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IMDbPro

The Weight of Chains

  • 2010
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 5m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
4.6K
YOUR RATING
The Weight of Chains (2010)
"The Weight of Chains" is a Canadian documentary film that takes a critical look at the role that Western powers play in the internal affairs of republics of the former Yugoslavia.

An impressive roster of interviews with academics, diplomats, media personalities and ordinary citizens of the former Yugoslav republics gives this film a unique perspective into how and why Yugoslavia was colonized.
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The Weight of Chains is a Canadian documentary film that takes a critical look at the role that the US, NATO and the EU played in the tragic breakup of a once peaceful and prosperous Europea... Read allThe Weight of Chains is a Canadian documentary film that takes a critical look at the role that the US, NATO and the EU played in the tragic breakup of a once peaceful and prosperous European state - Yugoslavia. The film, bursting with rare stock footage never before seen by West... Read allThe Weight of Chains is a Canadian documentary film that takes a critical look at the role that the US, NATO and the EU played in the tragic breakup of a once peaceful and prosperous European state - Yugoslavia. The film, bursting with rare stock footage never before seen by Western audiences, is a creative first-hand look at why the West intervened in the Yugoslav co... Read all

  • Director
    • Boris Malagurski
  • Writer
    • Boris Malagurski
  • Stars
    • Rade Aleksic
    • James Bissett
    • John Bosnitch
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.1/10
    4.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Boris Malagurski
    • Writer
      • Boris Malagurski
    • Stars
      • Rade Aleksic
      • James Bissett
      • John Bosnitch
    • 63User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    The Weight Of Chains
    Trailer 3:22
    The Weight Of Chains

    Photos

    Top cast27

    Edit
    Rade Aleksic
    • Self
    James Bissett
    • Self
    John Bosnitch
    • Self
    Michel Chossudovsky
    Michel Chossudovsky
    • Self
    Bosko Cirkovic
    • Self
    Vlade Divac
    Vlade Divac
    • Self
    Slobodan Drakulic
    • Self
    Marko Francikovic
    • Self
    Blako Gabric
    • Self
    John Hawthorne
    • Self
    Branislav Lecic
    Branislav Lecic
    • Self
    Vesna Levar
    • Self
    Barry Lituchy
    • Self
    Lewis MacKenzie
    • Self
    Boris Malagurski
    • Narrator
    • (voice)
    Joze Mencinger
    • Self
    Michael Parenti
    • Self
    Zeljko Peratovic
    • Self
    • Director
      • Boris Malagurski
    • Writer
      • Boris Malagurski
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews63

    8.14.6K
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    Featured reviews

    Pithyoneliner

    Possibly the best bit of Serbian whinging?

    Pretty special, whether you are looking for hopelessly paranoid ramblings or wildly inaccurate facts (population of the EU is 1 Billion, and the Slovenes are hopelessly unhappy with their current prosperity) - you are well served by this title.

    The film makers, as commented on by other reviewers, display a worrying Serbian tendency to rationalise the war without accepting even partial reponsibility. Of course it wasn't all the Serbs, or the Croats or the Bosniaks, all shared in the blame, just as the West could rightly be criticised for it's own mismanagement of the crisis. But deny even a portion of the blame to Serbia is just ridiculous.

    I can understand an anti-Nato bias, a Serbian friend of mine lived two hundred yards from a Nato precision bomb on a TV station that killed his neighbour. That isn't going to endear Nato to anyone. But with delusional propaganda like this... reconciliation isn't going to be made any easier.
    sanjal30

    x

    Well documented story! The author was very young during the war, so rather the being emotional for the sake of his Serbian "fraternity", he chose obvious facts, lots of audio and video recordings that cannot be propaganda. Propanada is not what this documentary is about, because it would be useless when too much damage has already been done, and propaganda can fix a zero thing right now. This not being just a lament over the sad old times is also an attempt to reconcile the people who certainly all have been victims, regardless of their ethnicity. The author tried to show the position of the people of the Balkans in general, taking about the geopolitical position, which is something other authors before him missed to do.
    gonzofaratro

    WHY you must see this one despite some radical views by other reviewers , a real MUST !

