This documentary (the English translation of the title really puzzles me) deals with the way one of the dramatic moments of the first war between Israel and its neighbors, war that started immediately after Israel declared its independence in May 1948. While the young Jewish state succeeded to defeat the armies of six Arab states in most of the places, the old city of Jerusalem saw after a fierce battle one of the few defeats of the Jewish forces leading to the occupation of the Old City of Jerusalem including its Jewish Quarter by Jordan until the Six Days War in 1967.
Liran Atzmor deals with the way the events of 1948 were reflected in still photographs and movie films on the different sides of the conflict. The most well known story is of the British photographer John Philips, one of the first war scenes photo-reporters who used his connections and familiarity with the Arab side to take photos of the fights, surrender, plight of the Jewish refugees, of the plundering and destruction of the Jewish Quarter. The second angle is represented by the Hollywood-style fiction movie made a few years after the war by the Israelis, rendering in a romanticized and emotional manner the story of the war. The film fell into oblivion, as after 1967 new heroic sagas and images replaced the story and iconography of the defeat of 1948.
The real and most interesting point of view is however the third. Palestinian photographer Ali Zaarour took his own photos during the war in the same places and circumstances as Philips. The director doscovered the son of Ali and filmed him as he is searching for the photo albums that disappeared from his East Jerusalem home during the 1967 war, to find them in the archives of the Israeli Army. The search for these photos, the matching of the images with the ones caught by Philips and with his own memories, all filmed in the context of the difficult life of Zarour's son in today's complex situation between Israelis and Palestinians - all these have an air of authenticity and are the best part of this documentary.
In such a complex situation as the one in today's Middle East there is no simple truth - not even or especially when it comes to history. Cross checking the versions and views of all sides becomes important, and when they do match there is a better chance to get understanding between the parts just by a small bit closer. Atzmor's film may have the merit to have achieved this.
Liran Atzmor deals with the way the events of 1948 were reflected in still photographs and movie films on the different sides of the conflict. The most well known story is of the British photographer John Philips, one of the first war scenes photo-reporters who used his connections and familiarity with the Arab side to take photos of the fights, surrender, plight of the Jewish refugees, of the plundering and destruction of the Jewish Quarter. The second angle is represented by the Hollywood-style fiction movie made a few years after the war by the Israelis, rendering in a romanticized and emotional manner the story of the war. The film fell into oblivion, as after 1967 new heroic sagas and images replaced the story and iconography of the defeat of 1948.
The real and most interesting point of view is however the third. Palestinian photographer Ali Zaarour took his own photos during the war in the same places and circumstances as Philips. The director doscovered the son of Ali and filmed him as he is searching for the photo albums that disappeared from his East Jerusalem home during the 1967 war, to find them in the archives of the Israeli Army. The search for these photos, the matching of the images with the ones caught by Philips and with his own memories, all filmed in the context of the difficult life of Zarour's son in today's complex situation between Israelis and Palestinians - all these have an air of authenticity and are the best part of this documentary.
In such a complex situation as the one in today's Middle East there is no simple truth - not even or especially when it comes to history. Cross checking the versions and views of all sides becomes important, and when they do match there is a better chance to get understanding between the parts just by a small bit closer. Atzmor's film may have the merit to have achieved this.
