Menahem Golan Movies
As one of the leaders in Israeli cinema, filmmaker/producer Menahem Golan has collaborated with his cousin Yoram Globus since the early '60s to produce over 150 movies. He spent many years directing theatrical productions in Israel before coming to the U.S. to study film in New York and later became a protegé of director Roger Corman. When Golan returned to his homeland, he and Globus worked together to create Israel's film industry with prestigious films such as Sallah Shabati (1964). In 1979, Golan and Globus took over the Cannon group in Hollywood where for the next 10 years they produced quality independent films such as Love Streams (1984) and Barfly (1987). In 1989, the two producers went their separate ways with Globus becoming the head of Pathe International, and Golan moving to take over the 21st Century Film Corporation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1943
In this '40s film Kay Kyser parades an entertainment group all over the globe providing laughs for the boys in battle. This film realistically portrays the role of the USO during the WW II time period. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mischa Auer
- 1963
When a man is framed for a crime he didn't commit, his socially intimidated lawyer is reluctant to take the case. The barrister finally agrees, but does nothing to help in his defense. Political pressure is exerted to find the man guilty, and the guilty man is blackmailed into really committing a crime when the punishment is of lesser consequence than the first offense with which he is charged. The accused becomes even more determined to prove his innocence and become an accepted member of the social elite. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gila Almagor, Topol, (more)
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Topol, Gila Almagor, (more)
- 1964
A group of Israeli children investigate a stranger who is camping out in the ruins that the kids consider their territory. Although the man claims to be an ornithologist, the children soon suspect him of clandestine operations. The children band together to uncover the mystery surrounding the stranger in this amusing comedy thriller with music. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shai Ophir
- 1964
Veronique Vandell and Shai K. Ophir co-star in this musical comedy from Israel. Dalia is a beautiful Israeli woman whose family has moved to Canada. She stows away on a freighter in Montreal bound for the Middle East. The curvaceous, bikini-clad female endears herself to the crew, who do their best to hide her and provide her with food and comfort. The situation is fertile ground for comedic sight gags including the Captain's Ball when everyone dresses in drag so Dalia is lost in the crowd. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shai Ophir
- 1966
In this espionage drama, a secret agent is slated to rendezvous with a German scientist in Cairo. There the agent gets involved with the scientist's daughter and discovers that her father is busy designing a moon rocket that can be used as a weapon. This leads the agent to break into the scientist's heavily guarded lab and destroy the plans for the missile. There he meets up with radical Moslems who insist on destroying the weapon themselves. He soon discovers a trap. To escape, he abducts the scientist's daughter and heads for Italy where Egyptian agents capture him, place him in a trunk and send him on a plane back to Cairo. Italian guards manage to capture the Egyptians. When they open the trunk, they discover the body of an Egyptian guard, not that of the agent. Meanwhile, the super spy has boarded the plane containing the captured girl. He manages to commandeer the plane, fly back to Egypt and ensure a happy ending for all involved. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audie Murphy, George Sanders, (more)
- 1968
This uneven and humorless drama is taken from the writings of Sholom Aleichem. Unfortunately, this movie version falls short of the tragic comedy presented in the original text. Tovie is a poor milkman who must work hard to support his wife and seven daughters. One by one, the young women leave the house when they reach the age when they can marry. The film was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and was partially financed by government funds from Germany and Israel, though it seems a shame that the money wasn't better spent. Perhaps purists were upset at the theatrical success of the musical Fiddler on the Roof and wanted something more solemn and reverential. The stories of the great Yiddish author were adapted by Norman Jewison just three years later into a vastly superior film of the musical, which captured the comedy and pathos of the rural Jewish poor so ably rendered in the stories. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1968
This colorful musical comedy finds a young Jewish boy trying to save up enough money for a one-way ticket to America at the beginning of the 20th century. His brother tries to make money with a series of inventions which inevitably fail. Featured in the film are fourteen songs by Yohanan Zaray, music that captures the oppressive atmosphere of turn-of-the-century Eastern Europe. Choreography is kept to a minimum in this film where the heroes are all children. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gadi Yagil
