Judith

Sexy Sophia is always worth watching (even when saddled with possibly the worst hairstyle of her career), and she is well-supported here by Peter Finch, Jack Hawkins and Hans Verner, but this is one of her lesser films. More than the entire first hour is all setup, and lacks tension. Things get a little more engaging in the last half hour, and the film does close with some well-staged epic-scale battle scenes. So it's not quite the BOMB Leonard Maltin classifies it as. But the ending leaves the story unfinished - were they naively hoping for a "Judith II"? **1/2 out of 4.

Big budgeted epic drama with some unbeliavable happenings , set in Palestine in 1948 , the British prepare to end their Mandate, leaving an independent Israel behind. By the late Forties, millions of bewildered and homeless Jews people were on the move-across Europe and the Far East. They were looking for somewhere to live and for many of them that meant a new country. Jews demanded a land of their own. Some Jews on board hoped to sail to Palestine in the first 'exodus ship'. Other Jewish emigrants struggle ashore from island of Cyprus. And a lot of Jewish refugees were at British camps on their way to Palestine. On many of the refugees, by a famine-strike, the conditions were appalling , overcrowded, lacking food and water. This is an exodus that succeeded. In Palestine coming so soon after the holocaust, the homeless come home, but those traumatic echoes of Auschwitz and Buchenwald inflamed Zionist feelings. 1946,1947 and early 1948 were a years in which Zionist terrorist was at its height and Independent Israel still seemed heartbreaks away. The British troops (commanded by Major Jack Hawkins) guard the ships load of Jews in the ports, they were rounded up, to be sent to the camps . Meanwhile, a beautiful woman (Sophia Loren who was blacklisted in the Arab countries due to this Jewesh role) who survived a concentration camp with makeup intact goes undercover to Israel in 1948 to track down her Nazi hubby who had betrayed her. The Israeli defense force, the Haganah (commanded by Peter Finch) , has received intelligence that Arab forces, Syria in particular, are employing former German Panzer commander General Gustav Schiller (Hans Verner) to train them in tank tactics against Israel. Judith Had Only One Desire...To Wield Her Body Like a Whip, To Avenge a Wrong Beyond Words! The story of a woman curved like a weapon - a weapon out to avenge a wrong beyond words, beyond imagining, even perhaps beyond avenging...In the violence of an ancient land she found what she had sought - a pure, personal unholy revenge!.Judith woman of the earth. Judith woman of mystery. Judith woman of excitement . The adventure, the ecstasy, the supreme suspense of a woman wronged beyond words, almost beyond revenge...

An intense wartime drama about a merciless vendetta , set when Israel is surrounded by hostile Arab nations and the Israel military force has to fight to defend itself from aggression. This exciting fim deals essentially with two issues : the relentless Judith/Sophia Loren's searching for her husband to exact revenge as well as to locate their son and about the birth of the Israel State. Acceptable performances from Sophia Loren as an obstinate Israeli woman who was betrayed by her husband and left to die in a concentration camp , Peter Finch as an obstinate Jew general and Jack Hawkins as a commandant of British forces. This is a historical film well written by John Michael Hayes , being based on a story by Lawrence Durrell. Furthermore , a nice support cast, such as : Hans Verner, Frank Wolff, André Morel, Arnoldo Foà , Peter Burton and John Stacy .

In addition , a sensitive and emotive soundtrack by Sol Kaplan , including enjoyable leitmotif . Likewise , evocative cinematography by John Wilcox , filmed in Israel, though a perfect remastering being really necessary because of the film-copy is washed-out .The motion picture was regular was efficiently directed by Daniel Mann , though it results to be some boring and tiring , a bad combination . This one was a prestigious director who made notorious films as " Butterfileld 8" , " The Rose Tattoo" , "Come Back Little Sheba" , "A Dream of Kings" , "I'll cry Tomorrow" . Although Daniel Mann also directed some failed and commercial films such as : "Super Rocky" , "The Avengers" , "Interval" , "Journey into Fear" , among others . Rating : 5.5/10 .

Saw this movie many years ago in the theatre and found it most entertaining with lots of drama and action. Had a lousy ending though, with woman seeking to find her son throughout the entire movie, failing in that endeavor. Maybe this is why I have never seen it come to the small screen.

This film is a superb film. I managed to get the soundtrack of it on vinyl but have not seen it anywhere on DVD. I think it is possibly one of Sophia Loren's best films. Does anyone know if it is likely to be released at any time. This film used to be shown regularly on British television and now seems to have gone into the archives. The film shows a very good matching of characters to the parts they play. Jack Hawkins also plays his character with feeling and depth.The subject matter to certain people in view of the current situation in Israel could make this film a little to near the mark for certain people. I would ask that someone reviews the issue of non availability on DVD.

Underrated drama widely more interesting and exciting than the mammoth "Exodus", which by all means has its great qualities, but this is more universal in its deeper human presentation.

Sophia Loren has been described as miscast in this role, but that doesn't diminish her acting qualities. She is always superb and no less here than in any other of her films. It's true, her make-up and hair style, eye mascara and sometimes overwhelming sex appeal might seem a little out of place for a concentration camp veteran with a past as a German officer's s fling bent only revenge in extreme bitterness dominating all her life, but Sophia Loren manages it. Although she is as flamboyant a character as she is, she makes even this ruin of a girl a convincing character.

Peter Finch is equally good and as perfect as ever, while Jack Hawkins as the major approaching the end of the line gives the film the one soft touch it needs to become supremely interesting.

Saul Kaplan's music is also very adequate, actually vying with the "Exodus" theme sometimes, so there is nothing wrong with this film. On the contrary, it is underrated and as a human drama much more interesting and engaging than "Exodus", and Peter Finch is more convincing than Paul Newman.