Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., January 12, 2009 Tevet 16, 5769 | | Israel Time: 10:41 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Joy of Giving Travel Week's End Anglo File

Last update - 13:23 04/12/2008 Accidental actress Tags: israel news Friday morning in the yard of a house in the middle of Tel Aviv. Keren Gitai has come home to Israel for a few days and is on the set of the new movie being made by her father, director Amos Gitai. But this time she's not just here to say hello. Keren, who acceded to her father's request to appear in a tiny part in his film "Kippur" (2000), has decided to once again take on one of the cinematic challenges he lays at her doorstep from time to time, and is appearing in his new film, "Carmel." During a break in filming, when she finds time for a brief conversation, Gitai makes it clear that she doesn't always say yes to her father. "I have my conditions," she says. "I have to find the right film that I'll feel natural acting in. I never studied acting, and it's not an automatic thing for me to get into a role, but I'm intrigued by the psychological aspect of entering into a different personality, of embodying someone." It's true that she never studied acting, but her father often includes non-professional actors in his films, and her background in psychology can only be of help. Keren Gitai, 25, has lived in Paris for the past five years: She recently completed a master's degree in psychology, is about to earn a bachelor's degree in philosophy and is currently working on a doctorate in "something between comparative literature and psychoanalysis," as she describes it. Advertisement Another thing that helps her in filming the new movie is her personal acquaintance with the character she plays: Efratia Gitai, her grandmother, who was born in 1909 at the foot of Mount Carmel. The exchange of letters Efratia had with her son Amos and others over the years, against the backdrop of events in Israel at the time, will be the focus of the movie. In several scenes, Keren Gitai will play a youthful incarnation of her grandmother and read from her letters, while Keren Mor (who worked with Amos Gitai on "Berlin-Jerusalem" and "Alila") plays Efratia at a more advanced age (the cast also includes Sasson Gabai and Amos Lavi, among others). "This movie is dedicated to my grandmother, whom I admired very much, and this is my opportunity to honor and respect her," says the granddaughter. One shared area of interest between granddaughter and grandmother becomes apparent after a few minutes, when Gitai is summoned to the dressing room to prepare for filming the next scene, while her father, who is just coming out, takes the opportunity to talk a little about his mother, Efratia, who died five years ago. "In her youth, when she was 18, my mother and two girlfriends traveled to Vienna, because they wanted to meet Freud. Three 18-year-old girls decided to buy boat tickets, because they thought it was so provincial here and they wanted to meet none other than Sigmund Freud. She stayed there for two and a half years, and it wasn't until later that she met my father and got married and so on. In 1960, when I was 10, she traveled again, this time to London, to meet Freud's daughter, Anna Freud. She went to London for a year and I went to Kibbutz Kfar Masaryk, and that's when we had our first correspondence, about 60-70 letters. She wrote to me and I wrote back." When Keren Gitai returns from the dressing room, in jeans and a white button-down blouse, she picks up a few printed pages from the table and shows one of the letters, whose contents she read aloud earlier in front of the camera. "This is a letter from my grandmother, which she wrote from Vienna in the 1930s. In it, she describes the May Day celebrations in Vienna, 'Red Vienna.' There was a big parade, and she describes it nicely, very vividly, so that I can really see lots of colors and people and flags," says Gitai. Next to some of the printed words on the pages, Gitai has added Hebrew punctuation in blue pen. "Grandmother wrote in a very pure Hebrew, from the turn of the century, slightly biblical Hebrew, and I had to add the vowelization in some places, because these words aren't pronounced anymore." Her mother helped her with this. It turns out that her brother, Ben, has also been recruited into his father's film. Amos asked him to reenact a scene of an encounter between the two of them that took place during the time of the Second Lebanon War. So, with father and son also acting in the film, "Carmel" became a true family project. When Keren Gitai is asked about the experience of acting in the movie, she hastens to stress that she doesn't feel like she's really an actress. "I read the letters, I'm not acting. I just read what my grandmother wrote and I can't do it in a theatrical way. It's too personal for me to be able to do something theatrical with it. I only act a little, because I don't sit down straight away and start to read. First I look out the window, cross the room, open a closet - there are things I do before I get to the actual reading of the letters." As someone who grew up with a film director father, were you attracted to this world of acting and cinema? "Maybe just because it was always there, not so much. Everyone dreams about it somehow, but for me it was at home, so it seemed more natural." Did you ever think of going into it seriously? "I don't know, I don't really see myself as an actress," she smiles. Do you think that your participation in this movie might pull you into acting nevertheless? "I don't think so. It's nice. It's very nice to do it for one day, or two days, but I'm not sure I'd enjoy it in the long haul. Even now, I'm not really learning lines by heart. I'm just reading them from a page and walking around the room a little bit, so it's not really acting. But I don't know if I feel like doing this. At least for now, I don't think so. It doesn't interest me beyond doing it once." Your father can sometimes be very strict on the set. Do you feel that your interaction with him is different from his interaction with other actors? "He's probably more protective with me. He tells me things more gently; he knows this isn't my profession, so he guides me cheerfully, with a smile. I imagine that he doesn't always operate this way. He definitely doesn't want to harm our relationship, so he acts like my father, and not some other way." On the set, he's not the director who gives you orders? "No. And he also knows that I have my own opinion," she says with a grin. Is it odd to step into your grandmother's shoes for the movie? "No, I read the letters as her granddaughter. And so I dress just as I really dress, except maybe a bit more elegant, but not too much. I see it as a tribute to my grandmother, that's all. I'm not my grandmother. I never was and I never will be. Nor do I want to be." Now a member of the crew appears and exclaims, "I knew it! I knew that they'd eventually film you together with Keren Mor, and the two Efratias would meet," she calls out to Gitai. But the latter responds impassively and explains that she's actually appearing in the film as herself and not playing her grandmother. "I thought you were the young Efratia, and that you're meeting the older Efratia," the perplexed woman from the film crew answers. "I don't think the two Efratias will meet. That seems a little weird to me," says Gitai. "Keren Mor is Efratia, and anyway, how could the two Efratias possibly meet?" And when the other woman replies with a smile, "Nu, that's the whole point," Gitai isn't convinced. Why is it that everyone is certain you're playing Efratia, and only you think that you're playing yourself? Gitai shrugs her shoulders in response. What instructions did you receive from the director about this? "To read aloud one of Grandmother's letters." And did you talk about it before you came here? "Yes. I told him I wasn't going to dress in period costume, that I'd appear in jeans or a dress, and that I wasn't going to dress up as my grandmother." Why was it important to you to wear clothes that could be yours? "Because I'm not playing my grandmother." This mystery will only be solved in the cutting room, apparently, when Amos Gitai decides exactly how to construct the film and can make the final determination as to how the characters are shaped. Maybe he'll opt to leave this conundrum unresolved and let viewers decide for themselves whether the pretty young woman reading the letters written by Efratia Gitai in Vienna in the 1930s is Efratia herself, or her granddaughter. Meanwhile, the conversation with Keren Gitai leaves the unambiguous impression that she has no intention of seriously taking up acting, at least for the time being. While she seems to relate to her appearance in her father's film mostly as a lark, she becomes genuinely impassioned when she begins to speak about the things that are the focus of her daily life in Paris. When the conversation moves onto the topic of her studies, and she talks about the Greek philosophers, Aristotle's "Physics" and Spinoza's book of Hebrew grammar, her eyes sparkle and her words flow in a torrent. For now, she's quite content to leave the acting profession to others. Bookmark to del.icio.us   IDF warns Gazans The IDF is making every effort to prevent civilian deaths by warning of impending attacks. Pro-Israel rallies Thousands attend pro-Israel rallies across Europe, N.Y.   1.   What a distorted view of acting and family 10:23  |  Marie-Helene 12/01/09

