Exodus (1960)

The state of Israel is created in 1948, resulting in war with its Arab neighbors.

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Dalton Trumbo (screenplay), Leon Uris (novel)

Stars:

Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Ralph Richardson

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Newman	...	Ari Ben Canaan
Eva Marie Saint	...	Kitty Fremont
Ralph Richardson	...	Gen. Sutherland
Peter Lawford	...	Maj. Caldwell
Lee J. Cobb	...	Barak Ben Canaan
Sal Mineo	...	Dov Landau
John Derek	...	Taha
Hugh Griffith	...	Mandria
Gregory Ratoff	...	Lakavitch
Felix Aylmer	...	Dr. Lieberman
David Opatoshu	...	Akiva Ben Canaan
Jill Haworth	...	Karen
Marius Goring	...	Von Storch
Alexandra Stewart	...	Jordana Ben Canaan
Michael Wager	...	David Ben Ami

Storyline

The theme is the founding of the state of Israel. The action begins on a ship filled with Jewish immigrants bound for Israel who are being off loaded on Cyprus. An Intelligence officer succeeds in getting them back on board their ship only to have the harbor blocked by the British with whom they must negotiate. The second part of the film is about the situation in Israel as independence is declared and most of their neighbors attack them.

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Plot Keywords:

israel | jewish | 1940s | jewish refugee | based on true story | 

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Taglines:

The drama and the passion of one of the epic events of the twentieth century !

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 May 1961 (France)

Also Known As:

Exodus

Filming Locations:

Israel

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$18,966,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,750,000, 31 January 1970

Company Credits

Production Co:

Otto Preminger Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

208 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Leon Uris, author of the original novel, disliked this film, perhaps because director Otto Preminger made no secret of his belief that it was a poorly-written book with extremely interesting subject-matter. Preminger and screenwriter Dalton Trumbo were especially concerned about altering the novel's strongly anti-British slant. Despite their efforts, the film, a huge box-office hit in America, did poorly in Britain.

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Goofs

Karen tells Kitty that "when you're 16, you join the Palmach. Everybody joins." In fact, the Palmach was an elite force of specially selected fighters within the Haganah. It was not open to general membership.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Cypriot guide: The island of Cyprus, madame. World famous for beauty, and long, tragic history. Been conquered many times, conquered by Phoenicians, Assyrians, Persians, Macedonians; also conquered by Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Turks. Purchased from Turkey by your esteemed self, the British Empire. All Cyprus most wanted the British.
Kitty Fremont: [correcting him] I'm an American.
Cypriot guide: Fond of Americans, also; we Cypriots are fond of everybody.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits shown over a background of flames.

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Connections

Referenced in The Sopranos: Remember When (2007)

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Soundtracks

Shir HaEmek
(uncredited)
Music Traditional
[Hummed by the children crossing the valley]

User Reviews

Top-notch even for modern viewers

I'm a college guy that doesn't entirely mind your modern day Hollywood, but occasionally I like to go out and rent a classic like this. If you're like me that can be a dangerous bet, but you're safe with this film. Its really quite moving.

This adaptation of the birth of Israel is touching as it the struggle of the post WWII Jews, native Palestinians, and West at a crucial point in history. Our modern turmoil in the Middle East makes this film very relevant all these years later.

The acting and script were A+. It takes a lot to make me watch an old film, but this one certainly does the trick. Its over 200 minutes long, but it won't feel like it!