HIDE AND SEEK

Israel, 1980, 85 minutes, Colour.
Gila Almagor, Efrat Lavie, Doron Tavori, Chaim Hedaya.
Directed by Dan Wolman.

Hide and Seek is a brief but deeply felt Israeli film of the early '80s. It looks back at the post-World War Two period with its uncertainties, the conflicts with the Arabs and the struggles for the State of Israel. The film looks critically at these times, especially the attitudes of the young children growing up, which were shaped very much by anxiety and hostility. The children are influenced by absent parents, away doing good for others, movies about spies and the atmosphere of espionage in Jerusalem., The film also focuses on the theme of homosexuality and the reaction of the young Israeli zeal towards homosexuals - given as a symptom of the unreality and harshness of the attitudes of the time. While the film is a critique of the past, it throws light on contemporary issues and asks questions about the future of Israel as it moves into a more secure place in the world.

1. The impact of the film for Israelis? Non-Israelis? The themes of 1946? Jews, Arabs, clashes and struggles, the State of Israel? The focus on homosexuality? The personal nature of the film? Its controversial aspects?

2. The brevity of the film, the re-creation of the period, the Jerusalem settings? The world of the 12-year-old boy and his perception of 1946? Colour photography? Musical score?

3. The title and its focus on the game, the boys and their childlike and childish attitudes, spies, puzzles and mysteries, being caught, being caught and being punished?

4. The atmosphere of Jerusalem in 1946: the post-war period, the memories of the holocaust (and the showing of footage of the holocaust in the film), the settling of Jews in Palestine, the ships coming in, the refugees and orphans, the need for nursing and care, learning Hebrew, espionage, the British, the Arabs, informers - and their being shot by squads of young Jews? The intensity of feeling, anxiety at the time?

5. The world of the boys: ordinary day-by-day life, the gang and the friendships, the code and entering into the gang, the games, the model and the games, hide and seek, spying on the couples, espionage and the movies, an age of innocence and the kids being changed by society?

6. The adult world: the world of the grandfather, the memories of the past, the home in Jerusalem, his children, concern and love for his grandson, the employing of the tutor, the friendship with the tutor? His being a steadying background to the young boys growing up?

7. The adult world: the parents, their being away on Jewish work, charity, the mother and her arrival home, care for her son, listening to the problems, common sense, her being away at the refugee camp, her concern about the orphans, her son's visiting her and her seeming to care more about the refugees than her own son?

8. The tutor and his situation, the boys' wariness towards him, hesitations, the lessons, the gradual liking and admiration? The boys seeing the tutor with the Arab? His becoming an object of spying because of espionage ideas? The background of homosexuality, the relationship with the Arab? The raid and the bashing?

9. The theme of homosexuality: victims, a symptom of society, the raids of the zealot Israelis?

10. The boys and the effect of their spying, the consequences of hatred and suspicion, the films and the carry-over? Causes of destruction? The final encounter of the boy and the tutor in the street. their passing by - the future of the tutor. the future of the boy?

11. A perspective on the past for Israel? Analysis of the present? The future and Israel learning from its past?