It Is No Dream: The Life of Theodor Herzl
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It Is No Dream: The Life of Theodor Herzl
Narrated by Sir Ben Kingsley and featuring Christoph Waltz as the voice of Theodor Herzl, the film examines how Herzl, a well known journalist and playwright, an assimilated Budapest born Jew, horrified by the Dreyfus trial in Paris and the anti-Semitism he saw spreading across Europe, took upon himself the task of attempting to create a Jewish homeland in Palestine against all odds. Over the span of 8 years, Herzl organized and led a worldwide political movement that within 50 years led to the establishment of the state of Israel. The film follows Herzl as he meets with Kings, Prime… More
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 62%

Critic Reviews from Rotten Tomatoes

"Richard Trank's film is sober, detailed, and handsomely mounted. Ben Kingsley narrates, to excellent effect."
‑ Mark Feeney, Boston Globe
"Well-crafted doc offers a scholarly account of the birth of Herzl's Zionist movement."
‑ John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter
"A blow by blow, thoroughly researched rendering of the Hungarian secular journalist's instrumental part in taking Zionism from the theoretical to the actual."
‑ Jordan Hiller,
"The bottom line is that Herzl was an absolutely fascinating man, and he proves to be a most compelling character this excellent film."
‑ Jennifer Merin,
"Anyone with a deep interest in Jewish history will appreciate this intelligent and well-produced endeavor."
‑ Phil Hall, Film Threat
"Although director Trank is an Oscar winner for the documentary "The Long Way Home," some of the choices made here are awkward."
‑ Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
"Helmer Trank deserves kudos for trying to convey this complicated history with primary materials."
‑ Alissa Simon, Variety
"An epic, even Biblical story, brought down to Ken Burns size in this lackluster telling."
‑ Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix
"Offers at least one way to couch propaganda in a way that doesn't seem like the genuine article on the face of it."
‑ Kenji Fujishima, Slant Magazine
""It Is No Dream" satisfies neither as a movie nor as a history lesson."
‑ Rachel Saltz, New York Times
"The film doesn't exactly sizzle, but it does manage to provide a straightforward (if perspective-challenged) biographical sketch of a major historical figure."
‑ Andrew Schenker, Village Voice
"A straight-forward documentary about the life and work of the visionary known as the father of the modern state of Israel."
‑ Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
"This documentary of the life of Theodore Herzl is full of information and at the same time is disappointingly dry and un-engaging."
‑ Mark R. Leeper, Mark Leeper's Reviews
More reviews for It Is No Dream: The Life of Theodor Herzl on Rotten Tomatoes