Hebrew Movie Reviews

This is truly the best Israeli film there ever was (and probably ever will be...). It follows a gang of Arab terrorists in Lebanon, 1982, who capture an Israeli slodier. It doesn't take long for the Arab group and the Jewish Soldier to find that they're really not that different from one another: They're all people, they're all getting pretty sick of the war, they're all abslutely sure they're right, and they all like the same socker team. It is a beautiful film! Moshe Ivgi is very good as Cohen, the Israeli soldier, but the one who really steals the show is the brilliant Muhamad Bakri as Ziad, the leader of the captures. the dinamic between the two of them is amazing! Once you've watched the film , you will surly look at things differently!

I assume that it is Ephraim kishon 5 DVD set containing all of his movies that I have (only one I am aware of). First, for the incorrect data, this DVD is zone free, truly viewable on any equipment. This set contains 5 films and one documentary on kishon's movies, it contains some of the best Israeli films ever, all are comedies by Efraim Kishon, one of the best satirists ever (famous for his books, outside of Israel his movies are not known). All of the films are in imdb, for more info, look it up.

Movies in this set (all comedies in Hebrew, all have English and Hebrew subtitles, some have also Russian subtitles):

1) Sallah Shabati, B&W 1964, one of the first films of Haim Topol (fiddler on the roof, for your eyes only, etc). Beautiful comedy of a sefardic family immigrating to israel in 1949, nominated for Oscar in '69, for best foreign film, got golden globe for best foreign film and best actor. Technically far from perfect, but beautiful family comedy on culture shock and immigration.

2) Ervinka, B&W 1967, also with Haim Topol. Comedy about sabra, native born Israeli mentality. Story of a bum who dreams of winning on lottery and decides to rob the national lottery under disguise of making a film about the robbery of the lottery.

Rest of the films are color.

3) Blaumilch Canal (Te'alat Blaumilch), 1969, story of a lunatic with a obsession for digging holes named blaumilch who escapes from a asylum, steals a pneumatic drill and starts drilling a hole in center of Tel Aviv. Because of beurocratic mess, power fights between ministry of infrastructure and Tel Aviv municipality, municipality sends bulldozers to help (to beat the ministry with the "project" on their turf). One municipality junior official realizes that he the project was started by a lunatic and when he attempts to stop it he gets fired. Great satire on beurocracy. Nominated for Golden Globe for best foreign film.

4) Policeman (Shoter Azulai), 1970, Story of a naive Yaffo policeman who loves his work but is just too kind and naive man to be a policeman, but not stupid. During the film he shows encyclopedic knowledge of bible (he breaks up a ultra orthodox demonstration with a bible quiz), speaks several languages (French, Arabic and Hebrew), quotes classical Arabic poetry by heart, etc. His commanders want to lay him of, but don't have heart to do it. Local criminals decide to stage a crime so he can stay on his job because his shift is their most profitable time. Has some beautiful sequences, if you ask me, it is the best of the five. Kishon made this film after he loved Shai K. Offir's performance of policeman in Ervinke and Blaumilch Canal. Nominated for Oscar for best foreign film and got golden globe for best foreign film.

5) Fox in the chicken coop (Shu'al B'Lool Hatarnagalot), 1978, Satire about an old socialist politician Amitz Dolniker (last role by Shai k. Ophir), that is not capable of doing anything except speeches. After a heart attack he goes to rest in most isolated place he can find in Israel with his young assistant, a isolated village who's inhabitants still didn't find out that Turks left (50 years before). Even though the village has utopian socialist society, no private property, everyone works how much he wants and gets what he needs, Dolniker is upset that they didn't get to it by political evolution, so he starts elections, official positions, etc. In the end all the villagers become officials and beurocrats (while dolniker and his assistant do all the work) and start a civil war. It is not as good film as salah shabati, blaumich canal or shoter azulai, but it is a nice story and has many funny moments.

My favourite is Policeman (best Israeli film ever), after that come Salah Shabati and Blaumilch Canal. All 3 of those are a must see. Ervinke and Fox in chicken coop are also nice comedies, but can't compare with Policeman.

This is a documentary which gives the viewer a peek into the real Israeli heart of hearts. No other country has gone through so much in such a short time, and emerged with such an optimistic outlook - based on faith in God and faith in their country as surviving Democracy. Countless news reports show Arabs demonstrating their hatred against Israel. But this
finding any indications that Israelis hate anyone is not an easy task. News reports show several Israelis lying in the streets after being attacked by Arabs. However, the world news media never track down the Israeli "wounded bystanders". Were they to do this they would find these innocent Jews with nails in their brains, missing body parts, and psychological handicaps brought on by never ending unprovoked Arab hatred. Yet the undaunted Israeli spirit shines forth as if to say to God "we will pass your test this time". I am a Christian who is proud to love the Jews.

