Ha-Lahaka

"The Troupe" (also known as "Sing Your Heart Out") is a 1977 Israeli pic that proved to be a big hit on its homeground. Combo of amateur songs, enthusiastic slapstick and patriotic sentiment does not travel well but should generate some specialized bookings Stateside.

Vaguely resembling U. S. World War II "entertain the troops" comedies, "Troupe" is set after the Six Day War, with a unit of entertainer-soldiers traveling around the country to raise the active soldiers' spirits. Amidst corny rivalries and romances as subplots, main premise is our group being good enough to be chosen from all the competition to appear on a national tv broadcast on Independence Day.

In his debut film, helmer Avi Nesher stages broad comedy well and keeps the unimpressive musical numbers (combining traditional music with a three-piece rock band and folk ballads) simple.

An attractive young cast contributes highly naturalistic acting in the more intimate scenes. Standing out from the ensemble are Meir Swisa doing a young Jerry Lewis-style comedy turn. Liron Nigard as the earth mother among the youngsters and Daphna Aroni as a talented singer who arouses envy among the veterans.

Technical credits are okay, though the Israeli setting is so underutilized that the film could have been shot on a Hollywood lot.

My review was written after a screening on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

I never belived I could be so excited from a musical. Israel of the 70's, on the crossroads between solidarity of the founding generation to the individualism of the global generation.

The army setting is the singing group and not the Comando. Between singing in army posts to the The individual intersts start poping... but the solidarity for the group still wins with a happy end and a song for peace. This naive picture is placed on the right spot, of "what went wrong" with our society, although the film doesn't deal with it directly.

The beautifull songs of our childhood, the cast that was the foundation of the Israeli culture in the '70s-'80s. Gidi Gov, Gali Atari, Dafna Armoni, Dovale, Tuvia, Heli, Susisa, Liron Nirgad (where are you?), Gilat Ankori. So young, so beautifull, so naive.

The filming location at "Ken Borohov Ihud" in Givataim of my childhood. The pre globalisation Israel we miss so much...

This is a cult movie that is being broadcasted on the TV networks in Israel on special days like independence day & Holidays. I saw it today on the election day. Where are we currently? Wasn't it so nice if in one good song could bring the peace? Wasn't it so nice if we would have back those youth friends that are so honest with us and are ready to sacrifice their career for their freinds?

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.

This is one of the best Israeli films ever made. While it may never have had any international fame, it is still loved in Israel and never seems to grow old. The songs are almost all beautiful and truly well produced. Also, the story of an entertainment troupe and the "behind the scenes" of their dynamics is something that's relevant to anyone in the entertainment business (or any business, for that matter) who has to work with a team that doesn't have a static group of members. Mind you, not all of the acting is totally spot on, but that only detracts a tiny bit from the movie. If you ever get a chance to see this movie, don't miss it!