The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers | |
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![]() Film poster | |
Directed by | Richard Trank |
Screenplay by | Richard Trank |
Story by | Richard Trank Marvin Hier |
Based on | The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership by Yehuda Avner |
Produced by | Moriah Films |
Starring |
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Narrated by | Yehuda Avner |
Cinematography | Jeff Victor |
Edited by | Nimrod Erez Kristie Fleming |
Music by | Lee Holdridge |
Release date |
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Running time | 115 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers is a 2013 American documentary film about former Israeli prime ministers, directed by Richard Trank. It was based on the book The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership written by Yehuda Avner, [1] a former Israeli diplomat and speechwriter to Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin and Shimon Peres. [2] Moriah Films, a division of Simon Wiesenthal Center produced it. [3]
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes rated it 38% fresh based on 13 reviews, with an average score of 4.88/10. [4] Douglas was awarded the Genesis Prize in January 2015 for his involvement in Jewish cinema and his work for world peace. [5]
Yehuda Avner narrates the incidents in the documentary. The early years of Israel are shown in lesser detail. Avner visited Harry S. Truman at his home to thank him for his support to Israel. The 1967 Six-Day War is also presented. A scene shows Levi Eshkol and Lyndon B. Johnson at the latter's ranch in Texas in January 1968. They both tend to a sick newborn calf. Terrorist attacks on Israel during Golda Meir's term as the prime minister and the 1973 Yom Kippur War were also depicted. [6]
Simon Wiesenthal Center's founder and dean Rabbi Marvin Hier read the book and also advised Trank to do so. Impressed by Avner's work, Trank decided to make a film based on it and cast Avner as the narrator. For the historical footage the production team collaborated with some European and Israeli archives. A footage showing Golda Meir crying after she was chosen as the Prime Minister following Eshkol's death, was obtained from the Israel Broadcasting Authority. [7] A few images of her with Israeli soldiers at the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War were also included. Trank intended to "highlight Eshkol’s role in changing the strategic relationship between Israel and the US." and present Golda Meir as "the woman and what she was up against — especially with the Yom Kippur War". [7] Conversation between Richard Nixon and United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger regarding Israel was also shown through the visuals of transcripts obtained from the Nixon Library. [7]
It premiered in New York on 18 October 2013 and in Los Angeles on 6 November. [7] A screening was conducted at Palm Beach Synagogue in November 2013 during the first South Florida Summit for Israel. [8] Another screening was conducted at the Cleveland Museum of Art in January 2014. [1] It was also screened at Westchester Jewish Film Festival in March 2014. [9] The Jewish Federation of Las Vegas and the Simon Wiesenthal Center conducted a free screening of the documentary. [10] The documentary was also screened at Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. [2]
Joe Leydon wrote in Variety that the film was best suited for home-screen viewers. He criticized Trank and said that "[his] efforts to embellish Avner’s narrative" were "overbearing and distracting". Leydon called the voice-overs a mixed blessing and was critical of Bullock providing voice to Meir's clips. He cited the difference between their voices. He opined that the calf scene at Lyndon B. Johnson's ranch was like a "stranger-than-fiction episode". [11] Steve Pond of TheWrap included the film in his 151 Oscar-qualifying documentaries list. [12] Michael O'Sullivan wrote in his review published in The Washington Post , that a good book doesn't necessarily make a good movie. He criticized the static nature of the documentary and called the characterization a "doubly-edged sword". [13] Gary Goldstein of Los Angeles Times called it a "smart and dignified presentation" but criticized the use of voice-overs and called them "unconvincing". [14] The Arizona Republic 's Kerry Lengel called the voice-overs undramatic, criticized the film for lack of proper research work and wrote that it came off as an "under-researched history gaping with holes". She opined that the documentary took on its subject "from a disappointingly narrow perspective". [15]
The Seattle Times 's John Hartl called the archive footage "fuzzy, scratchy and poorly chosen". He praised Waltz's voice-over but criticized the remaining voice actors. Hartl advised the viewers to see the 1960 film Exodus first. [16] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the voice-overs from well known Hollywood actors was "unnecessarily distracting" but opined that history buffs would find it fascinating. [6] Nicole Herrington wrote for The New York Times that the voice acting was jarring when archival clips of the prime ministers in their own voices were included. Herrington criticized the film for not providing a balanced political view and said "[I]t’s an omission that feels like a missed opportunity." [17] In his review published in the Slant Magazine , Wes Greene criticized the film for being overly patriotic and its loud "emotion-cuing" music. He added that if the "distracting slew" of voice-overs from well known actors had not been included, the documentary would have looked like a History Channel special. [18] Now called it an "unabashedly pro-Zionist [documentary]" and said that it was "strictly for hardcore Zionists who haven't noticed that the Middle East is deeply contested terrain." [19] National Post 's David Berry wrote that it was "both tone-deaf and inert" and called the voice acting a "serious misstep". He concluded his review by writing that it "[felt] like your great uncle trying to remember the time he went to Disneyland’s Hall of Presidents." [20]
The prime minister of Israel is the head of government and chief executive of the State of Israel.
