Footnote (2011) Hearat Shulayim (original title)

Director:

Joseph Cedar

Writer:

Joseph Cedar (written by)

Release Date:

25 May 2011 (Israel)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Eliezer and Uriel Shkolnik are father and son as well as rival professors in Talmudic Studies. When both men learn that Eliezer will be lauded for his work, their complicated relationship reaches a new peak.

Plot Keywords:

Rivalry | University | Prize | Talmud | Judaism

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 16 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Shlomo Bar-Aba	...	Eliezer Shkolnik (as Shlomo Bar Aba)
Lior Ashkenazi	...	Uriel Shkolnik
Aliza Rosen	...	Yehudit (as Alisa Rosen)
Alma Zack	...	Dikla Shkolnik
Micah Lewensohn	...	Grossman
Nevo Kimchi	...	Fingeroot
Yuval Scharf	...	Noa
Daniel Markovich	...	Josh
Tsipi Gal	...	Mystery Woman
Michael Koresh	...	Yona Solomon, Committee Member
Idit Teperson	...	Sara Foddor, Committee Member
Shmuel Shiloh	...	Herman, Committee Member (as Shmulik Shilo)
Albert Iluz	...	Dvir Oded, Committee Member (as Albert Illouz)
Gad Kaynar	...	Committee Member
Jackey Levi	...	TV Host (as Jacky Levy)
Hanna Hacohen	...	Israel Prize Producer
Itay Polishuk	...	Security Guard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Edna Blilious	...	Costume Designer Lady
Dan Caner	...	Narrator
Natalia Faust	...	Nurse
Dana Glozman	...	Silit
Daria Robichek	...	Devora
Dali Shachnaey	...	Young Uriel
Jonnie Shualy	...	Soundman
Neli Tagar	...	Security Guard
Nina Traub	...	Yonat

Directed by
Joseph Cedar

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Joseph Cedar		written by

Produced by
Leon Edery	....	producer
Moshe Edery	....	producer
Michal Graidy	....	executive producer: MoviePlus
Tamir Kfir	....	line producer
David Mandil	....	producer
Joseph Cedar	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Amit Poznansky

Cinematography by
Yaron Scharf		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Einat Glaser-Zarhin		(as Einat Glaser Zarhin)

Casting by
Hila Yuval

Production Design by
Arad Sawat

Costume Design by
Laura Sheim

Makeup Department
Ronit Arviv	....	makeup artist (as Ronit Dugo Arviv)

Production Management
Amit Gilboa	....	post-production manager
Assaf Gordon	....	production manager
Lee Shira	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mandel Itai	....	second assistant director
Shir Shoshani	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
Tuli Chen	....	sound mixer (as Tully Chen)
Alex Claude	....	sound designer
Israel David	....	sound re-recording mixer
Daniel Meir	....	sound effects editor
John Purcell	....	dialogue editor
Gadi Raz	....	sound effects editor
Wilmont Schulze	....	foley artist
Bar On Shelly	....	assistant re-recording mixer
Sebastian Stroux	....	foley mixer

Visual Effects by
Roy Alter	....	title designer
Roy Alter	....	visual effects artist
Ilan Weintrob	....	visual effects supervisor
Michal Wolff	....	visual effects director

Camera and Electrical Department
Shimon Belfer	....	rigging gaffer
Shuki Paz	....	gaffer
Ruby Rubinstein	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Laura Sheim	....	key costumer

Editorial Department
Szabolcs Barta	....	colorist
Tibor Csige	....	post-production coordinator
László Kovács	....	telecine colorist: dailies

Music Department
Itamar Argov	....	music preparation
Alex Claude	....	musical director
Israel David	....	music score recordist
Stefan Karrer	....	soundtrack album producer
Amit Poznansky	....	orchestrator
Doron Salomon	....	conductor
Lionel Ziblat	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Grace Benoish	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Movie Plus (producer)
• United King Films

Distributors

• Haut et Court (2011) (France) (theatrical)
• Mongrel Media (2012) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Seven Films (2012) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2011) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2012) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Wild Bunch Benelux (2012) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2012) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2012) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Cinemax (2012) (Hungary) (TV)
• Film1 (2013) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Rialto Distribution (2012) (Australia) (all media)
• Rialto Distribution (2012) (New Zealand) (all media)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2012) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2012) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• United King Films (2011) (Israel) (all media)

Other Companies

• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Hungarian Filmlab / Magyar Filmlabor  post-production
• Milan Records  soundtrack

Also Known As:

"Hearat Shulayim" - Israel (original title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements, brief nudity, language and smoking

Runtime:

Israel:103 min

Country:

Israel

Language:

Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG | Argentina:Atp | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:AL | Australia:PG

Company:

Movie Plus

Trivia:

Israel's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 84th Academy Awards 2012.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Maltin on Movies: The Watch (#1.83)" (2012)

Family Fortress

Greetings again from the darkness. In the United States, we typically get limited access to the films of Israel. In recent years, there have been two that I like very much: The Band's Visit, and Waltz for Bashir. Written and directed by Joseph Cedar, Footnote was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award. It's a very creative and insightful story utilizing slight comedic elements to show the destructive forces of petty professional jealousy within a family.

Most parents wish for true happiness for their children. If the professional success of their offspring far exceeds their own ... it is a reason to swell with parental pride. But what happens when father and son choose similar paths? What happens when animosity builds as the father's life work (30 years of research) is deemed unnecessary and irrelevant? What happens when the son becomes publicly revered and adored for his populist writing? Well, in the case of father Eliezer (Shlomo Bar-Aba) and son Uriel (Lior Ashkenazi), we get strained relations and a thesis on the pitfalls of pride and ego.

All of that is sufficiently fascinating for a story, but here we get an even more severe test of human nature. The father is erroneously informed that he has won the prestigious Israel Award, providing vindication and meaning to his work and well, his being. See, the award was supposed to go to the other Professor Shkolnik ... yes, his son. This much is shown in the trailer, but the true guts of this story is what happens after this mistake.

There are a few tremendous scenes in the film, but two really jumped out for me. In an early scene, the son is receiving yet another reward and he is attempting to provide some credit for his father's inspiration. However, the words seem to add credence to the irrelevancy instead. The best part? The camera never leaves the face of the father and he sits quietly listening in immeasurable pain. The other scene takes place in a beyond cramped meeting room for the Award committee to discuss the mistake with Uriel. The manner it is filmed and the choreography more than make up for the fact that the group of brilliant people never thought to find a more suitable meeting place.

The score of the film is one that I would appreciate more without having the film playing. The music is wonderful, but often distracting to the moment. It is interesting to note how it changes along with the posture and walking pace of Eliezer after he is informed of his award. One need not be an academic researcher or writer to understand the damaged relationship between father and son ... and how it has impacted wives, mothers and sons. That's a story that is painful in any language.