"Yana's Friends" is a light movie about a young pregnant Russian woman left alone in Israel by her husband, with only her philandering roommate and rude landlady to watch over her. The exploits of poor Russian immigrant are humorized, with the Gulf War as an often-comic backdrop. The film never loses its charm; the characters are always entertaining. Although funnier if you speak Russian, anyone can enjoy a sweet movie like this one.

I cried...I do not understand why it is called a "comedy". You feel ashamed, confused, angry, and so sorry for the miserable life of those people and for all that global unhappiness and inability to change anything... and at the same time feel so blessed that you are not there... Only people who went through the nightmare of early 90s in Russia can understand this drama, those who desperately tried to find any corner on the Earth except their homeland, even getting there where you wear gas masks every night in a cheap, miserable, smelly, hot, old apartment somewhere where nobody wants you...

The real star of 'Time of Favor' is cinematographer Ofer Inov. About half the movie takes place at night & the actors appear bathed in an almost bluish tint, with glowing eyes. It's a superb effect.

I can see why this movie swept the Israeli version of the Oscars for films released in 2000. It's a well-told, gripping saga of a confrontation between the religious and secular forces that push for ascendancy in Israel. Contrary to what we may think back here in the States, there's a healthy skepticism and mistrust in many parts of Israeli society of the ultra-religious, especially when mixed into national institutions like the Army.

Throw in West Bank settlement politics, a messianic rabbi, his flowering daughter, an unbalanced star Torah student, a studly company commander, the Mossad, a star-crossed love triangle...and you've got yourself a very compelling movie.

My only problem: the ending is a little too melodramatic and over the top; but it's still a good ride.

'Time of Favor' is in Hebrew with English subtitles. The subtitles are very legible and well-timed. Certain untranslatable words and concepts are transliterated from Hebrew and presented in quotes. All in all, the subtitled version of the film loses none of the emotion and subtlety of the original.

This movie is very well made, not only including excellent acting on the part of all involved but also in its sweeping views of the disputed territories. I won't go into the plot, since it is described a great deal in previous reviews. However, I must say, this is one of the best, if not THE best Israeli movie I have seen to date.

In a nutshell, this movie is a critisism on a struggle between the religious and secular Israelis, with two young people in love stuck in the middle.
The religious leader is portrayed as somewhat clueless, arrogant man, the extreme of religious self-righteuosness who loves to get his way with no regard for his own family. A love-struck, gullible student sees the teachings of his mentor as command to violence.
The secular military sees any religious manifestation as a possible threat. They can't understand why the orthodox soldiers are so eager to serve. The see no need to understand the faithfull and have no qualms about accusing an innocent man of a crime, simple because he comes from a religious background.
The two lovers in the storyline are trapped between the two worlds.
Bear in mind that THE PLOT USES THE EXTREME OF BOTH SIDES. It does a great job of showing the worst part of the struggle in Israel today. It favors no one. Instead it blames the fundamental ignorance of the extremists on both ends of the spectrum.
The acting, cinematography and the storyline are superb. To truly appreciate this film one must stop to think and comprehend what the writers are trying to tell you.

Its good to see an Isreali film-maker show an un-flattering portrait of war. Past films about Isreal have always lauded the so-called heroic frontier spirit of Isreali's farmers living on the lands taken from the moribund palestinians. Here we see some of the price Isrealis have paid in order to maintain their state amidst a hostile and confused Arab world.

This is not your standard war movie. There are virtually no combat scenes. Once the war is shown it consists of a series of rescues from the battlefield by medical personnel. We see the aftermath and cost of combat, without the usual heroics involved. The style of the film is a bit redundant, but perhaps purposely so. The average viewer may become quickly bored, but its worth sticking it out to the end more or less. The main scene of action are the constant rescues from the ongoing battle, mostly Isreali tankers who suffered heavy losses in the 1973 War as a result of Improved Soviet anti-tank technology which the Syrians and Egyptians poossessd. The Yom Kipper War cost Isreal some 3,000 casualties, and the Arabs more than 8,000. It was a brutal, costly war, and the film shows the price Isreal paid to repel the invasion. I give this Isreali film-maker a lot of credit for making a film like this, even if a bit slow and monotonous at times. You do get to see a lot of Chieftain tanks churning around in the background moving from position to position while under fire. The end scene where the protagonists are shot down in the helocoptor by the surface to air missile is very realistic and quite shocking.

