But with one exception, no film is available to portray this enforced exodus.
It is left to ex-British Army officers to relate how Arabs Jaffa and Haifa "It was a Israel established, many of these Arabs would never be allowed home; those that did would not even be able to till the land they once owned.
SURFEIT There is a fresh-faced Zionist idealists setting out to reclaim' the land; there are no films of the Palestinian farmers who had tilled the soil for centuries. many important facts Palestinian case do cinerge in the commentary.
The main failings of the documentary lie elsewhere. The programme consists of ments of the views of various protagonists; It 15 NOt, as Thames TV claims, a debate on the Palestiman question.
For the Arabs, thir appears as a simple one. They have owned and worked a land for centuries - HOW TREY not conquered but expelled from their homes and land. To justify their practice, Zionists are forced to use i different kind of argument.
They claim Palestine for the Jews today by virtue of the history of their hiblical co-religionists. Starting this time, the Zioniss claim the were forced Palestine by the Romans, longed everalter lo return and have been al the mercy of anti-semitism ever since.
The claims of the Jews and Arabs proceed it two different levels, so this revision of Jewish history and accommodation to anti semitism go unchallenged, In adition, much use is made 1 Uganda.
HOMELESS But the holocaust did have a profound effect psychology on Western opinion.
CALCERE who advocate Palestinian case should attempt to understand wus prenome non rather than convenienuy dismiss N, as Me are enco to do in the past.
By refusing a confrontation of Arab and Zionist cases and WISTE historical period, the effect of the 'holocaust" film is simply to induce pity. The vieweris left to pity the unfortunate Jew and the homeless Arab.
Or, as the British politician Lord Peci reporis: " fundamentally a conflict right with right, Promoling the such a view allows the Zionists to escape the burden of their the case ILTL front PALESTINIANS forced to flee in 1948. of poor old Tommy.
There are other in Palestine. Leadine Palestin on Jewish Hostie, who were Involve in deals with the Zionists and other with birdle criticism of their complicity and ineptoess.
While these programmes are a scrious attempt to deal with subject. limited prior analysis of their adversary if they are to use the faces and arguments that are preseated.
The first part of Palestin was shown on Tuesday. second part is mext Tuesday, 4 July, And the third part at the same time on 11 July there variations In with SAC alterwards.
anti-Zionist certain happening in French inspired by the 10.30pm to midnight.
thai. but check to regional transmission which it i applied.
and underworld SAC this amused me) cops. Tell me about why you made Le sher and me me I made Le Sherif to examine things which. society. happened in ONENTONER murder of District Amorney Renauu m Lyon, but I didn't want to make a film specifically about There are, anyway, a lot of differences between the film and that case, the most miner of which is that Renaud was in his 50s and Patrick Dewacre, who plays Fayard, is not yet 30 What 1 had in mind was petting into question certain ideas about justioe, just as the young district attorneys are now doing drougbout France.
questioning justice itself, exactly, but the ways in the process of putting the film cogether, I learned a good deal about the connections between worlds which are supposed In , be separate in our society: the business world, the political the criminal I learned a lot about the connections of all of that with certain conservative elements in - a riefit-wine. parawhich was supposed to be defunct, When the film was finished. we were taken to court by SAC obviously not defunct who claimed we had defamed them; that we had suggested shooting. they were all either not-too flat on bright criminal types or (and The court decided that we had to take out all references to SAC in the film. Instead of reshooting or redubbing. WC just bleeped out each mention of SAC with a sound.
The film is based on a case that yet you There were more problems involved than advantages. Let us just say that certain political elements, as well as the criminal made clear their dispicasure over the subject of the film, and it looked as if we might have problems.
They threatened you?
Well, there were warnings We shot the film in Saint-Etienne. where there is a young and dynamic local government that helped us a good deal. Anyway. what happened in Lyon is truc everywhere in France, shooting the film in another town without nanting it makes You know, when we shot the sequence in which Fayard is killed, we shot it at night. We were making noise, of course, in a residential neighhourhood.
Maybe it wasn't anything to do with the subject of the tum or with SAC or anytlog else Maybe people were just sick of us and wanted to sleep.
Nevertheless, bullets flew almost like in the scene we were We threw ourselves the ground, bullets being bullets, no matter why someone was shooting. That form also presents an of the links between Gaullist politics and business himser a critical dies allis But Boisset does hero and the judicial system.
high-minded magistrate crumbles under pressure to use the violent methods of a Dirty Harry.
It's a neat reversal of the stereotype of the independent who normally represents the defence of capitalist justice against its erosion by "biberal" values. This isn't the greates political film ever made, butit's worth a visit.
Le Sherif is showing at the Gala Royal, Marble Arch, NFT '68 FROM 2 lo 12 July, the National Film Theatre in London is screening a season of French films on May-Jan '6R. A leaflet with details of the programme Is available trom the box office: 01-928 3232/3.
27 Alie St. London EJ, Tel: 01-480 6465.
12 Shifts of Gear.
by Juan Vera.
A sensitive and human play about changes in a peasant village in Chile during the Allende Until 22 July, at 8pm.
SOCIALIST CHALLENGE 29 Juno 1978 page 15
Socialist Challenge his action is
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