Eli Gorenstein Movies

Maruschka Detmers stars as Hannah Senesh, a real-life Hungarian Jew who became a martyr to the cause of freedom during WW II. Though safely ensconced in Palestine at the outbreak of the war, Hannah volunteers to venture behind enemy lines in Europe on a life-or-death mission. Unfortunately, she is captured, undergoing unspeakable tortures before the Germans are finished with her. The script, based on Hannah's diaries (as edited by Yoel Palgi), surprisingly downplays heroics in favor of sensationalism; the prison scenes could just as well have been lifted from a Linda Blair "babes behind bars" picture. Even so, Detmers is excellent in the title role, while Ellen Burstyn is likewise superb as Hannah's mother. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With a dated format that runs along like a vaudeville production, the numbers in this musical-variety show are barely strung together by the thin storyline of a group of soldiers coming to a village and engaging in romantic overtures with the local women. Performances are bracketed by dialogue as the "story" moves from one episode to the next. The main intent is to present the songs and routines on film that army performers used to do for their audiences. This type of light musical has no exact counterpart in the West but still entertained Israeli movie-goers in the early 1980s. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide