Rating of
3/4
Ambitious epic with a Mislabeled Agenda
Indyfreak - wrote on 12/30/14
Otto Preminger's mammoth adaptation of Leon Uris' novel is an admittedly lumbering but lavishly produced epic that recalls the founding of Israel from the perspective of various characters, Jewish or not. There's the solider (Newman), the politician (Cobb), the revolutionary (Mineo), and the pretty outsider (Saint). I've heard many things about its political content and historical accuracy. While it plainly supports the Zionist point-of-view (which one would think is OK to support), it is surprisingly even-handed of its portrayal of the political turmoil in the story. There's as much friction and fighting among the Jews as they do against British bureaucracy and Arab armies which is a useful way to present the various sides of the conflict back in 1960 and now even if its dated. The cast remains strong and the scale of the plot and action is sometimes impressive.
