Ze'ev Berlinsky Movies
Comedian and director Ze'ev Revach has a stock formula for the films he creates, namely a dual role for himself with much mugging for the camera and no real storyline. In this comedy of errors strictly for an Israeli audience accustomed to his humor, Revach plays a lowly janitor in a large office building who is tempted by a large pile of U.S. dollars he finds, and so he takes some of the money. Frightened by the possible consequences once the deed is done, he calls in his twin brother (a gay hairdresser) to substitute for him at work and put the money back in its place. Needless to say, one mix-up after another occurs to prevent the brother from carrying out his assignment. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ze'ev Revach, Irith Sheleg, (more)
Kuni Lemel is the legendary "schlemiel" hero of Jewish shtetl fables. In this film, we meet the octogenarian Kuni in present-day Brooklyn. Our hero wants his grandsons to marry Jewish girls and return to Israel. To make certain that they'll acquiesce, he offers the boys a million dollars each. Will they be able to collect without sacrificing their own plans? The supporting cast includes Mandy Rice-Davies, whose 15 minutes of fame came about through her involvement in the British Profumo sex scandal of 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ze'ev Berlinsky, Tuvia Tishler, (more)
- 1973
Though Desi Arnaz plays the title role, Gregory Peck is top billed in Billy Two Hats. Arnaz plays a thief who teams up with Scottish bank bandit Peck. A botched robbery results in a tiny amount of cash and an accidental killing. Peck rescues the captured Billy, enduring a leg wound in the process. While resting in the home of an old rancher, Peck goes off in search of a doctor, while Billy enjoys the sexual favors of the rancher's young wife. This interruption in the bandits' escape enables Indian-hating sheriff Jack Warden to catch up with Arnaz and Peck. A last-reel shoot-out ensues, involving sheriff's deputies, the rancher, and a band of Indian renegades. Billy Two Hats (reissued as The Lady and the Outlaw) was the first American western to be filmed in Israel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gregory Peck, Desi Arnaz, Jr., (more)
- 1971
In this Israeli comedy, the baker has half a winning lottery ticket, and his deceased partner has the other. In order to benefit from winning, somebody needs to put the two together. The baker searches stealthily for the missing half, so do the dead partner's son-in-law and a group of thieves who hear of this potential windfall. There is some slapstick as this group chases one or another of its member through the streets and shops of Tel-Aviv. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Evil genius Dr. Mabuse hypnotizes the director of an insane asylum in this remake of Fritz Lang's 1933 cinematic landmark. Noted German actor Wolfgang Preiss stars. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1961
The first of the "Dr. Mabuse" films not directed by Fritz Lang, the French/German/Italian Return of Dr. Mabuse stars Wolfgang Preiss in the title role. Supposedly dead and buried, Mabuse returns to his criminal activities, once more using hypnotized flunkeys to carry out his dirty work. While the doc's longtime foe Inspector Lohmann (Gert Froebe) probes and prods in his usual methodical fashion, hotshot American detective Lex Barker and dauntless girl reporter Daliah Lavi take the more direct approach to weed out Mabuse. This time around, the diabolical doctor wants to sabotage a nuclear reactor, then take over the world (he never does anything by halves). Return of Dr. Mabuse was released in Europe as Im Stahlnetz des Dr. Mabuse, Le Retour Du Docteur Mabuse and FBI Contro Dr. Mabuse; in some American cities, it was shipped out as Phantom Fiend. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
This uneven romantic drama directed by Peter Frye, is about the son of a millionaire Jewish family living in Texas who travels to Israel. On his way to the hotel in Tel Aviv after landing at the airport, the son Mike (Seymour Gitin) gets invited to spend some time with the cab driver's family. Before he has time to experience jet lag, the unwanted attentions of a female in the hotel send Mike packing. He ends up with the cabbie's family, a mixed group presided over by an authoritative matriarch (Batya Lancet). She sees no reason why one of her marriageable daughters should not hook up with this millionaire Mike, but Mike has already lost his heart to a model on a magazine cover -- quite a sticky wicket. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gideon Singer, Ze'ev Berlinsky, (more)
