Image of Victory, About Israeli Perseverance in 1948, is Outstanding
By Aaron Gold
New Kind of Israeli War of Independence Movie. Image of Victory, the latest Avi Nesher movie, is an absolute triumph. Joy Reiger (Valley of Tears, Aba Mishtadel, True Hero) stars as Mira, a young pioneering Zionist who lives in Kibbutz Nitzanim near the Egyptian border before the Israeli War for Independence. Image of Victory is narrated by and centered on Hassanin, an enterprising Egyptian propagandist played by Amir Khoury.
Why you need to watch this film: to see Egypt’s overconfidence and Israel’s resilience. The Egyptian’s sole desire, from King Farouk to the skirmishers who routinely fire at Jews tilling the fields across the border, is the annihilation of the nascent Jewish state and its Jewish inhabitants. Furthermore, we see that the overconfident Egyptians don’t seem to care if their victory is achieved in reality on the battlefield or from a propaganda film.
Kibbutzniks band together. On the other side of the border, Image of Victory shows how the Israeli kibbutzniks have to work together against overwhelming odds. The kibbutz is diverse. There are Sephardic immigrants from Spain, Ashkenazi immigrants from Eastern Europe, and Holocaust survivors still coping with the horrors of WWII. In addition, before the war, there are serious debates about how to deal with the near-constant attacks coming from Egypt.
Why you should watch it. Moreover, if left alone, the Israelis are completely satisfied to live with their neighbors in peace. However, after Israel declared independence and the Egyptian army attacked the next day, the outnumbered Israelis have to band together. Image of Victory is a must-watch because it shows how both sides, ripe with their own internal divisions, political debates and misperceptions (or lack thereof) interpreted their role in the war.
The cast. The film also stars Meshi Kleinstein, Neta Roth, Eliana Tidhar, Tom Avni and Ala Dakka. The film is inspired by true events.
By Aaron Gold. Aaron Gold is a writer and the founder of The Hasmonean.
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