    Ignore the radical reviewers, there is a lot of solid information here, so solid that Croats and Bosnians "wasted" 2 hours of their life to watch this films and try to convince you not to see it.

    Amazing how denial plays a role so deep in all this matter, there were no innocent parties in this ugly war, they all share the same amount of responsibility.

    I have studied the subject and seen several documentaries on this chapter of recent history in Europe, the one thing that is Crystal clear is that Croats, Bosnians and Serbs will never acknowledge their crimes.

    Croats were no saints in this war and probably they should carry 40% of the responsibility of the break up of the country, the remaining 60% split between Serbs and Bosnians

    You must see this one because is one of the few documentaries that tells the other side of the story, of course, understanding that a balance between what you see here and what the other side presents can give you a more neutral opinion.

    All those dismissing this documentary, calling it propaganda, lies and so on, surely are those who know better but can't accept their own role in the crimes the helped commit and now want to make everyone believe they did nothing wrong.

    Most people are not so naive as to really believe that Croatia and Bosnia didn't do anything wrong or that Serbia did it all by themselves, that is the Croat and Bosnian cheap propaganda, play victims and blame someone else.

    Serbs must accept as well that not everyone was against them, part of the blame is within their own politicians.

    In all Croatians, Bosnians and Serbian committed crimes against humanity, BUT there is a pale bright light, Croatians stared opening companies in Serbia, they can do business there but Serbians are not yet welcome in Croatia, lets hope this will change one day.
    8saucerpeople

    Finally a fresh look at a complex situation.

    I watched the first phase of the Balkans 90s conflict play out whilst studying for a degree in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution at a UK college... it was made immediately part of the course. Since then I've made a constant effort to keep an eye of how things have progressed - right up to the recent duping of the people in Kosovo - who seem to welcome being made one big US/NATO base.

    Anyway - apart from a 5 part BBC series - nothing has tackled this issue in the depth it demands till now apart from this Documentary. Ignore the handful of reviewers who claim it's "Serb propaganda" - that's just idiotic - in fact this is one of the best produced and written documentaries I've seen on contemporary geopolitical monkey-business to date! The interview snatches are all from erudite commentators, the chronology is unravelled in a comprehensive manner and footage they've amassed really adds a human quality to things. The footage of elderly Serb and Croat neighbours being forced to pack-up and leave after living together without and issue is heart-wrenching (and definitely not staged before someone suggests this).

    Also - by peeling away the propaganda the Serbs have been framed with for so long - we finally begin to hear the real ramifications of the war... which was partially a CORPORATE war. Bosnitch adds some amazing facts - such as the Yugo car industry being terminated by clever bombing - and the take-over by US firm Philip Morris by Clinton agreeing to bomb three times a very successful Serb cigarette factory - so much for military targets??! Recommended. A total and much needed breath of air.
    zmarko47

    Not expected to be that good.

    I have just watched this, and i have to say that it is very good documentary.

    From my point of view as a Serb, when i hear all of these lies, delusions, that lead to massive wars, i feel such an anger, and i'm asking myself, how can someone betray everything that we are, because of the money, and personal good, what happened to moral, what is going on with f....ng world!? Yes i know, this is happening from the beginning of the world, but still.. overall everyone who is interested why and how it really happened, just watch this, maybe not 100% objective as i read in some comments from other people view, but none the less, very informative.

    I hope one day we all realize what is really going on, and turn to the right direction.

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    Related interests

    Tom Brokaw
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    Documentary
    Liam Neeson in Schindler's List (1993)
    History
    Band of Brothers (2001)
    War

    Storyline

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • February 19, 2011 (Canada)
    • Countries of origin
      • Canada
      • Croatia
      • Bosnia and Herzegovina
      • Slovenia
      • Serbia and Montenegro
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Croatian
      • Serbian
    • Also known as
      • El peso de las Cadenas
    • Production company
      • Malagurski Cinema
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 5m(125 min)
    • Color
      • Color

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