The 50 Years War - Israel & The Arabs
by Dai Richards, David Ash
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Will LymanDirector: Dai Richards, David Ash
Producer: Brian Lapping
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Unknown
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 300 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-11-21
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Pbs Home Video
Movie Reviews of The 50 Years War - Israel & The Arabs
Movie Review: 5 STARS without any hesitation!
Summary: 5 Stars
I want to start my review by disputing a claim I saw over and again in some of the other reviews. Some reviewers (like the one from Saint Louis) claim that this is a pro-Israeli documentary. I could not disagree more!
1) That above-mentioned reviewer, like many others, is questioning why the documentary does not cover the Israelis doing this and the Israelis doing that to the Arabs. By the same token, I could argue--and I'm an Arab, by the way--why the documentary does not have more coverage on the PLO doing this and the PLO doing that to the Jewish people. The answer to both arguments is obvious: this is a five-hour documentary covering a fifty-year war! You cannot include every detail. Whoever expects this documentary to be more comprehensive is either being unreasonable or lacking intelligence. [period]
2) This documentary explicitly--I repeat, "explicitly"--portrays the current Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, as a terrorist: it covers him carrying out his "blow up buildings and cause as many civilian casualties as possible" operation in Jordan, the congratulatory meeting he subsequently had with David Ben-Gurion, and more important, the speech that Ben-Gurion gave him, which in itself defines terrorism (you have to hear it for yourself).
(This is not to mention how the documentary covers [1] the Israeli massacre in Dier Yassin, [2] how they pretended not to have received the "stop the war" US warning to concur more kilometres into Syria [during the 1967 war], and [3] how Kissinger was stalling during the cease-fire talks so Israelis can march closer towards Cairo [during the 1973 war].)
If this sounds pro-Israeli to you, fine, don't buy it; otherwise, it's a must have.
Now that I got that out of the way, I want to praise this documentary on three grounds:
1) As can be concluded from my first point above, this DVD set is only an introduction package to the Arab-Israeli conflict--and a great one at it. No other documentary provides the "big picture" better.
2) You hear the accounts straight from the key players: most of it is in the form of interviews with prime ministers, presidents, etc. where they tell you what was going on and why.
3) It contains a huge amount of footage showing big historic moments such as Ben Gerion's the-birth-of-a-state speech, President Sadat's arrival in Israel, his assassination, etc.
5 STARS without any hesitation!
Summary of The 50 Years War - Israel & The Arabs
The conflict in the Middle East between Israel and its neighbors is given comprehensive treatment in this two-video set produced by PBS. Using archival footage and extensive interviews with participants, the production begins by explaining conditions in Palestine at the end of World War II and the crisis created by the exodus of European Jews who went to the Middle East after the Holocaust. The withdrawal of the British, who had controlled Palestine for decades, is detailed, as is the creation of the state of Israel. Much of the region's history is complex, with the local struggles being conducted at times as a part of the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union, but these videos do an admirable job of explaining the complexities of the situation. The segment on the Six Day War, for example, is masterful, with the scenes shifting from Israel to Egypt to Washington to Moscow, the story developing before the viewer's eyes. The 50 Years War is often a tale of mistrust and betrayal, but this production strives to present a balanced view of history, and is not only impressive for its command of the facts but for its skillful and often dramatic presentation of history. --Robert J. McNamaraSimilar DVD Movies
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