Sallah Shabati (1964) User Reviews

After the success of this film Haym Topol was offered the role which made Clint Eastwood a worldwide phenomenon.

[FilmCriticLalitRao · 6/10 · 4 July 2007]

As part of an annual film festival of films from Israel, I saw this classic film at the legendary Cinema des Cineastes located near Place de clichy metro station in Paris. This will be remembered as a landmark film in the history of Israelian Cinema. This was filmed in 1964 by Ephraim Kishon at a time when there was hardly any visible trace of film-making in Israel.Kishon,the great humorist filmmaker of Israel proved that good films can be made even when one has limited funds and equipments at one's disposal.The highlight of this film is the light hearted manner in which it shows various hilarious solutions to housing problems of Jewish people after the independence of Israel. To my mind,it is one of those rare films in which two of the greatest living stars of Israelian cinema : Haym Topol and Gila Almagor have acted. They play an impoverished couple with a lots of children. It is fun to watch all the ruses adopted by them in order to be able to get hold of their own house.After the screening, chatting with bemused audiences Haym Topol recounted how owing to a prior commitment he declined Sergio Leone's offer to star in "A fistful of dollars". So if there is anything which has made Clint Eastwood what he is now, it is this refusal in question by Haym Topol.

Errors in Prior Comments

[films42 · 9/10 · 15 August 2008]

One comment above refers to "Eastern-European Arabs," & I'm not sure what part of the world such folks are thought to come from, but the main characters in "Sallah Shabati" are Mizrachim (in the English subtitles, that's translated as "Oriental"). The author of the IMDb summary says family is from Yemen, so I'll go with that unless/until I learn more... but European? No, not at all! Also, Gila Almagor plays "Batsheva," one of the young kibbutzniks. She does NOT play Topol's wife! Amazing film with extremely important role to play in current Middle East dialogue!

Jan Lisa Huttner aka "Second City Tzivi" Arts & Culture Critic for JUF News in Chicago

Vintage Cinema

[beker_a · 9/10 · 4 May 2002]

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?

a wonderfully entertaining look on Israel of the old days

[benbelek · 10/10 · 28 September 2009]

In many ways, not only cinematically, Shabati is a master piece. With endless subtlety and style, Kishon (writer and director, one of Israel's all-time best creative artists in his debut film) brings the story of Salleh Shabati, a Yemenite immigrant to Israel in the first years since it's foundation. Shabati and his big family find themselves in a torn and yet un-structured society, trying in all sorts of ways to get the government - representatives of which being ignorant (if not racist), hard-headed, and at times corrupt, to move them from the "Ma'abara" (refugee camp) to a permanent housing. Shabati may appear, at first, to be a simple illiterate immigrant, but his simple and straightforward wisdom reveal the deepest-most hardships the new society of Israel is being challenged to face. Racism, cultural exclusion, poverty. Eventually, though, love triumphs. Fantastic acting by all actors involved, especially Topol with a magnificent once-in-a-life-time performance, plus sharp, accurate writing by Kishon, make this film a joy to watch. The history and sociology lesson are there if you want them, but Shabati is, before anything else, simply a brilliant film.

watching the movie became a chore

[alanf999 · 4/10 · 27 January 2013]

I don't doubt that this was a groundbreaking movie in Israel in 1964, but it didn't do much for me in the U.S. in 2013. Virtually every turn in the plot was telegraphed far in advance. But if I wasn't surprised by the events, I was taken aback by how long the gags were allowed to run until the camera finally moved on. I was also surprised by how thoroughly insufferable most of the characters were, in terms of both personality traits and speaking styles. The romantic interludes, which involved the most purely sympathetic characters, only partially helped to mitigate the long stretches of whining in Yemenite, Eastern European, and Israeli accents. I had planned to watch the movie twice to work on my Hebrew, but making it through once was more than enough.

Best Israli film of 1960s

[udi_erlich-1 · 10/10 · 28 August 2020]

From 1948-1968 Israel absorbed about 1.5 million immigrants. Almost doubling its population. Most immigrants came with nothing. This movie shows the difficulties in dealing with so many newcomers for as young and as poor a country Israel was. Today, in 2020, one looks back with pride and admiration. Yes, the movie shines light on all the mistakes and shortcomings of the young state. But the huge accomplishments are undeniable. Excellent movie delivered with just enough humor. Enjoy.

Sallah is a heartwarming masterpiece of the 21st century....

[adamkleinberg · 10/10 · 22 February 2006]

Hello and Baruch Hashem.

My name is Sam, but my friends call me Jeff, and I attend CHAT-RH in Canada. I am a Jewish day school student, and we just finished viewing Sallah in class. It is truly an amazing film that brings the love out of Jewish Jewry. As my late toda'ah teacher said: "Baruch Hashem, tov tov, Ha tarbut shelanu hu CHAI!" Throughout the documentary on Eastern-European Arabs that arrive in Israel, Sallah Shabati and his family depict the hardships and triumphant return to freedom. Under persecution by the kibutznikim, Sallah and his family members took on the outer secular world by enhancing their social lives in an extremely hard society. Jenny Segal once said "Winners don't quit, and Quitters don't win".

The musical soundtrack is truly phenomenal, and warms the heart even at the saddest of moments. Wow, the tune is an utter masterpiece infused with the characteristics of early Shakespearen heritage. The background portrays in immense form of emancipation of the Jewish culture.

Watch the movie, and you will understand what I am talking about

Singing out, Jeff Guche

It's in Hebrew

[dino514 · 10/10 · 15 August 2006]

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.