Golda's Balcony (2007)

Harper's Meir speaks softly and carries a big shtick.

Meir needed her wars to appear defensive; sadly, in this ill-considered exercise, the filmmakers commit an indubitably offensive act.

The whole shebang would be nothing without the strength of its sole performer. Fortunately, Harper sustains the play without fail.

One of many recent works that represent the ripples cast outward from the dialogue begun in Steven Spielberg's masterful Munich.

Not only is this poignant portrait of Golda Meir riveting and powerful, it also reminds and enlightens us about the origins of the current Middle East conflict.

This shamelessly uncritical view of Golda, her world perspective, and the period of Middle Eastern history over which she presided as a major player, confuses the protagonist's point of view with the reality. Grandmother or godfather?

In a film equivalent of the one-woman show, Harper gives a riveting perfromance as Golda, Israel's beloved politician, while also playing scores of characters, from the stern Kissinger to the womanizing Moshe Dayan (does he remove his eye patch in bed?)

Powerful and well-acted even if there are stylistic glitches in the presentation.

Remarkable performance by Valerie Harper in this one-woman show from the Broadway play focusing on Israel's former Prime Minister, Golda Meir's, critical decisions during the 1973 mid-East war.