Sallah (1964)

The sharp, often hilarious satire that became the most successful film in Israeli history (until that time) is about new immigrants Sallah and his family, who are left in a shack near their... See full summary »

Director:

Ephraim Kishon

Writers:

Ephraim Kishon (screenplay), Ephraim Kishon (story)

Stars:

Topol, Geula Nuni, Gila Almagor

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited 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

Storyline

The sharp, often hilarious satire that became the most successful film in Israeli history (until that time) is about new immigrants Sallah and his family, who are left in a shack near their promised apartment and are abandoned for months. A Yemenite Jewish family that was flown to Israel during "Operation Magic Carpet" - a clandestine operation that flew 49,000 Yemenite Jews to Israel the year after the state was formed - is forced to move to a government settlement camp. The patriarch of the family, portrayed by Chaim Topol, tries to make money and get better housing, in a country that can barely provide for its own and is in the midst absorbing hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees from Arab countries.

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Plot Keywords:

one word title | reference to yemen | reference to egypt | husband wife relationship | subtitles | 

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Taglines:

Sallah Can Make You Happy!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

1965 Academy Award Nominee as Best Foreign Language film, first Israeli film so honored. Lost to the submission from Italy, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963).

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Connections

Referenced in London et Kirschenbaum: Episode dated 13 July 2015 (2015)

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Soundtracks

Li U'Lecha/Ve'Lach
Lyrics by Didi Manusi
Music by Yohanan Zaray
Performed by Arik Einstein and Geula Nuni

User Reviews

It's in Hebrew

This movie is in Hebrew and the subtitles blend in with the background, so, I am not quite sure what actually happened in this movie but it looked funny. Also, sometimes the characters spoke and the subtitles did not even come up. But, aside from that, Sallah Shabati was hilarious and I recommend it to all of you who can speak Hebrew and understand "Milot Groniot" because that is how Sallah speaks and it is difficult to understand. Here was my favourite scene:- Frieda: Mr. Shabati, we live in the 20th century now Sallah: I live in a Maabara Frieda: The 20th century is not a place to live Sallah: Neither is a Maabara This is just a preview of the hilarity factor of this movie. See Sallah Shabati for a good laugh and a half.

Details

Country:

Israel

Language:

Hebrew English Arabic

Release Date:

10 March 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sallah

Filming Locations:

HaKfar HaYarok, Israel

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sallah Company, Sallah Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min (with exit music)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color Black and White