In 1964 the Israeli film industry had scarcely found its feet, but there were some very good people at work. This movie begins with some spooky expressionist scenes and continues with a great sense of pace as it mixes relatively light-hearted suspense with comedy, a little sentimentalism, and even songs. Aside from a clever gag or two, the script is entirely mediocre family fare. If you happen to have seen the acclaimed Israeli film "The Monkey House," from six decades later, this old one represents exactly the kind of collectivist tale that, in that film, nobody likes any more. It's about a group of adventurous kibbutz kids who function in solidarity as a mutually supportive unit. The one who has a parent visible in the film is an oddity. The photography is excellent, and the choice of settings works very well. For the most part, the kids' limited acting ability doesn't matter much. We get to see a nice turn from the legendary Bomba Tzur, who appeared in all too few movies. A bigger role goes to the even more legendary Shaike Ophir, but he doesn't find much to sink his teeth into.
