Whether intended or not film has a unique quality to capture a snapshot of history. Part of this snapshot is capturing the philosophical/ ideological zeitgeist. Therefore periodic revisiting films especially those dealing with historical events is a significant whether tinseltown’s insights are enduring or part of the passing fancy that is pop culture. The semi-official Hollywood treatment of the Zionist struggle and birth of the modern State of Israel would be the 1960 movie EXODUS.
First the tension between Haganah, the military arm of the Jewish Agency/Zionist Committee, forerunners of Israeli governments until Menchem Begin A’H AND Likud were elected in 1977 and Irgun forerunner of Likud was quite real and persisted till the balance of political power shifted in 1977. Haganah was portrayed as responsible, progressive freedom fighters seeking to forge a new Jewish identity. Irgun were portrayed as part of the Old World steeped in ritual and ideology as well as an unwillingness to play by the nations’ rules.
Next throughout the film the only kipa wearer is a Rabbi supervising the Kitchen in Acre Prison, a far cry from today’s demographics.
The diffrence in attitudes between Pual Newman’s character Ari Ben Canan and John Derek’s Taha is telling. Newman the prototypical sabra straddles the paradox between the beliefs in Eretz Yisrael being Jewry’s ancestral home and post holocaust destiny, which can simultaneously be a democratic state offering equality to both Jews and Arabs. The Israeli it would seem would be willing to hollow the meaning of what exactly would be Jewish in a Jewish state in order to facilitate co0existence.
In fairness it should be noted that the originally proposed borders of Israel before Statehood was viewed by Ben-Gurion et. al. as only a half a loaf but by no means what was preferred or aspired to.
In contrast John Derek’s character Tha the Muktar of the nearby Arab village despite being raised along with Ari Ben Canan cannot align himself with the Jews fully even though he knows the forces opposing new born State of Israel embody evil. Even though he is killed for defying the Mufti’s Ex-Nazi trained thugs he still could not and would not fully sell out or betray his faith or heritage.
Though it is only Hollywood, the fact the two cultures secular and religious speak past each other without communicating without understanding each other remains to this day.
Maybe that is the key to cross cultural dialogue and understanding begins with Jews and Arabs side to believe in and be loyal to one’s own faith and heritage. The common language of faith may not solve the problems but offers a common language that acknowledges a higher authority all are answerable to.
