A History of Israeli Cinema (2009)

The first 1933 - 1978 starts with the Zionist movement and ends with the first re-visitation of that history. The second 1978 - 2005 starts at the beginning of the political wave until the ... See full summary »

Director:

Raphaël Nadjari

Stars:

Naftali Alter, Mohammad Bakri, Haim Bouzaglo

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Naftali Alter
Mohammad Bakri	...	(as Mohammed Bakri)
Haim Bouzaglo
Joseph Cedar
Salim Dau
Nissim Dayan
Shmulik Duvdevani
Ronit Elkabetz
Nurit Gertz
Amos Gitai
Menahem Golan
Eitan Green
Amir Harel
Avraham Heffner
Nachman Ingber	...	Himself

Storyline

The first 1933 - 1978 starts with the Zionist movement and ends with the first re-visitation of that history. The second 1978 - 2005 starts at the beginning of the political wave until the more recent personal cinema. However chronological, both episodes cover most of the genres, themes and periods of Israeli cinema - from the beginning of the Zionist Mouvement to the most personal stories - from commercial to politically engaged directors, from the local to the universal. A HISTORY OF ISRAELI CINEMA tells the story of the building of a gaze on a society torn by ethnics, religious, and political conflicts. It attempts to understand, to denounce or to explore this complex subjects, always searching for the right ethic, the right form: to explore or transform its own definition and its place in the world.

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Plot Keywords:

cinema | israeli cinema | israeli filmmaking | cinema history | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Israel France

Language:

Hebrew

Release Date:

2009 (Israel)

Also Known As:

A History of Israeli Cinema

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zadig Productions, Arte France, Feingold Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

208 min (2 parts)

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Ha-Lahaka (1978)

User Reviews

A beautiful subtle balance

A stunning first scene reminds the viewer, if need be, that Israel wasn't born from nothing and for nothing. Nadjari's decision to include the films made before the creation of the State reflects a reality frequently hidden or denied. Then a few pioneer fictions unravel, quickly followed by a need to attain normalcy: daring erotic scenes from the 60's, personal stories, displayed with great respect and rhythm, discussed by fine intellectuals, directors and producers. We discover the whole range of Israeli cinema: war dramas of course, but also loads of popular cheap movies, musicals and, in the second part, protest films, intimate stories - the surge of historic and existential questioning from the 80's on. Raphaël Nadjari doesn't tack his own commentary on movie excerpts, on the contrary he lends his camera and microphone to film makers or cinema scholars and skilfully weaves their account. Masterfully, if not intentionally, this documentary presents a history of the real Israel through its cinema. I loved the wonderful subtle balance between empathy for a country in the making and harsh social and political analysis. And I will run to the Tel Aviv cinema archive to see the whole films...