Post by Rob W. Case on Sept 25, 2023 19:39:39 GMT -6
The Historical Backdrop as a Prelude to this movie:
Since the re-establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948, just three short years after the Holocaust, and the recapturing of Jerusalem by the Jews in the Six Day Arab-Israeli War of 1967, the nation of Israel worked hard to reclaim land that was lost to them since ancient (biblical) times. In that time, Egypt took over the Gaza strip, and Syria took over the Golan Heights region. After the 1967 War, the United States tried to spearhead a U.N. Resolution (242) which was designed to broker a peace treaty between the surrounding Arab nations with the condition that Israel respect the pre-1967 borders, and the Arabs formally recognize Israel as a sovereign nation, not “the Zionist entity” or simply “the Levant”. This re-establishment effort has created many geo-political dangers to Israel from neighboring Arab nations, as well as heightened dangers inflicted on the Western World (i.e. Israel’s allies) by the Cold War (particularly since Syria and Egypt are allies to Russia), making tensions in Middle East affairs very difficult and politically “sticky”, with the potential of initiating a political firestorm and possibly a third world war all together, not omiting the option of utilizing the atomic bomb if things aren’t handled very carefully. The film zeroes in on the politics, the war room scenarios, the strategy aspect, and an abundance of other things surrounding this period in time with a magnifying glass.
The Story:
The film begins in 1974, where Israel’s Prime Minister Golda Meir (Helen Mirren), is summoned to meet the Agranat National Commission of Inquiry, which was set up by the Israeli government to investigate failings in the country’s defense forces leading up to the Yom Kippur War, which broke out the previous year, and resulted in the loss of 2,688 soldiers.
And so, we are taken back to 1973, where Egypt and Syria both initiate a surprise attack on Israel to reclaim territory that they had lost in 1967. This scene depicts the war room scenario foreseeing a surprise attack.
This attack takes Israel by surprise as her enemies decide to attack the Jewish state on the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27-28).
Israeli forces find that they are ruinously unprepared to meet with the Egyptian and Syrian threat, and when they go to defend their borders, they find that they are overwhelmed with bombs, machine gun fire, significant casualties, and loss of life. Golda then calls U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber) to put diplomatic pressure on Egypt and Syria (who are armed with Soviet weapons) while he tries to keep the Soviets “contained”. The aftermath of the fallout from this, places this middle east conflict into chaos, turmoil, and the very real threat into throwing the United States into a direct conflict with the USSR not seen since 1962. So as Golda Meir tries to mend and defend her nation, she is also trying to deal with her own frailties, poor health (fighting lymphoma and chain smoking at the same time), and the military loss of life which haunts her each and every day. Eventually, as she tries to take on the high stakes decision-making, the heavy weight of responsibility on her shoulders, the conflicts within her own cabinet, and the possibility of starting World War III if things fail dramatically, she gets fed up, and as a carrier of the atomic bomb, decides to settle it once and for all, reminding Henry Kissinger of the scenario he could be facing if things are not settled and settled fast, as depicted in this scene.
My Take:
This movie about Golda Meir and the Yom Kippur War is not only phenomenal, it is revolutionary. The film is directed by Israeli filmmaker Guy Nattiv, and he incorporates real audio from the battlefield, where soldiers counter attacking the Egyptians and Syrians, experience the overwhelming blitz of bombs, machine gun fire, and death. So, when tanks are being blown up, and machine gun fire is raining like fire from the sky, you are actually hearing the actual audio of soldiers losing their lives in that war, during that moment. Another thing that I was really impressed by was Helen Mirren’s portrayal of Golda Meir in this film. Gold Meir was known as “Iron Lady of Israel” and as such, the essence of such a person dealing with so many complexities requires a strong actress. Helen Mirren’s performance of playing Golda feels so real, that I believe it’s right up there with Meryl Streep who played the “Iron Lady” of Great Britain, Margaret Thatcher, and Gary Oldman playing “The Last Lion” of Britain, Winston Churchill, in the film "The Darkest Hour". In other words, her portrayal is so realistic, and the believability factor is so strong, that actor fades into the person that they are playing. It is a feat that is very difficult to do, and takes extraordinary talent to accomplish. Another dimension that I found impressive was that the film does a remarkable job making you feel like you are in the war room, experiencing the gravity of the events at hand, and making you feel the tensions associated with them, as well as the weight of the decisions placed on their shoulders. Guy Nattiv uses military documents that were declassified in 2008, 2013, and 2020, which add depth and dimension to a controversial war headed by a controversial Prime Minister right in the center of the geo-political tensions emitting from the Cold War.
My "Accidental" Discovery of the film:
I think this is worth noting, because I think the producers could have done a better job promoting this film. In looking up showtimes for Oppenheimer, I stumbled across this movie in the listings by accident. I saw no trailers, saw no TV spots, and never heard anything about it. When I saw the listing, I asked my parents (who remembered Golda Meir) if they had heard of this movie, and they didn’t either. So, I asked them if they would like to see it, and they were interested. So, we saw it together. Needless to say, I was the youngest guy in the theater, but I am interested in things like this, so I was so glad things worked out the way they did.
On that note, out of 4 stars, I enthusiastically give Golda 4 stars.
The film is rated PG-13 and runs 1 hour and 40 minutes.
To view a trailer for the film, please click on the “Play” button below.
