Te'alat Blaumilch

In a country where any halfway decent local movies can be counted on the fingers of one hand, this comedy is definitely one to watch; in my opinion, one of the funniest, most clever movies ever. Ephraim Kishon, one of Israel's (and Europe's) most popular writers, wrote this movie (originally as a sketch) when the noise from construction work in the street below got on his nerves. Ever the self-centered type, he asked himself whether the construction workers were really there for a reason, or just a bunch of freaks whose only perpose in life is to disturb his sleep.

This simple idea eventually led to a hilarious satire of administration gone berserk. Bomba Tzur plays Blaumilch, a madman who's obsessed with digging. He escapes from an asylum early one morning, steals a pneumatic drill and starts digging up one of Tel-Aviv's busiest streets! Within hours, downtown Tel Aviv is reduced to a gigantic traffic jam, the local residents go insane, and Mr. Blaumilch is having the time of his life. But when the officials of the Tel Aviv municipality get wind of this, no one (including the runty mayor) knows who to give credit for this unexpected project; nearsighted bureaucrats secretly blame each other for it. In the confusion, nobody thinks to check what started the whole thing, except our hero Ziegler, which obviously nobody believes, even when he eventually discovers the truth. Eventually, city hall sends in reinforcements (bulldozers and heavy machinery) and the dig becomes a monstrous excavation, which can only lead to disaster. Or perhaps not... This movie is terrific. Very well directed, shot, scored, cast and acted, by a who's who of Israel's best comic actors of the time. Director Kishon throws in some very clever set-pieces. Excellent 60's atmosphere, too. A winner. Not to be missed.

Kishon is amazing. This is jewel in the Israeli satire against bureaucracy, way of life, historical heritage and the 60's in Israel. It is hysterically funny. A must see for every movie loving person. The story is about a madman which starts to dig a hole, and since bureaucracy and political rivals kick in, they take the charge for digging s hole in the most busiest street in Tel Aviv. Of course after everyone does not take the blame for it, after creating a venetian tunnel of of the street, everyone take responsibility for their own "life achievement" Thank you, Kishon, for making this movie!

The idea for this film is great because it's so original. However, the execution could have been better, as sometimes the film is handled a bit too broadly--subtle, it wasn't.

A mental patient escapes and soon happens upon a jackhammer. With a weird compulsion to use it, he begins tearing apart a street in Tel Aviv at 5am. And, the man continues jackhammering and disrupting life there non-stop--day and night. It's a nightmare for the residents who appeal to the government to do something. But, because the government is made up of idiot bureaucrats (now that's a stretch), nothing is done. After all, the officials reason, someone must have ordered this work to be done. Much of the film consists of these officials trying desperately to cover their butts and pretty soon they start taking credit for the mess--saying it's all part of a wonderful beautification project. They even order MORE workers to expand the project! However, one lowly official realizes the worker is insane but no one will listen.

It's a clever idea of bureaucracy gone mad--an excellent parody for any developed nation. But, all too often, the film seemed to have acting, direction and music that all worked together to try too hard to make the film kooky. I think a more serious and less slapstick approach would have worked better, as this film has almost a Sherwood Schwartz quality about it (he's the guy responsible for "Gilligan's Island"). Not bad--but it should have been better.

Apart from "Lemon Popsicle" series of films from Israel,there are not so many directors in the history of Israelian cinema who have made successful comedy films.If there is a man who has made enjoyable comedy films it is Iprahim Kishon.As he was primarily a great writer,he was able to infuse his writing talents in his films.It can be said about Iprahim Kishon's film "Te'alat Blaumilch" that its visual as well aesthetic style was completely different from the films made by other comic geniuses like Max Linder,Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Apart from its highly original idea of a lunatic digging a canal in the middle of a street,this film was famous for its set design which consisted of a replica of a fictitious canal right in the middle of Tel Aviv city.A thing which might irk some feminist viewers is that this is a bit sexist in nature as there are numerous ribald jokes consisting of futile attempts made by office boss to seduce his beautiful secretary. Iprahim Kishon made three great comic films and this film is one of those laugh riots which is surely going to drive you crazy with endless bouts of laughter.

This is a harmless, somewhat funny bit of Israeli slapstick, with plenty of people screaming at each other, gesticulating and running around in circles. It is a takeoff on Israeli (and any other)bureaucracy, and, I suppose the hectic life in Tel-Aviv in the late 1960s. Amusing to watch (once) but hardly anything that is going to make Ingmar Bergman or Roman Polanski lose any sleep.