The Prime Ministers” – The Pioneers [MOVIE REVIEW]

Israel and its right to existence has always been a hot topic. A new documentary based on the memoirs of Yehuda Avner brings necessary clarity to the struggle that this state has faced throughout its existence.

Filmed much like an archival podcast, this is the personal journey of Avner, a true eyewitness to history. As a 17 year old from Manchester, England, Avner received a grant to go to Palestine in 1948 in what turned out to be the dawn of a new state. He returned to England for several years but came back to Israel with his wife and there raised his family. Avner eventually found his way to the halls of the Knesset as a speech writer and advisor.

“The Prime Ministers” gives the audience a very helpful capsule view of the struggles of the settlers both pre- and post-independence. Avner cogently relates the massive difficulties faced by the new state and the politicians dedicated to its survival. It is pure pleasure to listen to him recount stories of his days in the 1950s as he tried to make a living for his family when jobs were plentiful but paid virtually nothing. His diplomacy and excellent writing skills brought him to the attention of the power structure and he eventually found himself within various ministries writing proposals and speeches. His first visit to the United States was to present former President Harry Truman with a letter acknowledging his support and recognition for the State of Israel in 1948, an event that helped set in motion the withdrawal of Great Britain from what had previously been known as the Palestine territories. Truman had made this courageous decision against the advice and rather duplicitous actions of his own State Department, led by General George Marshall who thought recognition would destabilize the region.

“The Prime Ministers” spends the bulk of its time analyzing and dissecting the terms of two seminal leaders, both of whom had been pioneers in the founding of Israel – Levi Eshkol who served between 1963 and 1969 and Gold Meier who ran Israel between 1969 and 1973. Both Prime Ministers faced war and were instrumental in convincing their respective counterparts in America that rearming the Israeli military was an absolute necessity to world peace. Eshkol led his State to victory in the 6 Day war, forging a strong alliance with Lyndon Johnson. Meier was in a much more tenuous position when it came to defending her country in the Yom Kippur War, and her diplomacy in convincing Nixon to help Israel replenish its depleted resources was instrumental to its continued existence.

It is not just what is discovered about these two Prime Ministers and the problems they faced but it is the revelation of revisiting the influence and guidance of the three American presidents who have been instrumental in Israel’s ability to survive repeated attacks from its Arab neighbors.

If Richard Trank, the director and documentarian has overstated the subject matter, he can be forgiven because of the way he has structured his film with Yehuda Avner serving as the personal guide to history. This is not a film about 60 years of Israeli history; this is not a film about the many prime ministers since its founding. It is a very specific view of two prime ministers and the other political pioneers born of the struggle for statehood. Figuring prominently and working side-by-side through the struggle are Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin and Shimon Peres, all of whom would become the not-so-loyal opposition and would each serve multiple terms in the office of Prime Minister.

The actual speeches of the various pioneers are voiced by familiar actors with Michael Douglas as Yitzhak Rabin, Sandra Bullock as Golda Meier, Christoph Waltz as Begin and Leonard Nimoy a particularly effective Levi Eshkol. Bullock was, perhaps, a bit of a stretch as she stumbles over the Yiddish expressions but otherwise acquits herself well.

It is a pity that Trank was unable to cut 15 minutes from the film, as the end slows to a snail’s pace and the momentum and excitement generated throughout most of the documentary becomes a distant memory.

“The Prime Ministers” is, despite its minor flaws and advertised overstatement, is a must-see. It is fascinating to be reminded of the principles on which the country was founded and the David and Goliath battles it had to wage in order to survive.

Opened November 6 at the Laemmle Royal.