Yesterday, Sunday August 11, the Oporto Jewish community joined with many Jewish Communities across the globe to antecipate Tisha B’Av with a communal screening at the Jewish museum of 'Legend of Destruction' that was nominated for seven Ophir Awards, Israel’s version of an Academy Award, and won four. The worldwide series of events aims to connect communities across dozens of countries, including a screening in the courtyard of the Tower of David in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Screenings, pointedly, are taking place around the world in the days leading up to Tisha B’Av, the Jewish holiday commemorating the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem at the end of the war. The film is being released in English with voicing from big-name stars including Oscar Isaac and Elliot Gould.
‘Legend of Destruction’ details the Jewish civil war that ultimately led to the destruction of the Second Temple; the dark story of the Jewish revolt against Rome, and the devastating civil war that led to the destruction of Jerusalem and its sacred Temple. The tragedy happened on the year 66 CE.
The film follows the outbreak of the First Jewish-Roman War, which began when Jews throughout Judea began to revolt against their Roman rulers. The different groups of Jews had varying ideas of what they were fighting for, and the divisions led to a civil war inside the stronghold of Jerusalem. The film focuses on several leaders of the disparate, warring groups of Jewish rebels, the ideologies they began to adhere to, and how some errors led to the eventual downfall of Jerusalem, along with the deaths of a million Jews and the destruction of the Temple.
The film is inspired to a collection of Talmudic stories about Jewish believers revolting against their Roman rulers in the first century, a rebellion that triggered the destruction of the Temple. The style is bold and unique: it is comprised of more than 1500 hauntingly beautiful still paintings. It is a creative experiment in filmmaking made entirely of paintings that the camera pans across as actors voice the characters. Artists David Polonsky and Michael Faust referenced classical paintings by Francis Bacon, Caravaggio and Edvard Munch in scenes for the movie.
The film (written and directed by Gidi Dar. Featuring Oscar Isaac, Evangeline Lilly, Elliott Gould and Billy Zane) focused on the potential for internal violence when any ideology goes to extremes, and the importance of retaining a sense of togetherness and a focus on the eventual goal.
“Zealotry is a very difficult issue. On one level it’s the very highest level of the human being, we can say that Moses was a Zealot, and Abraham also — he was willing to sacrifice his own son. All the heroes of society were zealots. What do we expect of a hero? For him to go all the way for what he believes in,” Gigi Dar said to the US press. “But it’s like nuclear power. You can create a lot of light with it or destroy everything.”
