Sallah Shabati (1964)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

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:

Li U'Lecha/Ve'Lach

Vintage Cinema

Watching "Sallah Shabati" now, 38 years after it had been made, really amazes me when I come to think about the latest productions from Hollywood, and their huge budgets. In Israel of those times it was even difficult to obtain a suitable filming equipment; according to Ephraim Kishon, the director, there was only one camera available in the whole country. Kishon admitted he had no idea about how to make a film, therefore he surrounded himself with experts, such as Floyd Crosby the cinematographer. There was even an attempt to stop the film from being distributed internationally, due to It's 'poor technical quality'... Despite all that, "Sallah" became a domestic hit, and achieved international success also; it won several important awards, and was nominated for 'best foreign film' at the 1965 Academy Awards. Kishon, who by that time was already a well known writer, begun a second career as a film maker, Topol gained recognition as an international actor and went on to star in films such as "Cast a Giant Shadow" and "Fiddler on the Roof", and Menahem Golan (the film producer) established himself as a successful Hollywood producer and director. So, is it all about the money, or it is the talent we are looking for?