Mine Eyes Have Seen (film #26 in the General section of the State of Israel section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Public Service]

This 1960 film documents a trip to Israel made by an American delegation from the B’nia Brith organization to see where its donated money is being spent. Apparently, it was being spent on everything, for the film goes into a great deal of detail, covering practically all aspects of Israel’s development, from agricultural development to industry to social services to honoring those killed in the Holocaust. The film has a set-up gimmick that is unique: it is told from the point of view of the movie camera, which lends a mildly strange Mr. Product-like air to the proceedings. Mostly, though, this is just what you’d expect. It does have lots of historical interest in documenting in detail Israel’s various development programs as they stood in 1960. It ends coming to the conclusion that Israel’s children are its biggest hope for the future, and when they start talking about how these children are growing up in peace, it becomes hard to beat back the irony when you consider how much war has taken place in Israel since 1960.

Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.