An absolutely amazing laugh riot ! ! ! !

Te'alat Blaumilch (1969) directed by Iprahim Keshon

Apart from "Lemon Popsicle" series of films from Israel,there are not so many directors in the history of Israelian cinema who have made successful comedy films.If there is a man who has made enjoyable comedy films it is Iprahim Kishon.As he was primarily a great writer,he was able to infuse his writing talents in his films.It can be said about Iprahim Kishon's film "Te'alat Blaumilch" that its visual as well aesthetic style was completely different from the films made by other comic geniuses like Max Linder,Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Apart from its highly original idea of a lunatic digging a canal in the middle of a street,this film was famous for its set design which consisted of a replica of a fictitious canal right in the middle of Tel Aviv city.A thing which might irk some feminist viewers is that this is a bit sexist in nature as there are numerous ribald jokes consisting of futile attempts made by office boss to seduce his beautiful secretary. Iprahim Kishon made three great comic films and this film is one of those laugh riots which is surely going to drive you crazy with endless bouts of laughter.

After the success of this film Haym Topol was offered the role which made Clint Eastwood a worldwide phenomenon.

Sallah Shabati (1964) directed by Iprahim Keshon

As part of an annual film festival of films from Israel, I saw this classic film at the legendary Cinema des Cineastes located near Place de clichy metro station in Paris. This will be remembered as a landmark film in the history of Israelian Cinema. This was filmed in 1964 by Ephraim Kishon at a time when there was hardly any visible trace of film-making in Israel.Kishon,the great humorist filmmaker of Israel proved that good films can be made even when one has limited funds and equipments at one's disposal.The highlight of this film is the light hearted manner in which it shows various hilarious solutions to housing problems of Jewish people after the independence of Israel. To my mind,it is one of those rare films in which two of the greatest living stars of Israelian cinema : Haym Topol and Gila Almagor have acted. They play an impoverished couple with a lots of children. It is fun to watch all the ruses adopted by them in order to be able to get hold of their own house.After the screening, chatting with bemused audiences Haym Topol recounted how owing to a prior commitment he declined Sergio Leone's offer to star in "A fistful of dollars". So if there is anything which has made Clint Eastwood what he is now, it is this refusal in question by Haym Topol.

No promise, no land. Just a quick succession of cruel scenes.

Promised Land (2004) directed by Amos Gitai

This film is a major disappointment by Amos Gitai.One should even call it a blot on his career.Promised land is neither a feature film nor a documentary nor anything which can lie in between.It features two popular stars Anne Parillaud and Hanna Schygulla but even their presence is not helpful enough to sustain viewers' interest.The film is about the plight of some Russian girls which are sold in Israel but its presentation is really bad. It does not make any sense as in order to heighten the importance of the topic Amos Gitai has decided to shoot the most part of the film in darkness. However darkness cannot hide the film's defects.The film maker has surely not done his homework well due to which viewers are forced to watch a crude succession of abominably cruel scenes in which women are traded like cattle.Most of the actors too suffer in this film as their roles have not been defined properly.Recommendation:better watch this film and be bitter about it rather than being sullen without having seen it.

How did Benny Torati learn of this film's Indian connection.

Kikar Ha-Halomot (2001) directed by Benny Torati

The Indian connection in Desperado Square should not astonish anybody at all as thousands of tourists from Israel visit India in search of spiritual enlightenment but unfortunately end up in a complex maze of trance parties in Goa where illicit drugs,prostitution and frantic orgies are the order of the day.However director Benny Torati has not dealt with this sordid theme.His film is somewhat an Israeli "Last picture show" as it shows a decrepit cinema hall fearing closure managed by two brothers and the only film that is shown is an Indian romantic film which dates from 1960.What is shown on the screen is a puerile tale of confusions in love and the same is also played in their lives.The film provides its share of laughter through an assorted cast of buffoons.There is ample sadness in this film as both the brothers are troubled by their love interest and no one seems to care for them.A double bill is assured for those viewers who want to watch two films for the price of one.Watch some maudlin material from an Indian film in a film from Israel.

Great comedy film from Israel.

Ha Shoter Azulai- (1970) directed by Iprahim Keshon.

Light hearted comedies are a rarity for Israelian cinema as most of the films are either too dramatic or gloomy.This is a good example of what a comedy film can be.All the credit for this film's success should go to Shaike Opir who plays the role of a kind hearted but clumsy policeman.He has a wife whom he loves a lot but as he has not been able to get a promotion there is less of love from her wife's side for him.This character is a man of all occasions and he has solutions for all kinds of problems such as doing interpretation in French language for a group of visiting French policemen or catching a famous criminal.This cop learns about friendship when he meets a young prostitute.Both
of them come closer and learn a lot from each as they both have a lots to tell to each other. This film was directed by a great figure of Jewish culture Iprahim Keshon.This comedy is different from those by the likes of Marx brothers,Buster Keaton, Max Linder,Charlie Chaplin and Laurel & Hardy.

Saccharine treatment of immigrants ! ! !

Sof Ha'Olam Smola (2004) directed by Avi Nesher.

It is true that this film was a major hit in Israel and no wonder one can easily guess why ? One wild guess is that it did all it could to portray a hippie dippypicture of the immigrant question.The immigrants in question are from India and Morocco and the film is about their efforts to find a firm footing within Israelian society.The film fails to score as its depiction of immigrants is much too unreal,lacks credibility and to top it all a lot of irrelevant material is added which bears no link to the film's plot line.The Indian actors in this film have been dubbed as failures in India and watching them act in an Israelian film the people wondered as to how they landed such roles for themselves.The game of cricket in a film from Israel like this one was a pure gimmick as the film maker wanted to cash the popularity of this sport in Asian subcontinent.This is a film,one must watch only to ascertain what made it so famous.