"Golda" is currently playing in select theaters. Check your local listings for showtimes. Golda is due out on home video October 17th.
Since the re-establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948, just three short years after the Holocaust, and the recapturing of Jerusalem by the Jews in the Six Day Arab-Israeli War of 1967, the nation of Israel worked hard to reclaim land that was lost to them since ancient (biblical) times. In that time, Egypt took over the Gaza strip, and Syria took over the Golan Heights region. After the 1967 War, the United States tried to spearhead a U.N. Resolution (242) which was designed to broker a peace treaty between the surrounding Arab nations with the condition that Israel respect the pre-1967 borders, and the Arabs formally recognize Israel as a sovereign nation, not “the Zionist entity” or simply “the Levant”. This re-establishment effort has created many geo-political dangers to Israel from neighboring Arab nations, as well as heightened dangers inflicted on the Western World (i.e. Israel’s allies) by the Cold War (particularly since Syria and Egypt are allies to Russia), making tensions in Middle East affairs very difficult and politically “sticky”, with the potential of initiating a political firestorm and possibly a third world war all together, not omiting the option of utilizing the atomic bomb if things aren’t handled very carefully. The film zeroes in on the politics, the war room scenarios, the strategy aspect, and an abundance of other things surrounding this period in time with a magnifying glass.
The Story:
The film begins in 1974, where Israel’s Prime Minister Golda Meir (Helen Mirren), is summoned to meet the Agranat National Commission of Inquiry, which was set up by the Israeli government to investigate failings in the country’s defense forces leading up to the Yom Kippur War, which broke out the previous year, and resulted in the loss of 2,688 soldiers.
And so, we are taken back to 1973, where Egypt and Syria both initiate a surprise attack on Israel to reclaim territory that they had lost in 1967. This scene depicts the war room scenario foreseeing a surprise attack.
This attack takes Israel by surprise as her enemies decide to attack the Jewish state on the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27-28).
Israeli forces find that they are ruinously unprepared to meet with the Egyptian and Syrian threat, and when they go to defend their borders, they find that they are overwhelmed with bombs, machine gun fire, significant casualties, and loss of life. Golda then calls U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber) to put diplomatic pressure on Egypt and Syria (who are armed with Soviet weapons) while he tries to keep the Soviets “contained”. The aftermath of the fallout from this, places this middle east conflict into chaos, turmoil, and the very real threat into throwing the United States into a direct conflict with the USSR not seen since 1962. So as Golda Meir tries to mend and defend her nation, she is also trying to deal with her own frailties, poor health (fighting lymphoma and chain smoking at the same time), and the military loss of life which haunts her each and every day. Eventually, as she tries to take on the high stakes decision-making, the heavy weight of responsibility on her shoulders, the conflicts within her own cabinet, and the possibility of starting World War III if things fail dramatically, she gets fed up, and as a carrier of the atomic bomb, decides to settle it once and for all, reminding Henry Kissinger of the scenario he could be facing if things are not settled and settled fast, as depicted in this scene.
My Take:
This movie about Golda Meir and the Yom Kippur War is not only phenomenal, it is revolutionary. The film is directed by Israeli filmmaker Guy Nattiv, and he incorporates real audio from the battlefield, where soldiers counter attacking the Egyptians and Syrians, experience the overwhelming blitz of bombs, machine gun fire, and death. So, when tanks are being blown up, and machine gun fire is raining like fire from the sky, you are actually hearing the actual audio of soldiers losing their lives in that war, during that moment. Another thing that I was really impressed by was Helen Mirren’s portrayal of Golda Meir in this film. Gold Meir was known as “Iron Lady of Israel” and as such, the essence of such a person dealing with so many complexities requires a strong actress. Helen Mirren’s performance of playing Golda feels so real, that I believe it’s right up there with Meryl Streep who played the “Iron Lady” of Great Britain, Margaret Thatcher, and Gary Oldman playing “The Last Lion” of Britain, Winston Churchill, in the film "The Darkest Hour". In other words, her portrayal is so realistic, and the believability factor is so strong, that actor fades into the person that they are playing. It is a feat that is very difficult to do, and takes extraordinary talent to accomplish. Another dimension that I found impressive was that the film does a remarkable job making you feel like you are in the war room, experiencing the gravity of the events at hand, and making you feel the tensions associated with them, as well as the weight of the decisions placed on their shoulders. Guy Nattiv uses military documents that were declassified in 2008, 2013, and 2020, which add depth and dimension to a controversial war headed by a controversial Prime Minister right in the center of the geo-political tensions emitting from the Cold War.
My "Accidental" Discovery of the film:
I think this is worth noting, because I think the producers could have done a better job promoting this film. In looking up showtimes for Oppenheimer, I stumbled across this movie in the listings by accident. I saw no trailers, saw no TV spots, and never heard anything about it. When I saw the listing, I asked my parents (who remembered Golda Meir) if they had heard of this movie, and they didn’t either. So, I asked them if they would like to see it, and they were interested. So, we saw it together. Needless to say, I was the youngest guy in the theater, but I am interested in things like this, so I was so glad things worked out the way they did.
On that note, out of 4 stars, I enthusiastically give Golda 4 stars.
The film is rated PG-13 and runs 1 hour and 40 minutes.
To view a trailer for the film, please click on the “Play” button below.
"Golda" is currently playing in select theaters. Check your local listings for showtimes. Golda is due out on home video October 17th.