A History of Israeli Cinema

Raphael Nadjari's 3-hour documentary was a big surprise to me. It revealed a hidden part of Israeli cinema, with a lot of 'moving' images predating the creation of the country in 1948, and many movies having nothing to do with the country's wars and conflicts. I came out of it with a craving for more, David Perlov's Diary for instance. Nadjari artfully managed to negotiate its way between common obstacles when it comes to Israel, I mean the self-flagellation or soothing discourses. Also I very much appreciated the comments on movie excerpts made by experienced Israeli academics: Israeli cinema has a prehistory and a history in its own right.

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...