Golda - Israels eiserne Lady

Too minimalistic, it lacked details about Golda's rich life. It left me with many questions and dissatisfaction. She deserves more than just showing her part in the war and the peace with Egypt.

Her legacy is nothing compared to who she was, to what she did, to how she even became the first female president ever. The struggles she went throughout her political career are not only the war. The movie should have been named 'Kipur War' and not 'Golda' since it didn't even SHOW Golda as a whole. Iv'e expected to know her more and have more personal outlook on her life. Either way- I appreciate Hellen and her marvelous acting skills.

Having experienced the Yom Kippur War living 10 minutes from Israel's border with both Syria and Jordan, I was very interested to see Golda. There is a lot in this film that captures aspects of Israeli mentality and culture, presented in such a subtle way that it is not until after viewing the film may become apparent to someone who reflects on what the film portrayed.

More than anything, however, Golda is about Golda. It might surprise some viewers to realize that much of her persona was shaped by having escaped the pogroms of what is now the Ukraine. She was only a child when her family came as immigrants to the US and the film shows a side of her haunted by what might have been had they not made it to a safer country.

Another interesting element of her story is illustrated by her exchanges with Henry Kissinger. To avoid a "spoiler" I will instead urge the viewer to pay close attention to the inter-actions between them, always behind closed doors.

Golda is a history lesson wrapped in a biography. It is solid film making with good writing, directing and an outstanding performance from Helen Mirren. It captures an amazing phenomenon: the experience of war time leadership born on the shoulders (and in the kitchen) of a woman who carried this burden with incredible courage, sensitivity, intelligence, and honesty.

I was around when all this took place, I was a young career man with wife and kids in 1973. I remember her well, from the news, but knew nothing of her.

This is not a bio-pic, it covers only a very focused part of her life, namely the 1973 Yom Kippur war. On October 6, 1973, an Arab coalition of Egyptian and Syrian forces launched a surprise attack on Israel on Yom Kippur-the Jewish holy day of atonement.

Helen Mirren in full prosthetic makeup is almost a dead ringer for Prime Minister Golda Meir. At one point she says she is a politician not a military leader, in her frustration at not getting her head wrapped around the conflict and what they should do. But as the days advance she makes a number of tough decisions after her military leaders present options.

All this was going on while she was battling cancer at the age of 75, and receiving radiation treatments. And the year after a truce was reached, having to answer to an inquiry about the actions she took. She died in 1978.

This is a well-made movie that tells an interesting and important story in the history of Israel. And especially now, in the fall of 2023, when Hamas recently attacked Israel and a full-fledged war is in progress as I write this. Why can't everyone get along?

My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library.

The dame Helen Mirren is simply a joy to watch in every role she takes on, unfortunately this film does very little outside of what she offers. All five stars out of ten are hers. I know it is a biopic and that the focus is supposed to be on Golda, but they don't do the time period justice whatsoever. They don't set the stage in any way and instead focus on all of these cinematic gimmicks that I assume they thought would get the film high praise. Even within the biopic part itself we don't really get to find out what makes her tick. We mostly just watch her smoking the entire time and every now and then making decisions. They could have given this conflict and Golda a much better deserving effort.

I saw it for Helen Mirren. And, indeed, she offers a splendid performance.

I liked , very much, this precise crafted docudrama , proposing a fair perspective about a politician in middle of a terrible war, fragil and the most powerful from members of her cabinet, impressed by sacrifices of Israeli soldiers and unpitifull in crucial moments, using, in wise manner, the relation with Henry Kissinger , admirable acted by Liev Schreiber.

A beautiful film for many profound special scenes, from the metamorphose of cigare smoke to the dialogue with Kissinger in kitchen and the birds on the hall of hospital.

Not exctly a biopic. But useful, for many reasons, anatomy of a moment defining the history of Israel not only as isolated event but as definition of its survive tools , people, reactions, power.