As a first-century Jewish historian born in Jerusalem, he witnessed and recorded the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. And after thousands of years, Josephus is remembered again, with the play “The War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of the Darkness,” directed by prominent Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai.The play was written using different historical sources, principally “The Jewish War,” which recounts the Jewish revolt against Rome and is known as one of Josephus' most important works. The play begins with a confession by Josephus, who tells the audience of the problems plaguing the Jews, who have internal conflicts but are expecting to be united with their counterparts on the other side of the Euphrates and in Rome. After this statement, Josephus tells the bitter truth: “I cannot conceal the realities, the conflicts which have ruined my country. I will tell everything that has happened to both sides.”
Strident music accompanies Josephus' words. The music begins with an intense metallic sound from percussion and continues with acrimonious tunes from violin and guitar. Jeanne Moreau, the famous French actress, is the narrator who reads the words of Josephus with her deep, resonant voice. The story continues describing the horrors of war as if we were watching today's Middle East. The rest of the cast is also impressive: veteran actor Cüneyt Türel as the Roman Emperor Titus and Jerome Koenig as Emperor Vespasian.
Gitai seemed very content with his work being staged in İstanbul. “I was very happy to come to İstanbul for this occasion to work at this magnificent site and to work with great actors like Jeanne Moreau, Cüneyt, Sedef [Ecer] and [singer] Sema for the music,” Gitai told Today's Zaman during the final dress rehearsal of the play Thursday evening at the Rumeli fortress.
As the play is a project of the multinational theater network Kadmos, actors and artists from Israel, Palestine, Turkey, France and other countries are on the same stage. “There's a great dialogue between different cultures through art, which is theater,” Gitai said.
Gitai's “The War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness,” the first co-production by France's Avignon Festival, the Grec Festival of Barcelona, Athens' Epidaurus Festival and the İstanbul International Theater Festival -- the four partners of the Kadmos network -- will have its final performance in its two-date İstanbul run tonight at the Rumeli fortress. The play is scheduled for more performances in January 2010 at Paris' Odeon Theater.
