Nice period piece from Israel. From the Ottoman Period through the British Mandate to...
I like the period recreation. It has a good feel to it. Can't assess the 'accuracy' of the Jewish cultural, as I'm not an expert on those aspects.
I always like Michael Aloni performances. He was excellent on 'When Heroes fly' and of course 'Shtisel'. Then there is Itzhik Cohen from Fauda (Captain Ayub). The performances are uniformly top-notch.
I would imagine the period is historically accurately portrayed in general. Life in Jewish Palestine, the Yishuv under the Mandate was well-documented. The paradox and underlying 'dislike' between Sephardi Ladino-speaking Jews and Ashkenazi European Yiddish-speaking Jews esp. The Hassidim, is the underlying context of the story of the forbidden love between Gavriel and Rochel. Esp. Before the State of Israel, in the Mandate Palestine Yishuv, Ashkenazim and Sephardim did not mix. The Sephardim spoke Ladino, a sort of Judeo-Spanish, while the Ashkenazim spoke Yiddish which was a sort of Judeo-German (Jude-Deutsch > Yud-Disch>Yiddish). The Ashkenazim were Jews from Germany to Poland/Russia while the Sephardim originated in Spain from the Middle Ages. Mandate Palestine, the Yishuv, was the setting for both extreme intra-Jewish culture clashes...and some remarkable intra-Jewish combinations... These aspects all come out in this series.
For this then, 7 out of 10.
However, there are two aspects that are bothersome.
Firstly the series flits back and forth between 1922 and 1937. I find this quite confusing as I frequently forget which era we are watching. The confusion inhibits proper appreciation of the story and the context.
Secondly, and this is probably only noticeable to history buffs... the British Army in Mandate Palestine is very badly portrayed. The scene where Luna goes to the British Officers Club... Emphasis on 'Officers'.
In the British Army, then as now, there is the Officers' Mess, and the Sergeants' Mess, and the two simply did not and do not mix...EVER! Esp. Not in that period.
The first soldier who speaks to Luna in that scene, in this Officers' Club...is a Sergeant, with 3 stripes very prominently displayed on his rolled up sleeve. It just hit me as so wrong, that they couldn't get something as basic as that right in a period piece. It kind of ruined the whole effect for me.
So only a 7 for a series that probably otherwise deserves a10! Apologies, but producers...Get Your Facts Right!
I always like Michael Aloni performances. He was excellent on 'When Heroes fly' and of course 'Shtisel'. Then there is Itzhik Cohen from Fauda (Captain Ayub). The performances are uniformly top-notch.
I would imagine the period is historically accurately portrayed in general. Life in Jewish Palestine, the Yishuv under the Mandate was well-documented. The paradox and underlying 'dislike' between Sephardi Ladino-speaking Jews and Ashkenazi European Yiddish-speaking Jews esp. The Hassidim, is the underlying context of the story of the forbidden love between Gavriel and Rochel. Esp. Before the State of Israel, in the Mandate Palestine Yishuv, Ashkenazim and Sephardim did not mix. The Sephardim spoke Ladino, a sort of Judeo-Spanish, while the Ashkenazim spoke Yiddish which was a sort of Judeo-German (Jude-Deutsch > Yud-Disch>Yiddish). The Ashkenazim were Jews from Germany to Poland/Russia while the Sephardim originated in Spain from the Middle Ages. Mandate Palestine, the Yishuv, was the setting for both extreme intra-Jewish culture clashes...and some remarkable intra-Jewish combinations... These aspects all come out in this series.
For this then, 7 out of 10.
However, there are two aspects that are bothersome.
Firstly the series flits back and forth between 1922 and 1937. I find this quite confusing as I frequently forget which era we are watching. The confusion inhibits proper appreciation of the story and the context.
Secondly, and this is probably only noticeable to history buffs... the British Army in Mandate Palestine is very badly portrayed. The scene where Luna goes to the British Officers Club... Emphasis on 'Officers'.
In the British Army, then as now, there is the Officers' Mess, and the Sergeants' Mess, and the two simply did not and do not mix...EVER! Esp. Not in that period.
The first soldier who speaks to Luna in that scene, in this Officers' Club...is a Sergeant, with 3 stripes very prominently displayed on his rolled up sleeve. It just hit me as so wrong, that they couldn't get something as basic as that right in a period piece. It kind of ruined the whole effect for me.
So only a 7 for a series that probably otherwise deserves a10! Apologies, but producers...Get Your Facts Right!