Golda Meir was an Israeli politician who served as the fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974. She was Israel's first and only female head of government and the first in the Middle East.
Levi Eshkol, born Levi Yitzhak Shkolnik, was an Israeli statesman who served as the third Prime Minister of Israel from 1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1969. A founder of the Israeli Labor Party, he served in numerous senior roles, including Minister of Defense (1963–1967) and Minister of Finance (1952–1963).
Munich is a 2005 epic historical drama film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, co-written by Tony Kushner and Eric Roth. It is based on the 1984 book Vengeance by George Jonas, an account of Mossad assassinations following the Munich massacre.
Sword of Gideon is a 1986 Canadian television film about Mossad agents hunting down terrorists associated with the 1972 Munich massacre. It was first shown on the CTV Television Network in Canada as a four-hour miniseries and later on HBO in the United States. Directed by Michael Anderson and written by Chris Bryant, the film stars Steven Bauer and Michael York. The film is based on the book Vengeance by George Jonas, an account of the incident which has been criticized by some intelligence personnel as fictional, though because of its covert nature is difficult to prove or disprove. In some countries the book was titled Vengeance: Sword of Gideon, from which the movie title is drawn. The story was retold in the 2005 film Munich by Steven Spielberg.
Motti Ashkenazi was a reserve captain in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), who spearheaded a protest after the Yom Kippur War that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Golda Meir's government.
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My Life is the autobiography of the first female Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir. The book was first published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson with the title A Land of our own and later by G. P. Putnam's Sons in 1975. The first German translation was published 1973 by the Scherz Verlag in Bern.
Yehuda Avner was an Israeli prime ministerial advisor, diplomat, and author. He served as Speechwriter and Secretary to Israeli Prime Ministers Golda Meir and Levi Eshkol, and as Advisor to Israeli Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, and Shimon Peres. Avner served in diplomatic positions at the Israeli Consulate in New York, and the Israeli Embassy to the US in Washington, D.C., and as Israel's Ambassador to Britain, Ireland and Australia. In 2010, he turned his insider stories about Israeli politics and diplomacy into a bestselling book, The Prime Ministers, which subsequently became the basis for a two-part documentary movie. In 2015, his novel, The Ambassador, which Avner co-authored with thriller writer Matt Rees, was posthumously published.
Events in the year 1974 in Israel.
Events in the year 1969 in Israel.
The Schoenau ultimatum was a hostage-taking incident in Marchegg, Austria by the Palestinian militant group As-Sa'iqa in 1973. At the time Vienna was a transit point for Russian Jews, the largest population of Jews remaining in Europe. The Schoenau ultimatum focused attention away from Egyptian and Syrian military build-up and their planned attack that would come to be known as the Yom Kippur War.
The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership is a 2010 book written by Yehuda Avner and published by Toby Press. It documented events related to 4 Israeli prime ministers—Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin and Menachem Begin. It was first published in Israel on 15 March 2010 and a wider publication was done on 1 September 2010. The book was well received by critics and was one of the finalists for the 2010 National Jewish Book Awards. In 2013, Moriah Films, the film division of the Simon Wiesenthal Center produced a two-part documentary based on the book that features Avner as the narrator, and Hollywood actors as the voices of Israel's prime ministers.
The spouse of the prime minister of Israel refers to the wife or husband of the head of government of Israel. It is not an official position or title.
Moriah Films is the Jack and Pearl Resnick Film Division of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
Golda is a 2023 biographical drama film directed by Guy Nattiv and written by Nicholas Martin. The film depicts actions of Golda Meir, the 4th Prime Minister of Israel, during the Yom Kippur War. It stars Helen Mirren, Camille Cottin and Liev Schreiber.
The 1969 Israeli Labor Party leadership election was held on 7 March 1969. Held in the aftermath of the death in office of party leader and prime minister Levi Eshkol, it saw the party's Central Committee elect Golda Meir as the party's new leader.
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