The Jewish War is a narrative documented by the historian Flavius Josephus on the capture of Jerusalem by the Roman Empire and on the end of Jewish sovereignty, in 70 A.D. Amos Gitai appreciates his meticulous reporting work, likes its tone which blends narrative and history, the style, between an epic and an intimate description. For Flavius Josephus belonged to the two sides. Through his birth, education and fights, he was from a large Jewish family and made war against Rome in Galilee. Out of necessity, he became Roman. Made a prisoner, his life spared provided that he reported the Roman triumphs, he adopted a Latin surname and plunged straight into the imperial culture. The Romans knew that to establish their supremacy, they had to glorify the people they had conquered. Amos Gitai has found contemporary resonances in this text, making, in his interpretation, tradition and modernity hold a dialogue. The film-maker therefore went to film, south of Jerusalem, the natural fortress of Massada, the last refuge of the Jewish patriots who preferred dying over becoming slaves. In another mineral universe, the Carrière de Boulbon, like two spaces mirroring each other, the words are reverberated from echo to echo: they become songs, sounds, music, noise. They go from one language to another – French, Hebrew, Yiddish, Arabic, English. They incarnate one power or another, provoking questions: who are the occupant and the occupier, the empire and its rebel, the legitimate and the outlaw, in a world where each individual henceforth fights unexpectedly switching positions on every front? Outdoors and exposed to risks, The War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness is an acoustic adventure, a spatial manifesto, an acting challenge. It is the rock, as much as the voices, that sings in Boulbon; it is the movements and images that occupy the space in this territorial war; it is Jeanne Moreau who interprets this song of stones and embodies, alongside other actor-singers from different countries, the narrator of this historical account. ADB
Distribution
light meals and beverages available from 8 p.m.
direction: Amos Gitai
artistic advice: Chloé Obolensky
lighting: Jean Kalman
with: Jeanne Moreau, Gérard Benhamou, Tamar Capsouto, Yahel Doron, Eric Elmosnino, Shahar Even Tzur, Shredy Jabarin, Dimitri Kataleifos, Jerome Koenig, Alexei Kotchetkov, Menahem Lang, Mireille Perrier
Production
production déléguée: Festival d'Avignon. production exécutive Agav Films
coproduction: Festival Grec de Barcelone, Festival d'Athènes et Épidaure, Festival International de Théâtre d'Istanbul, Odéon Théâtre de l'Europe
Le Festival d'Avignon reçoit le soutien de l'Adami pour la production