Sallah Shabati (1964)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Ephraim Kishon

Writers:

Ephraim Kishon (screenplay)
Ephraim Kishon (story)

Release Date:

10 March 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A Yemenite Jewish family that was flown to Israel during "Operation Magic Carpet" - a clandestine operation...

Plot Keywords:

Local Blockbuster

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins

Cast

Topol	...	Sallah Shabati (as Haym Topol)
Geula Nuni	...	Habbubah Shabati (as Geula Noni)
Gila Almagor	...	Bathsheva Sosialit
Albert Cohen
Shraga Friedman	...	Neuman
Zaharira Harifai	...	Frieda
Shaike Levi	...	Shimon Shabati
Nathan Meisler	...	Mr. Goldstein
Esther Greenberg	...	Sallah's wife
Mordecai Arnon	...	Mordecai
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ya'ackov Banai
Ya'ackov Ben-Sira
Ya'ackov Bodo
Mike Burstyn
Arik Einstein	...	Ziggi
Yehuda Fox
Joseph Levi
Haim Polani
Hanna Raviv
Shmuel Rodensky
Hinna Rozovska
Yehuda Rubenstein
Reuven Shefer
Gideon Singer
Nissan Yatir

Also Known As:

Sallah (USA)

Runtime:

USA:110 min

Country:

Israel

Language:

Hebrew

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Israel

Company:

Sallah Company

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ervinka (1967)

Soundtrack:

Mashi'ach Ha-Zaken

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

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.