Historical biopics can be tricky to pull off, as filmmakers have to make them accurate enough to be believable but entertaining enough for moviegoers to sit through what is essentially a history lesson. And when telling a story about relatively niche person or time, the assignment can that much more difficult.
That’s the issue facing Golda, which chronicles a month in the life of former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (Helen Mirren) as she did her best to handle the fallout of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. The war, started by a coalition of Arab States led by Egypt and Syria, came 25 years after the creation of Israel, and – as continues in many respects to this day – was about land that Israel had claimed as its own.
The film is firmly on the side of Israel, as it only tells the story from the perspective of Meir and other Israeli government and military officials. Meir deals with a lot during that period, including a lack of respect from the mostly-male government (she’s referred to as a “caretaker prime minister”), mounting casualties from the war, and her own ill health, exacerbated by her heavy smoking.
Directed by Guy Nattiv and written by Nicholas Martin, the film starts with flashes of news about Israel’s creation and its various wars in the mid-20th century, setting the scene for non-history buffs. The film – and Meir’s assistant, Lou Kaddar (Camille Cottin) – rarely leave her side, following her through her official duties, inside a hospital for cancer treatments, and even into her bedroom as she agonizes over the war and the losses Israel is sustaining.
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The filmmakers do their best to impart the historical significance of the war itself and how it affected the higher-ups who oversaw it, but there’s something missing from the drama. Perhaps it’s because the war is only “seen” through distraught radio calls from the front lines and grainy video footage, but seeing Meir and others react to the seemingly non-stop barrage of bad news isn’t as compelling as the filmmakers seem to think it is.
There is also the relevant impact of the people playing real figures. Mirren wears heavy makeup to look like Meir, including a bigger nose, jowls, and wrinkles, but the fact that she herself is not Jewish has become a point of contention. Liev Schreiber, who plays U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, is Jewish, but, at 6’ 3”, he towers over the relatively small Kissinger. The film mixes in real footage of Meir and Kissinger, so it’s all too easy to compare and contrast how well each actor favors their real counterpart.
Mirren is, of course, a phenomenal Oscar-winning actor, so her performance is the most interesting part of the film. Though the scenes she’s called upon to play sometimes turn maudlin, she tends to rise above that, still making an emotional impact. Schreiber only has a few scenes, but his presence is welcome. Cottin, whose profile has been growing in recent years, puts in another nice role.
You probably have to have more than a passing interest in Israeli history to fully understand everything going on in Golda. Meir was – and remains – Israel’s only female prime minister, and even though the film is intensely focused on her, she is still a bit of an enigma by the time it’s finished.
DALLAS (AP) — Dallas star guard Luka Doncic returned to the lineup on Tuesday night in an NBA Cup game against the New Orleans Pelicans after missing the Mavericks’ previous game because of a right knee contusion.
The Mavericks go in on a two-game winning streak following a four-game losing streak. Their most recent win came at Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City on Sunday night, 121-119, the first game that Doncic has missed this season.
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In his previous outing last Saturday, Doncic played a season-low 28 minutes in a 110-93 home win over San Antonio and scored 16 points — one more than his season low. He sat out the final eight minutes with the Mavericks comfortably ahead.
Doncic won last season’s NBA scoring title, averaging 33.9 points per game, to go with 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists. He’s averaging 28.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.8 assists this season.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, when asked before Tuesday’s game about Doncic’s lower averages, said, “He has shown that he’s human. (Averages of) 28, eight and eight – you sign up for that all day long.”
Every other year, the Aurora Biennial transforms Dallas into a dazzling display of lights, video and music. This year was special because it was the first time the event took play in-person since 2018. The free public event turned the Dallas Public Library, Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Dallas City Hall and other buildings into art installations with the theme “FuturePresentPast.”
Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and KERA.
This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol & Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, Communities Foundation of Texas, The University of Texas at Dallas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer & Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and KERA retain full editorial control of Arts Access’ journalism.
Joe Mixon ran for three touchdowns to extend his TD streak to six games since coming back from injury, Derek Barnett returned a fumble 28 yards for a score, and the Texans beat the Cowboys 34-10 on Monday night.
The Texans (7-4) stopped just the second two-game losing streak of CJ Stroud’s young career while maintaining a two-game lead in the AFC South.
Houston pulled away in the second-half a week after a 26-23 last-play loss to Detroit at home, when the Texans let a 23-7 half-time lead get away from them.
“It’s not as bad as it ever seems, and it’s never as good as it ever seems,” Stroud said. “Those type of games, you have to come out with a win, especially going up like that at the half [against the Lions]. But what are we going to do about it?”
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Amid a woeful season for the Cowboys (3-7) on the field, debris fell from their stadium’s retractable roof as it was opening a few hours before the game. There was no delay and no injuries were reported, just another mishap to foreshadow a fifth consecutive defeat for a team that lost five games total in each of the past three seasons.
Cooper Rush threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to KaVontae Turpin but lost his second start since Dak Prescott’s season-ending hamstring injury.
The Dallas losing streak is their longest since a seven-game skid in 2015, and the Cowboys dropped to 0-5 at home. Dallas are the first team in NFL history to trail by at least 20 points in six consecutive home games, including last season’s wildcard playoff loss to Green Bay, according to Sportradar. The Cowboys had reached the playoffs in each of their previous three seasons, but that run is all but over.
“Well, they better be frustrated,” Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy said. “I mean, we’re all frustrated. I think there’d be something wrong if they weren’t frustrated. So just very honest with everything and stay in tune with what’s right in front of us. And that’s the only way I’ve ever done it.”
The Cowboys were down 20-10 early in the fourth quarter when Barnett knocked the ball out of Rush’s hand. Dallas rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton caught it and was trying to run when Jalen Pitre knocked the ball loose again. Barnett scooped up the ball and scored, although he almost stepped out of bounds.
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“The play he made really changed for game for us,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It flipped the momentum. It got everybody juiced up on the sideline. It was just a huge play.”
Earlier, the Cowboys appeared to have pulled within a touchdown on a 64-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey, but Barnett was penalized for slapping Terence Steele on the rush. Dallas erased the points by taking the penalty, but Rush’s fourth-down pass from the Houston eight-yard line was incomplete on the only good scoring chance of the second half for the the Cowboys.
“The defense played with elite energy,” Ryans said. “One big play that we gave up. Like to have that one back, but overall I think our guys played really well.”
Texans receiver Nico Collins returned after missing five games with a hamstring injury and took a screen pass 77 yards to the end zone on the first play of the game, only to have it called back because of an ineligible receiver downfield.
That possession ended with a touchdown anyway on Mixon’s 45-yard sprint up the middle, and he ran wide for a one-yard score and a 14-0 lead. Mixon had 109 yards rushing on the day and set up a field goal with a 37-yard catch-and-run on a screen.
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“I really love that first play because it showed what we could do in this game,” Ryans said. “Even though it got called back, I just told all our guys, ‘We can go score on these guys again. Just get it in your mind we’re going to score again.’”
Already without Prescott, the Cowboys lost tight end Jake Ferguson to a concussion and perennial All-Pro right guard Zack Martin and left guard Tyler Smith to ankle injuries. Rush was sacked five times, three on the same possession when Martin and Smith were injured.
Stroud, who has been in a mini-slump, threw for 257 yards while avoiding any mistakes after an early interception on fourth down. It was the third time in five games he has gone without a touchdown pass, and he has two TDs and three picks in that stretch.
Rush was 32 of 55 for 354 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Turpin had three catches for 86 yards.
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