Topol Movies

In this conventional tale of middle-age angst, Effi Avidar (Chaim Topol) is having second thoughts about his marriage after he has a close brush with heart problems. Rejecting his poetess-wife, he looks back at his previous marriage and feels the dreams he had then are worth salvaging as he makes an effort to leave his materialistic treadmill existence behind. Meanwhile, the Israeli Labor Party is also undergoing a similar internal inspection, as the 1977 elections have just put the rightists in power for the first time. And if that is not enough, Effi is also having trouble trying to leap the generation gap that separates him from his daughter. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This World War II epic drama, based on the book by Herman Wouk, follows the life and trials of a career naval officer (Robert Mitchum) sent to Germany during Hitler's rise to power, who witnesses the gradual escalation of the war. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

Roger Moore is back as Secret Agent 007, this time on the trail of shipwreck that holds an Automatic Targeting Attack Communicator (ATAC) for all of the British Naval submarine fleet. Along the way he teams up with the beautiful Melina, played by Carole Bouquet, a maiden out for revenge against a Cuban hitman who killed her father, the head of a British effort to salvage the ATAC. Turns out the hitman was in league with Greek businessman Aris Kristatos (Julian Glover). who's working for the Soviets to attain the Communicator. Together with a drug smuggling rival of Kristatos (played by Topol), Bond and Melina race against time before the keys to all of Britain's missles get in the wrong hands. Richard Maibaum's screenplay has very little to do with the collection of short stories that made up Ian Fleming's For Your Eyes Only, save for the plotline involving Melina's seeking vengeance for the death of her father. The direction is by John Glen, who'd previously done second unit work on other Bond films and went on to direct four more films in the franchise. For Your Eyes Only eschews the gimmickry and campiness of earlier Roger Moore efforts by concentrating instead on intrigue, save for the campy opening that sees Bond dispatch the dastardly Blofeld in a broad comedic pre-credits scene. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on a true story, this made-for-TV spy movie chronicles the 1960 capture of a Nazi in South America. When Israeli agents find out that Nazi Adolph Eichmann survived the war and is living in Argentina, they hatch a plan to kidnap him and bring him to trial for his crimes. Martin Balsam portrays Isser Harel, who wrote the book that served as the basis for this film. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi

Filmed on location in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, The Going Up of David Lev is a dramatized salute to the 25th anniversary of the state of Israel. Courtship of Eddie's Father star Brandon Cruz portrays a young Jewish boy searching for the truth behind the death of his father. He is aided in his quest by a friendly cabdriver, played by Fiddler on the Roof's Topol. Melvyn Douglas and Claire Bloom costar in this warmhearted celebration of liberty, which offers as highlights two songs performed by the ebullient Topol. The Going Up of David Lev was telecast over the ABC network on April 25, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Topol, or more correctly, Chaim Topol, Israel's best known international film star, leads in this sex comedy. Gadi (Topol), a sergeant in the Israeli reserves, is on active duty but is given leave to return to Haifa to divorce his wife. For reasons best known to the filmmakers, Gadi (who is not conventionally good-looking) is irresistible to all the comely women he meets. On his journey from the Suez to Haifa, he meets a woman officer and makes love with her in a rescue helicopter, meets a woman doctor and makes love to her on her kitchen floor, and finally couples with his soon-to-be ex-wife. These are not his only amorous adventures, just the highlights. The whole film is acted with a light touch and is designed to highlight the humor rather than the prurient elements of the story. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this bitter drama that takes place in the immediate aftermath of World War II, British Major Giles Burnside (David Niven) is assigned to a Austrian refugee camp, his orders to send the masses of displaced civilians to either the Russian or the American zone. Burnside is a by-the-books commander but has trouble making himself understood in the gaggle of different languages. But one of the refugees, Janovic, (Topol), is energetic and can speak many languages and Burnside hires him as his interpreter. Janovic quickly conveys Burnsides's directives and gets the way station running efficiently. Janovic even has time to romance a lovely innkeeper, Maria (Anna Karina). But Janovic's love for Maria hits a brick wall when he finds that she is carrying on an illicit affair with Burnside. As the remaining refugees are being dispatched to the different zones of occupation, Janovic is found to be a Russian deserter who must be returned to the Russian mainland to be executed. Burnside offers to help him escape, but Janovic can't decide whether to trust Burnside or not. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

This Israeli-made feature was originally titled Kol Mamzer Melech. Dramatizing an actual event that occurred during the Six-Day War of 1967, the film top-bills Italian actress Pier Angeli, but the central character is a pilot named Ralphi Cohen (played by Oded Kotler). Hoping to bring peace to his country, Cohen takes it upon himself to fly his plane towards Egypt, there to hopefully commiserate with Abdel Nasser. Shot down en route, Cohen finds himself halfway between the Egyptian and Israeli armies; he'd like to get home, but he'd also like to retain the use of his life. Actual footage of the 1967 war is interspersed with several well-choreographed and convincing battles sequences. In some English-speaking markets, this film bore the title Every Bastard a King (a literal translation of the Israeli original). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cast a Giant Shadow is a big-budget, glossy action/adventure story set at the time that Israel became a nation. American Army officer Colonel David Marcus is recruited by the yet-to-exist Israel to help form an army. Marcus is conflicted because of his sudden appreciation for his Jewish heritage. Realizing that each of Israel's Arab nations has vowed to invade the poorly prepared country once the partition has been made, Marcus is made commander of the Israeli forces just before the war begins. The all-star cast includes Kirk Douglas, Senta Berger and Angie Dickinson. Aldo Tonti provides the beautiful photography by Aldo Tonti, and Melville Shavelson directs. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi

Israeli stage and film favorite Topol tops the cast of Sallah. Topol plays a Jewish refugee who moves his family to Israel shortly after the official establishment of that "promised land." Unlike his hard-working new neighbors, Topol is shiftless and lazy, forever finding the easiest, most painless means to support his family. Amazingly, Topol becomes a hero when, while wheeling and dealing, he uncovers misappropriations and corner-cutting in Israel's housing industry. This Menahem Golan production was originally released in Israel as Sallah Shabati. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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, Rovi