The film has a symetry to it in that the lead character ends up back with his girl friend where they indulge in some interesting kinky sex with paints and oils which I suppose are meant to reflect the colors of peace and war. Oddly enough I found this one of the most interesting aspects of the movie! Considering this is probably one of the only films available in the English speaking world about the 1973 Yom Kippur War its worth looking at just for that reason. I doubt the Arabs could or would produce anything different or better. I am glad to see that Isreali cinema has the courage to make a film like this. Ariel Sharon should see this film to remind him again what the costs of war can be. He played a principle part in the conflict.

this film will not appeal to those with short attention spans
or other cognitive disorders brought about by a steady diet of hollywood "in your face" editing.

gitai gives the viewer room to think and reflect on what is
being presented (war and more war)---instead of thrusting the material in the viewer's face or manipulating the viewer's emotions through the usual bag of tricks. in fact- some of the
characters are not actors, but play themselves as they are
in "real life".

the long takes without dialogue are reminiscent of angelopoulos, oliveira and tarkovsky- which may explain why they are not well received by the tv-addicted or cinematically uneducated.

if you enjoyed "kippur"- try gitai's other film titled "kadosh".

Not recommended for those who are used to fast moving action films. Kippur is slow moving and the moments of utter silence create a certain unease at the beginning, but little by little, one is totally taken into the movie. The rythm of the movie gives the viewer the time to feel the horror of war, although no war scenes appear. It pitcures normal people with normal concerns in the midst of war.

As a secular Jew I admit to not knowing any ultra-orthodox here in the USA or in Israel. But I think the plot is more about gender roles and extreme, exclusionary beliefs, than the Jewish religion per se. The bleak dreariness of the the lives of the extremists in the film seem not so different than extremists of any religion who believe that they have the only path to the ear of their god. But is the fanatic husband any different then many men of any creed one hears on talk show, reads about, or might even meet? Men who believe they are the superior gender; that women are merely objects, &/or "baby incubators"? If this were not true, why did we need a women's movement in the first place. As a woman, I can tell you that my own father (not an orthodox or a zealot) believed the Only good reason to send a woman to college was to "marry a better class of man", another mythology. Many good men never go to college. I was expected to get my MRS, not my BA & MS. (Hopefully, it is not necessary to point out: not all men are chauvinists) Whether a barren woman must be divorced or not, it is the sister's devastating passiveness and loss of hope of any life that is tragic. The younger sister leaves the horrific conditions of her life with a look of hope, and perhaps, even, a bit of a smile.

You know you're in for a slow-paced movie when director Amos Gitai trains his camera in the first scene on lead character Meir and we spend no less than 10 minutes watching him get dressed in the morning.

But still, this movie is worth seeing, especially for the penetrating look at Ultra-Orthodox Judiasm. We get a peek inside the deteriorating relationship of two couples (well, in one case, the couple never really 'teriorated' in the first place), anchored by a pair of sisters.

I'm sure we're seeing extreme cases, but if Gitai is trying to make a point of unmasking the inherent male chauvinism of this corner of the faith, then he's accomplished it successfully. The sisters - obviously bright, thoughtful individuals - are treated merely as baby-carrying vessels here. Though Meir sees through the unfairness of this all, even he is powerless to stop his elders' dictates.

I read the previous comments and was surprised that all of them boiled down to discussion about Jewish orthodox way of life. The movie tells a story of two orthodox couples in Israel through the eyes of the director of the movie. I do not think and also hope that the director did not pretend to know the "whole truth nothing but the truth" and it was his attempt to depict what he views as an orthodox way of life. I am not an orthodox Jew but I saw Jews who would be like main personages of the movie, I also saw Jews orthodox Jews who would not be like that.

Any stereotyping is dangerous, multiplied by ignorance it could be deadly, so let's focus on cinematography and not on the director's vision of what ultra-orthodoxy is about. I am sure 99.9% of the movie viewers have no clue what would be a major difference between the people portrayed in the movie and other orthodox Jews living next door..

The movie is anti-religious and anti-orthodox, but is done well and actors are playing reasonably well, so I gave it 4 out of 5...

Overall its a good movie, however I bought it to practice my Hebrew, not to watch a quirky foreign film. The characters are well developed, and the acting is good, but the plot is a bit wishy-washy. They speak (Hebrew) very fast, and could only be understood completely by a native Israeli. It is a good look into the life of a poor couple that moved from the small farming town of Afula to Tel-Aviv. The main characters are an auto mechanic who tries to follow his dream to be a magician, and his longtime girlfriend who gets fed up with his failure. He finally hits it big as a slapstick sidekick to his mentor. The ending is good, but at times I was wondering if someone had accidentally taped over parts of the movie. The director cuts to "news" footage of residents of Afula speaking about their hometown son who is now famous. Overall I give it a B. It would probably get a borderline PG-13/R rating here in the states.