Saga of a Photo

Margot Klausner (1905-1975) is one of the forgotten pioneers among female filmmakers. Born in Berlin, Klausner and her second husband, Yehoshua Brandstatter, co-produced the first sound film made in Palestine, Land of Promise (1933), a pro-Zionist documentary that won an award at the Venice Film Festival (and, ironically, was also used by the Nazis to encourage Jewish emigration from Germany). Klausner and Brandstatter also founded Israel's first film studio and were a major force in Israeli cinema. Mooly Landesman, Klausner's granddaughter, directed this documentary tribute to Klausner's life and career, detailing Klausner's first marriage to Jacques Rosner in 1926, and their Palestine-based honeymoon, which would give Klausner a new sense of Zionism that drove her life (and derailed her marriage). The film also recalls Klausner's role in managing the Habimah Theater, established in Tel Aviv after years of touring Europe and the United States. Klausner's indefatigable personality and business savvy were extraordinary, so it's a shame that her remarkable life is showcased in a somewhat enervated production that relies too heavily on extended dramatic re-creations of key moments in Klausner's life (including hokey “home movies” featuring a young actress who bears no resemblance to the film's subject). Hampered by its hybrid docudrama approach, this is an optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)