Withdrawal of heroes. Death of the Zionist myth of Masada in Joseph Cedar's "Beaufort" Cover Image

Odwrót bohaterów. Śmierć syjonistycznego mitu Masady w filmie Twierdza Beaufort Josepha Cedara
Withdrawal of heroes. Death of the Zionist myth of Masada in Joseph Cedar's "Beaufort"

Author(s): Maciej Pietrzak
Subject(s): Archaeology, Fine Arts / Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Military history, Ancient World, Recent History (1900 till today), History of Judaism, Film / Cinema / Cinematography
Published by: Uniwersytet Adama Mickiewicza
Keywords: Beaufort; Zionism; Israeli cinema; national myths

Summary/Abstract: Masada is an ancient fortress, which during The First Jewish–Roman War (66–73 CE) served as a refuge for the last bastion of Jewish resistance. In the first half of the twentieth century, the history of the Masada’s defenders was absorbed by the Zionist movement and transformed into a vital national myth, which became an important element of the identity and culture of future Israelis. The main purpose of this article is to show the deconstruction of the Masada mythical narrative made by Israeli director Joseph Cedar in his movie Beaufort.

  • Issue Year: 17/2015
  • Issue No: 26
  • Page Range: 151-159
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: Polish