In Search of Peace Part One: 1948-1967

Boy, that Israel sure is a neat place, isn't it? And what a shame that it's surrounded by demented meanies who periodically make war on it for no reason whatsoever. Such is the essential synopsis of this filmic history lesson, most of which is war footage, narrated by Michael Douglas. As a strict primer on the beginnings and endings of the wars since Israel's inception, it isn't bad, but don't expect any serious discussion of the issues surrounding the wars, or the controversy generated by the creation of Israel in the first place; the film's title gives you an idea where it stands on that, and whether one agrees or not, an examination of both sides would be appropriate, especially with current tensions once more running high. Seemingly unable to procure archival audio sound bites, director Richard Trank has instead opted to get actors, including Richard Dreyfuss, Ed Asner and Michael York, to read quotations in character as Dwight Eisenhower, David Ben-Gurion and other pivotal historical figures, a device that doesn't work well. History buffs will find this film lacking, and it isn't really deep enough to educate the rest of us as thoroughly as it should.