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Blond
Verdict: Screenplay reading
Feature film screenplay rehearsed reading
London - Haldane Room, University College London - Wed 19 Jan 05 - 18:25 (21:05)
Things change. Ireland's been whole as Ireland, and divided as Northern and Southern, aka Eire, aka Republic of Ireland, and aka often teasingly - perhaps in anticipation of reunion - just Ireland. Cyprus has been Cyprus, Greek Cyprus, Turkish Cyprus, perhaps soon Cyprus again. Palestine's been Palestine, Judea, The Holy Land; recently, parts have been called Israel, Gaza, West Bank. As time passes - who knows?
What's certain is the flux of the region, and its historic ties with two of the great gifts to the world - once brothers and sisters - the Semitic family of Arabs and Jews.
Blond is a blond Palestinian. He's freedom fighter or terrorist, depending on viewpoint. His mother and father, Umm Samir and Abu Samir, live in a refugee camp.
David Fishman is a soldier with the Israeli Defence Force (IDF). He's oppressor or defender, depending on viewpoint again. His father and mother, IDF General Haim Fishman and Mrs Elana Fishman, live in the city.
Blond's brother was shot by IDF soldiers when both were children. Now Blond shoots guard David Fishman at a checkpoint. In hospital, American Dr Charles Gilbert discovers from blood tests that Haim and Elana Fishman are not David Fishman's parents.
The identity of parents - of both Blond and David Fishman - is the film's pivot. A series of compelling investigative dramas leads from Jerusalem to the battlefield to reveal their bloodlines.
The consequences shatter family expectations and loyalties in a race that points to tragedy.
Writer Dr Husam Asi was originally an Israeli Palestinian, raised in Israel. The relevance is a compelling sense of authenticity, and an unusual even-handedness in the telling of the tale.
The story of Blond, with subtlety, is a mirror to the historical root of both the antagonism and the tie between Jew and Arab.
Blond has a lot of violence, reflecting daily life in the region. It is never gratuitous, each incident an essential episode of the unfolding story. The storyline views each drama from both points of view - Jew and Arab. This both opens the story to audiences from both sides - and gives it a rounded, three-dimensional depth.
Myriam Acharki delivers embattled Umm Samir and the much younger Hoda with warmth and conviction. Omar Berdouni catches David Fishman's mixture of arrogance, hurt and confusion with subtlety. Mike Busson creates a warm and sympathetic characterisation of IDF General Haim Fishman and reads several other characters. Kammy Darweish brings versatility and an exact sense of each character to Abu Samir, Blond's mentor Sheik Sabri and several others. James Kavaz brings IDF Colonel Goldberg pungently to life.
Taly Koren evokes with remarkable and subtly-expressed conviction the emotional reverses faced by Mrs Elana Fishman. Real-life journalist Jason Korsner brings strong authenticity to TV and radio anchors and IDF spokesmen. Adrienne Kress catches the whimsicality and shallowness of David Fishman's girlfriend Efrat - a skilful portrayal - and other parts.
Robin Laine creates a believeable and sympathetic character for Red Cross Dr John Paterson, and another role. Richard Saade creates a subtle and entirely convincing Blond, finding the depth of the part. Peter Tate creates a Dr Charles Gilbert who is both warm and dangerously detached, following a medical voyage of discovery without complete anchorage in the real world - a fine characterisation.
Gillian MacGregor's lush and quite unbelievably sexy West Coast Scottish accent gives glorious life to the long-service role of co-Narrator, and other parts. Tom Wontner is co-Narrator with a fine reading voice that turns script direction notes (which in the film would be seen) into credible elements of a spoken story; and several roles. The enjoyable voices of these two fine actors is a key component to the conviction of tonight's reading.
Exchanged and mistaken identity is the basis of many good stories. Blond plays the device to create a fascinating storyline - attention is held tonight to the end of a 2.5 hour reading.
More importantly, it uses it to create an exact historical point - though, cleverly, it's never referred to. It's the biblical story that Abraham had two sons: Isaac, father of the Jews; Ishmael, father of the Arabs.
Cast Credits: (alpha order): Myriam Acharki - Umm Samir (Blond's mother), Hoda (Blond's fiance). Omar Berdouni - David Fishman. Mike Busson - IDF General Haim Fishman, IDF Commander Rosen, Abu Farid (Mossad), Efraim, Izik, Ginosar, Passenger 1, Local. Kammy Darweish - Abu Samir (Blond's father), Sheik Sabri (Blond's mentor), Ramsey, Hakim, Jaber, Cab Driver, Old Man. , James Kavaz - IDF Colonel Goldberg. Taly Koren - Mrs Elana Fishman. Jason Korsner - TV Anchor, TV Reporter, Radio Anchor, Army Loudspeaker1 (IDF), Command Center (IDF), Passenger 3, , Adrienne Kress - Efrat (David Fishman's girlfriend), Nurse, Klaus, Darlene. Robin Laine - Dr John Paterson, Ben Ami. Gillian MacGregor - Narrator, Young Man, Teenager. , Richard Saade - Blond. Peter Tate - Dr Charles Gilbert. Tom Wontner - , Narrator, Soldier, Commander, Shlomo, Medic, Mr Levi, Passenger 2, Prime Minister, Officer, Officer 1, Cafe Owner, A Man, Soldier 1 (IDF).
Company Credits: Writer - Dr Husam Asi. Running time tonight: approx 140 minutes excluding breaks.
END
John Park
reviewed Wednesday 19 January 05 / Haldane Room / University College London (UCL)
(c) Fringe Report 2005
