Days of Rage: Beirut 1982-1985

By Judah Passow and Julie Flint, Further Vision Ltd., London, 1995. List: $69.99; AET: $50.00.

Reviewed by Shawn L. Twing

"Days of Rage: Beirut 1982-1985," is an interesting combination of high-technology and the raw power of black-and-white photography. Using a computer compact disc, or CD-ROM, a photographer and a journalist tell the story of sectarian violence exacerbated by external invasion that marked one of the darkest chapters in Lebanon's history.

The goal of "Days of Rage" is summarized succinctly in the short book that accompanies the CD-ROM. Under the heading "New Directions for Photography," it reads, in part: "Designed primarily as a vehicle for the classic photojournalistic essay, each disc also incorporates substantial text, sound and graphics to enable current affairs to be taken a significant stage beyond the ability of newspapers and magazines to record and interpret the turbulent history of our times." And that is exactly what this compact disc does. From the introductory screen where the viewer stares at an innocent looking young Lebanese girl juxtaposed against an armored personnel carrier, each photograph stirs up a whirlwind of emotions.

Photographs are not the only attraction of "Days of Rage," but for those interested in viewing them their format is very accessible. All of the 71 photos were taken by award-winning photojournalist Judah Passow, who covered the war in Lebanon from 1982 through 1985 for London's Observer and Sunday Times. Passow also received awards for his photographs of Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza, and the flight of Iraqi Kurds to Turkey during the Gulf war. Examinations of each of these topics, as well as of the war in the former Yugoslavia, are planned for release as individual CD-ROMs later this year.

After the initial screen draws the viewer in, an introductory paragraph explains the options for exploring "Days of Rage." These include several highlighted terms, each leading to useful information or stunning images. "Lightbox" takes the viewer to an image of a photographer's lightbox with a collection of "negatives" spread out all over it. From the lightbox, viewers can choose which photograph they would like to see by "left-clicking" their computer's pointing device over the negative. It then becomes a full screen image. Below the photographs appear several options including a caption for the photograph and a short, spoken narrative about the image from the perspectives of a Lebanese civilian and an Israeli soldier. Another option is the compass, which brings up a map of Lebanon or of Beirut and pinpoints the location where the photograph was taken.

Aside from the photographs, the introductory screen also has two essays. The first, "The Crazies Are in Charge Here Now," is written by the photographer and offers anecdotal insight into the chaos that was Beirut. The second essay, "Crawling From the Wreckage," was written by journalist Julie Flint. Flint's article is factual and engrossing and offers an interesting and objective perspective on Lebanon at the time of the Israeli invasion that eventually drove out the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The article, and Passow's photographs, show the horror of war and the devastation that accompanies its violence.

The viewer will note that several terms are in boldface in Flint's essay. Left-clicking on the boldface term brings up a lengthy definition on the left of the screen from the CD's glossary. The depth and scope make the definitions extremely informative. The glossary's only drawback is that it has only 16 entries ranging from AMAL to Sunni Muslim.

Other options include several screens full of statistics ranging from the economic costs of the war to the casualties on all sides. The best place to start, however, is the "movie" section. It is more of a slide show than a movie, but the way in which the photos are displayed and their contents are at once disturbing and wholly engrossing. Viewers can also determine how they want to explore "Days of Rage" by choosing the "setup" option. This allows viewers to customize their interactive experience.

"Days of Rage" is at once impressive and disturbing. None of the photos show carnage or the physical violence that result from war, but their subtle messages are extremely powerful. One image stands out above the rest and haunts the viewer well after the CD has been put away. It is of a young Palestinian boy whose large eyes stare directly at the camera from under a helmet during Israel's shelling of West Beirut in 1982. The simultaneous innocence and horror captured in that one photograph represent in many ways Beirut from 1982 through 1985.

Technical Notes: "Days of Rage" is a dual format CD-ROM that functions on Macintosh and IBM-compatible computers. Minimum system requirements for a Macintosh are: At least a 68030 processor (68040 preferred), 640 x 480 pixel (256 colors) monitor, 4 megabytes free Ram memory (greater than 4 megabytes preferred), double speed CD-ROM drive, system 7.0.1 or later, QuickTime 2.0 (please use only this version of QuickTime which is provided on the CD-ROM and make sure any other versions are disabled or deleted), and Ram doubler, disk doubler, virtual memory and any network connection must be disabled. Minimum system requirements for IBM and compatibles: MPC2 compatible 486 IBM PC, 4 megabytes of free Ram memory minimum (greater than 4 megabytes preferred), double speed CD-ROM, sound card with loudspeakers or headphones, mouse and keyboard, SVGA color monitor capable of displaying 256 colors at 640 x 480 resolution, Windows 3.1, QuickTime for Windows 2.0 installed in your Windows system. (The necessary setup files are provided on the CD-ROM. Please use only this version of QuickTime. Make sure other versions are disabled or deleted.)

Reviewer's Note: "Days of Rage" was viewed on a 486 DX2/66 computer with 8 megabytes of RAM memory and a Windows 3.1 operating system. It also was viewed on a Pentium 100mhz computer with 16 megabytes of RAM and Windows 95 with no noticeable improvement or impairment in operating ability.