by Eleanor Mannikka
synopsis
This is an interesting, informative documentary on Israel by the controversial French director Chris Marker, normally an eccentric, enigmatic, socially conscious documentarian with a Marxist orientation. The documentary provides a tour around the topography of Israel, as well as some historical background using archival footage. Then the demography of the country is explored, from the kibbutzim to the Arab minorities, the orthodox Jews, and the tourists. The "battle" of the title does not refer to the tank-and-artillery variety, but to the inner struggle of Israeli citizens to adapt to a new view of themselves, in a new country.
