof that money has been actually donated, a celebrity that must make out with her brother and break up marriages to launch her career, an actress that’s done little more than bad action movies… we know we are in trouble. But again, that’s pretty obvious by the demise of professional journalism like the once reputable Newsweek and Christiane Amanpour who give these hacks a platform. Shame!
“What would Walter Cronkite do?”
Posted by: catherine | December 5, 2011, 5:05 am 5:05 am
Angelina Jolie is a vapid superficial self-promoter who feeds off human misery and hypocrisy. She has little understanding of any of these issues and that’s why she never speaks at any length or depth, just photo-ops with a makeup artist assist. Seems her online loon patrol still can’t detail any of her “works” at her window dressing UN gifted position. You slam others for not knowing, yet you can never ever detail anything of substance or effectiveness this parasitic poser has ever accomplished or worked for with any real effort and sacrifice. The lawsuit is not baseless as anyone who reads the details can see, but meanwhile it most certainly is newsworthy and significant. If you want to shine a white hot spotlight on yourself, better be prepared for all scrutiny, not just scrutiny that is favorable.
Posted by: Dec | December 5, 2011, 8:41 am 8:41 am
As much as I dislike Jolie as an actress, I think it’s wonderful that she chose to do this movie. It will raise awareness how nationalism breeds war and how people suffer horribly from it. I hope this movie raises extra funding to groups like Women for Women International and Care.
Posted by: Amy | December 5, 2011, 5:09 pm 5:09 pm
I would hesitate to call anyone a vapid self-promoter who donates nearly half of what she makes to charity. in 2006 she made 10 million and donated over 4 million to charity, in 2008 she made 15 million and donated 7 million to charity. I think she’s the real deal. When I watched her on the Actor’s Studio she seemed very genuine and did in fact have in depth knowledge of the causes she was backing.
Posted by: steve | December 5, 2011, 10:09 pm 10:09 pm
She did not donate half of her earnings to charity, and probably didn’t donate 1/3 of her earnings as she used to claim until it seemed she got too much scrutiny. Just as it appears they did not donate the full proceeds from selling off their babies’ photos to tabloids as promised. Seems she never fails to announce any tax deductible donation that is made to pump up her image. There are people who donate far greater than her who never say a word, you’d think she’d invented donations the way she promotes and congratulates herself. Her drive-thru “humanitarian” photo ops never seem to serve any more purpose than her promoting herself. She uses her purchased kids as publicity props and every appearance seems painfully and clumsily planned for self-promotion. She still keeps pressing the same pathetic self-congratulatory levers as if it’s 2006, while the world has grown bored of there being no there there
Posted by: seth | December 6, 2011, 10:26 am 10:26 am
I was 10 when the war started. 10th of April is my birthday. For all of us birthday is the happiest day in a year. We celebrate life, our existence. 10th of April 1992 changed my feelings about the birthday being the happiest day. That birthday wasn’t celebrated. That day I have to leave the house where I grew up. That day that house was set on fire. That day, I was scared to death. That date brings me painful memories.
And yes….. after that date, I am celebrating my birthday like never before.
I am celebrating life! I am alive!
Thanks to Angelina for telling the truth about the brutal war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thanks her for telling one of many stories.
This is the real picture of women from Bosnia and Herzegovina:
“She’s got the pearls, and she’s dressed. And she’s done her hair. And it’s just, you may shoot at me, but you will not remove my humanity, my dignity, my self, my person. I am going to continue to keep my head up. “
Posted by: under the siege | December 6, 2011, 5:52 pm 5:52 pm
This movie is good. I want to watch it.
Posted by: lany | December 6, 2011, 10:46 pm 10:46 pm
Hey, Steve. You seem so jealous to Jolie. At least she gave her money to charities but you don’t. Move on jealous bitter
Posted by: bob | December 6, 2011, 10:52 pm 10:52 pm