Ze'ev Revach Movies

While Israel is a nation that has been in the center of the public eye ever since its birth, its national cinema has received relatively little attention, and only a handful of Israeli films have received extensive distribution outside the country. Raphael Nadjari at once addresses the story of filmmaking in Israel, the politics and aesthetics behind Israeli cinema, and how the nation's film industry has grown outside the interference of the west in this documentary. A History of Israeli Cinema is divided into two parts; the first half covers the years 1932 to 1978, beginning with Zionist films shot in Palestine by Jewish directors from Europe, and the second part is devoted to 1978-2005, when filmmakers embraced what locals critics called "The New Sensibility" and features with brave and defiant Sephardic heroes gave way to more nuanced fare dealing with the spiritual, political and ethical grey areas of a nation of immigrants. Along with extensive clips from a broad variety of key films, the documentary also includes interviews with noted film critic, actors and directors who talk about cinema and its role in a nation whose story is still being written. A History Of The Israeli Cinema received its world premiere at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This taut made-for-television adventure is based on the true story of an American businessman who loses his passport and exit visa in Saudi Arabia. His dishonest clients exploit this fact and do all they can to hold him captive in their country, thereby forcing the American to take desperate measures to escape. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In a rendition of a father-daughter conflict based on misunderstandings, this melodrama focuses on Annette (Nurit Cohen) who has left home for the city where she is unexpectedly offered a leading role in a movie. She is excited as she returns home to tell her news to her father (Zeev Revach) -- a truly conservative shopkeeper -- but she is equally anxiety-ridden about his likely reaction. After reaching home, Annette puts off telling her father and in the meantime, rehearses her part with her boyfriend's help. The father overhears this rehearsal and takes it to be the truth -- his daughter is pregnant. If anything could be worse than her starring in a movie, this might be it. From this point onward, the issue is how to set things straight, hopefully without causing any more damage. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

At a nightclub in Israel, a girl with somewhat easy virtue finds herself singing for a group of five attractive reserve soldiers. She has sex with all of them and becomes pregnant -- but no one can tell who the father is. The five men select one of their number to marry her and legitimize the baby, but she doesn't like their choice. Instead, she makes life difficult for the most likeable one of the group. Her interference puts a damper on his planned wedding to the daughter of a wealthy family, which would have made a career possible, and at first he is angry with her. Eventually, he decides that he wouldn't have liked such a rich life, and he marries the singer. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Israeli commandos cross the border into hostile Arab territory to kidnap an enemy terrorist in this wartime action drama. After the man is captured, the Israeli unit receives warning of an enemy counter attack, and the unit is forced to trek through the desert on foot. The captured Arab manages to kill one of the commandos as the epic struggle in the Middle East continues. The feature was released in a timely fashion the same year of the Arab-Israeli War that resulted in a short and resounding victory over the Arabs. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi