Colin Firth to play Jewish underground leader in 'The Promised Land'

Solovey, you wanting David Schwimmer or Adam Sandler playing the person Stern, that to some is kind of hero figure here in the Israel? Don't you know both those actors you mentions play the very cheeky person in their films, and sometimes quite rude too ? Oh, not suitable !

Jean, there are many fine Jewish actors, some in the US, Great Britain, Israel, North Africa, like Clement Sibony (Tunisia), Matt Cohen, Abe Karpen, the Israeli Lior Ashkenazi (see "Late Marriage," great film), Oded Fehr, Liron Levo... Hey, Sacha Baron Cohen would be great, or David Schwimmer or Adam Sandler.

Why didn't they ask the fellow Alan Dershowitz to play Stern's role ? Or the Thomas Friedman? Missed chance ! Why you make the joke about the Mel Gibson finance the movie ? You don't know the story of what he tell the police when drunken?

and those who blew up the King David have a real name: terrorists.

Jewish terrorists? I'm shocked to find out there's gambling in Casablanca. If the movie needs any extras, they can go to the West Bank settlements and cast any of the bearded wingnuts who worship Goldstein.

Connie, the bombs were placed in the basement of the King David Hotel by Jewish terrorists disguised as Arabs. Anyone placing bombs in a basement with the intent of putting them off is a terrorist. Telling the intended victims in advance is not terrifying? Does it make everyone feel better, does it make them want to hug and thank the kind placers of the bombs? What if the recipient of the message thought that it was a hoax and decided not to spread the word for fear of causing panic? And the bombs were detonated, 91 souls were killed, including women and innocent civilians, is that not terror? How disingenuous are the defenders of evil.

What does one call those who place bombs in the basement of a multi-storied building and then call to say that the place will soon explode? What if the recipient of the call thought that it was a practical joke and chose not to spread panic? What if the bombs had exploded prematurely? No matter how you try to justify the action, 91 souls were blown up, including women and innocent civilians. How disingenuous are the defenders of cowardly, cold-blooded killers.

I also am a fan of Colin Firth. Let's face it, he is hot! Depending on how the film portrays his character this could be the last film of his I see. Our ancesters were the Hebrews who were of the Semitic race which certainly does have distinguishing characteristics. Judaism is the religion of the Hebrew people and therefore not a race in itself. Can't think of any current Jewish actors. Forty years ago Paul Newman would have probably been offered the part.

Perhaps Arafat and every other Palestinian leader has "failed to make the transition from terrorist/freedom fighter to statesman," because THEY HAVE NO STATE, or rather, they live in your apartheid state. You are completely correct, however, when you compare the anti-aparthied and anti-colonial struggles of South Africa and Kenya to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. But in the case of Begin and Shamir, it is the occupiers that have come out on top. Moreover, when the Israeli Knesset granted pardons to LEHI, issued battle ribbons "in honor to their service to the Jewish homeland", named streets and squares after them and otherwise legitimated them, they made LEHI a part of mainstream Israel. Don't deny it.

# 9 "Paul" Didn't you know that your name was once SAUL ?

If it's a Michael Winterbottom film, then you know that it will be virulently anti-Israel and will demonstrate that all members of whatever underground movements pre-1948 will be the most heinous terrorists. Just what we need from another British leftist anti-Semite.

terrorists do not...I repeat...do not notify their victims that a bomb is coming their way. The British were notified and chose not to pay heed. I have never noticed palestinians or islamic jihadist notifying anyone of their vile intentions have you? Hence we call them terrorists because they terrify...when you notify you give people a chance to get out of harms way. Just because you are to pig headed and prejudiced to get this simple fact makes you the biggest loser in the game of truth verus lies.

George Soros, Mel Gibson? I'll keep an open mind-for now.

Of course LEHI was a fringe group. It never had more than a few hundred fighters at most, compared to ITZL with 2,000 to 3,000 and Haganah with 15,000. It will be interesting to see how, if at all, the movie portrays the deadly enmity between LEHI and Haganah - a significant test of the movie's honesty. Giving Colin Firth this role would be interesting because he has become type-cast as a "good-guy" (Pride & Prejudice, Bridget Jones Diary etc). If the movie shows Stern with both evil and sympathetic qualities in equal measure, it might be worth seeing.

Interesting. I hope this will give some of the background to the King David bombing including the cold blooded murder of Alexander Rubowitz by Major Roy Farran and the subsequent british cover-up. As to Labhras, people who live in glass houses shouldn't though stones. Your own independence struggle was just as nasty and served as the template for the Jewish Community in Mandatory Palestine. And lest we forget the Irish independence struggle was followed by the ethnic cleansing of the Free State of most of its Protestant population.

If you read over Michael Winterbottom's filmography, I wouldn't count on Lehi coming in for very favorable treatment. My guess is the film's message is going to be that the Jews initiated terror in Palestine. At best, Zionism is going to come in for equivocal treatment.

You should have read the rest of the article you referred to: "As a group that never had over a few hundred members, Lehi relied on audacious but small-scale operations to bring their message home..." With just a few hundred members in a Jewish population of several hunndred thousand, Lehi certainly WAS a "fringe group", no matter how hard you try to pretend it was more. The transition from terrorist/freedom fighter to statesman is one of the most difficult. Nelson Mandela, Jomo Kenyatta, Menahem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir succeeded in making the transition. Yasser Arafat (and many others) did not.

A good movie plot: Roy Farran commanded a secret British police unit empowered to combat the "Jewish terrorists" by unorthodox means. On May 6, 1947, Farran's unit arrested 16 year old Alexander Rubowitz, who was putting up posters in Jerusalem for the Jewish underground organisation the Lehi (also known as the Stern Gang). They took Rubowitz to an unknown place where they killed him with a rock. Farran was brought to a phony trial in a British military court in Jerusalem and by a big suprise was aquitted.

Much as I like Colin Firth's acting, and wish him well in this production, I too believe that now and then it would be nice to have Jews play Jews - especially in lead roles.** I mean, let's face it, we no longer paint the faces of 'white' actors and let them play Othello. At least I hope we don't. Yes, I know we are not a 'race,' but that's good. Jewish actors don't always have to look the way non-Jews (and, alas, sometimes Jews) think we look. Oh, yes. I'm afraid Jews have actually told me I don't look Jewish. Perhaps they think my ears are a little Lutheran looking, or my chin is decidedly Presbyterian. ** I said now and then. I think Jews can play Catholic roles and vice versa. All I'm saying is 'a little balance please.'

There was time when an actor played Jerry Adams on the BBC covering his voice so no one would know how he really sounded, or even see his face on the telly. Eventually, his voice and visage reached the light of day in United Kingdom. By contrast, you can see the photo or Yair in most city squares commoratating his life work in liberating the nation from the British. Funny how Stern, together with the other Jewish insurgents actually did remove the English from Mandatory Palestine, yet, Northern Ireland is still part of the United Kingdom, though, considering that Irish Republic and the UK are both part of the UK, in some ways it don't matter much no more.

So you you then grant the Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza the same right to defend themselves in such ways ?

"Neither Jewish ethics nor Jewish tradition can disqualify terrorism as a means of combat. We are very far from having any moral qualms as far as our national war goes. We have before us the command of the Torah, whose morality surpasses that of any other body of laws in the world: 'Ye shall blot them out to the last man.'" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehi_(group)#cite_note-khazit-13 Citing "He Khazit" (underground publication of Lehi), Issue 2, August 1943. No author is stated, as was usual for this publication. Translated from original. For a discussion of this article, see Heller, p. 115 And, no. Lehi was not some fringe group. Unless you want to describe Prime Minister Yatzak Shamir as a "fringe" figure.

with the Nazis. "Depending on the film`s focus and choice of "narrative", there are different ways this story can be told. Will it portray the Jewish underground as a reaction to British actions and its betrayal of its Mandate responsibilities? Will it examine the White Papers and the restrictions on Jewish immigration (while permitting Arab immigration)? Will it show how the Brits colluded with the Arabs, including al-Husseni?R in DC Are you claiming that any of the above causes justifys terorism by Irgun/stern et al. I thought you folks claim there is no justification for terrorist acts. Oh I see--Jews can--but not Palestinians. Good old Zionist logic---eh.

They can't cast Jews to play Jewish roles? It's like in the movie Defiance!

While I know Quentin Tarantino was only trying to make a good movie, Inglorious Basterds was another movie in this genre in which the Jews, also perceived as the persectued underdog in the world, are now being transformed into the brutal, revenge seeking, gun toting, renegate people. This is in turn leading non-jews to look upon Israel as a pariah state, and yelling down those jews around the world that support Israel, claiming that Israel was built on a foundation of murder and dispossession. Completely incorrect and quite racist.

Depending on the film's focus and choice of "narrative", there are different ways this story can be told. Will it portray the Jewish underground as a reaction to British actions and its betrayal of its Mandate responsibilities? Will it examine the White Papers and the restrictions on Jewish immigration (while permitting Arab immigration)? Will it show how the Brits colluded with the Arabs, including al-Husseni? And how will the local Arabs be portrayed? Will it show those Arabs who worked with the Jews and sold them land? Or will it portray them as noble savages oppressed by outsiders?

# 2 Hero. After you've endured 2,000 years of pogroms, come & tell me what you'll call a small group of people wantimg to chuck the invaders from our land.

Interesting - Will the film depict the Lehi as the Middle East's first terrorist organisation or as "Freedom fighters" Yitzhak Shamir admitted the Lehi was as terrorist organisation but I imagine Netanyahu & the Likud will disagree. . I look forward to hearing why the lehi diserved t be classified as "non-terrorists"

A british director making a film about a minor figure in the establishment of Israel that was responsible for the death of dozens of british? Naw, the British aren't anti Israel are they? Naw, this won't fan the flames of anti-semitism in the UK and around the world will it? Naw, there's no reason for the director to make a movie about the pogorms perpetrated against the Jews for the decades leading up to the establishment of Israel is there? Because the Arabs were always only victim right?