History lessons

The first film this morning was the first part of "The History of Israeli Cinema", a documentary covering the years from 1932 to 1978 (pt 2 covers the time to the present day and is also being screened this week).

It was a fascinating documentary, though more as a result of how political, theological and social movements were reflected through film, than in the clips from the actual films themselves.

Initial conflicts between Judaism and Zionism as frameworks for the stories gave way in the 60's to the rise of the individual (mirroring the rise of the counterculture in the West).

There was a discussion about how the mosaic of contemporary Israeli culture seemed to defy the creation of a true mass market indigenous film culture. A possible reaction to this would seem to have been the creation of a genre known as "Bourekas" films, which achieved success by pandering to the lowest common denominator.

I left Pt 2 off my initial list, until I had a chance to see Pt 1. At this point, this will likely remain as a future rental, if the opportunity arises.