Educational Media Reviews Online

Lea Koenig’s Loves is dramatic, entertaining, and like her life, both exhilarating and sad. Born of a theatrical family Lea Koenig decides early on that she wants to be an actress but not because of the influence of her parents, because of the encouragement she received from a handsome young man, Zvi Shtopler. Thus began her love affairs with the theater and the man who was to become her husband.

Her biography is told through interviews with Ms. Koenig, clips from her many performances, and interviews fellow actors and directors. Zvi Shtopler is as strong a presence in the documentary as Koenig herself as she reminisces about their work and travel together. In the interviews she also discusses her family history, the story of meeting and falling in love with her husband, the relationship they had over the years and her many roles in the theater and her commitment to that life.

The clips of Koenig from her work on the stage are compelling. It is no wonder she has earned not only the respect and admiration of her fans and colleagues but also the Israel Prize for acting, which is regarded as the state's highest honor. It seems there was never a role that she didn’t give herself to entirely, including the role of being Lea Koenig.

After a six year battle with prostate cancer, through which Koenig was his caretaker, her beloved Zvi died. At the same time Koenig was performing in a play dealing with the death of a man with prostate cancer. She didn’t miss a performance but instead used the emotion and the occasion to memorialize Zvi. Her heart belonged to both.

This film would be a good addition to a public library collection as well as academic libraries that support Israeli history, theater, and women’s studies. Ms. Koenig may not be well known worldwide but her story is one that is universal and unique at the same time.