Sallah Shabati

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.

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

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 "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?

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.