Read & React Legal expert: Rising Gaza death toll doesn't mean IDF acts are disproportionate Responses: 22 Sources: Hamas leaders hiding in basement of Israel-built hospital in Gaza Responses: 20 IDF: Hamas rocket fire down 50% since start of Gaza op Responses: 10 Gideon Levy: Israel's leaders will pay the price for the bloodshed in Gaza Responses: 6 Aluf Benn: Israel has a double standard when it comes to UN resolutions Responses: 6 More Headlines 09:54 IDF: Hamas rocket fire down 50% since start of Gaza op 08:25 ANALYSIS / Perhaps Israel should quit Gaza op while it's still ahead 08:34 Sources: Hamas leaders hiding in basement of Israel-built hospital in Gaza 09:55 On Day 17 of op, IDF bombs dozens of targets across Gaza 08:28 Barak and Livni disagree with Olmert, want quick end to Gaza fighting 05:25 Amira Hass / Gazans doing their best to avoid becoming death statistics 09:40 Legal expert: Rising Gaza death toll doesn't mean IDF acts are disproportionate 10:17 IDF clips of Gaza offensive are fourth biggest hit on YouTube 10:16 Israel's 'Waltz with Bashir,' on 1982 Lebanon War, wins Golden Globe for best foreign film 18:20 Get up to the minute coverage of the warfare in Gaza directly to your email 09:03 U.S. Army: Probe of alleged spy for Israel has nothing to do with his religion 22:37 WATCH: IDF uncovers booby-trapped school next to Gaza zoo 07:26 Egypt: Hamas agrees that fighting in Gaza must end 23:47 IDF begins deploying reservists into Gaza as part of ground op 22:11 WATCH: IDF drops leaflets over Gaza, warning of impending attack 19:27 Two Egyptian children among 4 wounded in IAF strike near Gaza 09:01 Israel arrests 700 people, mostly Arabs, in protests against IDF Gaza op 09:40 Report: Madonna receives death threats from Muslim extremists 05:55 Joe the Plumber trades his wrench for a reporter's notepad in Sderot 03:18 Dead Sea makes candidate list for 'seven natural wonders' 19:32 Gaza rocket hits playground in Ashdod, amid barrage on Negev 17:34 IDF soldiers come under fire at Syria border fence 21:48 Obama: Gaza war underscores need for immediate Mideast solution Previous Editions Select Day 11 jan 09 jan 08 jan 07 jan 06 jan 05 jan 04 jan 02 jan 01 jan 31 dec 30 dec 29 dec

Special Offers Advertisement Summer in Israel Israeli style - Tzofim Chetz V'Keshet 2009 Blue And White Forever Israel Army T-shirts Wear with Proud Donate the Soldiers Kit You can make a direct IMPACT! on the life of an Israeli soldier State of Israel Bonds During this time of market volatility, Israel bonds can help. SURF RAMBAM Keep current about new-wave medical care, education and research. Summer Camp in Israel The best place for your children this summer Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved