We thought we knew all there is to know about Itzhak Rabin. A legendary figure in his lifetime, and the hero of his nation's struggle for peace in his death, more than a decade ago – what can possibly be presented now, that hasn't already been reported, discussed, or written about this man?
Imagine our amazement upon discovering hours of footage, as yet unknown, that he took with his amateur 8mm camera. Here we encountered a highly sensitive eye and an adventurous spirit at work, in what Rabin once described, in a radio interview, as his only hobby.
Perhaps, more than our surprise, at the discovery of the films in itself, we were taken aback by their quality and the sheer talent apparent in their shooting: A close-up shot of a flower's petals opening in bloom, then zooming out to show children dancing round the flower bed; an intrigued observation of a wild landscape during an African tours; or the near-anthropological recording of a scene of women busy weaving carpets, taken while secretly touring Iran as Chief of General Staff.
Itzhak's filming days lasted just over a decade, from the mid 1960's to mid 1970's, and coincide with pivotal stages in his development as a leader: Serving as Chief of General staff, before and during the Six Day War, through his retirement from military service and appointment as ambassador to the U.S.A. – where his first impressions off, we witness on film – up until commencing his first term of office as Prime Minister in 1974.
The footage is personal and moving, and after uncovering the stories behind the images, we realized how earnest Itzhak's passion for making them must have been. Doubtless, the discourse of the field was part of his life.
The film "Photography by Itzhak" ventures to tell the story of Itzhak's love for the medium, while exposing a hidden facet of the leader's personality. This is achieved through the editorial work done on the footage itself, and through the soundtrack design, accompanying the images with the voices of the people who shared in the events on film, or of friends and family as they encounter the footage for the first time.
Most of the people filmed have indeed never seen this footage before. Itzhak was of the kind of photographer that much prefers actually capturing the image, and was less inclined to show his work. We bare witness, then, to the surprise and emotion of Itzhak's sister, discovering her brother's enthusiasm for abstract art. Or that of long time friend and rival Shimon Peres, who remembers touring Africa with Rabin as Vice Secretary of Defense when the latter was Chief of General Staff. During that tour he had confronted Rabin concerning what Peres felt was too much time spent photographing, while he should be getting down to business. Now Peres will watch the footage taken then for the first time.
Itzhak's hobby carried into his life at home, too. He was often away while in the military, but when he was home his photography was clearly present. This is especially true of Rabin's relationship with his son. Yuval Rabin has 'inherited' his father's hobby, and remembers Itzhak cataloguing and evaluating his films, "passable" being the highest praise he awarded his own work.
Our film, though it will be constructed without a plot in the ordinary sense of the word, will, we feel, be a moving and intriguing film, about the man we never really knew. |
