What is most distinctive about HaLahaka is that it takes place during the Yom Kippur War, which is mentioned in a newscast but never discussed by members of the military entertainment group, many of whom face reassignment, possibly to a war zone. In this respect, it resembles Cabaret which famously ignores the rise of the Nazi Party concentrating instead on the cabaret nightlife in Berlin. Although it's been years since I read it, my memory of Christopher Isherwood's collection from which Cabaret was derived is that he was making an ironic point about the ability of Sally Bowles & Co. to look away from what was going on around them and immerse themselves in their own lives. There does not seem to be any irony in HaLahaka. It is simply the story of interaction among a group of young Israelis thrown together in a military entertainment unit. Hard -- in fact, impossible to believe that the war would not have been a constant topic of conversation and anxiety among them. Nevertheless, as in Caberet, the music is good and it is an opportunity to hear "Shir HaShalom," the Song of Peace, sung enthusiastically by the troupe in the final scene of the movie. I wished for a little more realism; it would have made the conflicts among members of the troupe more pertinent since misbehavior threatened expulsion and the risks of having to fight instead of singing, dancing and making out.
Review of The Band
