Edward Said: The Last Interview
Edward Said: The Last Interview
| 11 June 2004 (USA)
Edward Said: The Last Interview Trailers

Edward Said, Professor of English & Comparative Literature at Columbia University, was a prominent literary critic of the late 20th century and a leading spokesperson for the Palestinian cause in the US. Born to a Palestinian family in Al-Quds (Jerusalem) in 1935, he and his family were dispossessed in 1948 and settled in Cairo. Educated in the US, he lived in New York for many years. Said was a member of the Palestine National Council. After resigning from the PNC in 1991, Said wrote critically about the post-Oslo peace process, the political failures of Yasser Arafat and the PLO. Said was diagnosed with leukemia in 1991 and struggled with the disease while continuing to write and teach. He stopped giving interviews but made an exception less than a year before his death in 2003, speaking about his illness, work, Palestine, politics, life, and education. The last interview is the final testament of this passionately committed intellectual.

Reviews
normanbott

This is one of most powerful interviews I have ever seen. Edward Said was a brilliant man with practical views on the Middle East and many other issues. I could hardly believe that the two hours was over when the film ended. I hope this will get TV exposure on PBS or some venue. More people should be able to benefit from the experience of this now deceased genius. If you get a chance to view this film, make sure you do. It is worth the effort.The West had a tendency to downplay the value of Middle Eastern people such as the Palestinians. In this interview, as in his writing, he fought valiantly to change all that. He wanted to influence a change of U.S. and European foreign policy which has always favored Israel. But the film also includes pungent commentary on Verdi, Rossini and his experience hearing opera as a young man in Egypt where he was born and raised. His comments on his books including Memoirs, Orientalism etc. were also illuminating.There are so many riches in this film, I can not even remember all of them and would love a chance to see the film again.

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