Timothy Bartlett (Norman Wisdom) is a middle-aged banker who is sent to a seaside resort for a banker's convention. He fears the meetings will be frightfully dull, but things change when two amorous hippie girls take Timothy for a sail on the sea of love. Timothy goes middle-aged crazy, making a spectacle of himself in hippie clothes as he tries to fit into the swinging scene. Nude dips in the ocean are followed and preceded by wild parties as he tries to recapture the days of his flaming youth. After he feels remorse and embarrassment over his behavior, he calls on his wife to join him at the convention to rekindle their love in this lowbrow comedy. The British rock group The Pretty Things provides the music. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norman Wisdom, Sally Geeson, (more)
- 1969
Margo (Levana Finklstein) is a young woman saddled with the responsibility of caring for her siblings because of her absent mother and drunken father. With little time to think of her own feelings, she falls in love with a university professor and has her first love affair. Scenes of the Golan Heights are depicted, as are the Wailing Wall, the Mosque of Omar and the Christmas procession of the faithful Catholics. Arabs and Jews live side-by-side in this feature that reflects a hopeful situation for the future of Israel. After doing so much for others, Margo allows herself to experience the feelings of love, although the affair could lead to heartbreak for the young woman and unemployment for the unhappily married college professor. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Levana Finklstein, Oded Teomi, (more)
- 1970
Members of the Israeli Army and Security Services plan an attack on a Syrian prison to release Israeli commandos. Eli (Yehoram Gaon) joins Beno (Rick Jason) and Abie (Peter Braun) in the clandestine operation. They must divert the attention of the Syrian Major Heikal (Yoseph Shiloah) by leaking false information to the Syrians. Hebrew, Arabic and English are spoken in this tepid drama. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yehoram Gaon, Rick Jason, (more)
- 1970
Yes, contrary to popular belief, Menahem Golan of the Golan-Globus production team can direct. Lupo is proof positive of this. The title character, played by Yehuda Barkan, is a happy-go-lucky Israeli cart driver. Before long, however, Lupo is neither happy nor lucky, nor can he "go." His horse is killed, his tiny hovel is threatened with demolition, and his daughter may leave him forever when she marries into wealth. He organizes a protest against the destruction of his home, but has to solve his other problems through wit and charm. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yehuda Barkan, Gabi Amrani, (more)
- 1971
This film moves the Romeo and Juliet story to Tel Aviv, has the rival families be insurance brokers Katz and Karosso, and changes the number of tragic couples from one to two. In this Israeli comedy, the story has a happy ending. One interesting feature of the film is the astonishing number of barely concealed merchandising plugs it contains: in that regard it is practically a filmed yellow pages. Adjustments in the plot appear to have been made to accommodate the use of name-brand items. While it is not surprising that this film was not well-reviewed, it is a great curiosity piece. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Margalit (Gila Almagor) is a prostitute with one child, and she wants another one. A man-hater, she doesn't want a husband, just another child. At this point she is an independent woman who works without a pimp and who "owns" a section of a road outside of Tel Aviv. There, she offers her services to the truck drivers who get their gas nearby. Among her clients she finds one handsome enough to suit her and goes to the kibbutz where he lives to induce him to impregnate her, which he does. While living with her mother in semi-retirement during her pregnancy, she goes out with some lowlife bums she knows who quite literally take her to Sodom and rape her. The movie continues her story quite a bit beyond these episodes. Realistically presented, without excessive starkness or sentimentality, this depiction of the seamy side of life was considered quite daring in Israel at the time it was made. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1972
This Israeli romantic drama chronicles the love of Nissim for Rosa (Michel Bat-Adam), Nissim's widowed sister-in-law. Under (very old) Jewish religious law, Nissim has the duty and obligation to marry his brother's spouse on the death of his brother. Nissim (Gabi Oterman) is very fond of Rosa, and grows to love her. However, he is only eleven, and newly single Rosa is not interested in either child-rearing or remarriage, so she shoos him away. Quite a few years later, Nissim (Moshe Tal) comes back with marriage in mind. Their conflicts and growing love resolve in a satisfying conclusion. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1972
In this fast-paced slapstick Israeli comedy, cleaning woman Aliza (Edna Fildel) solves two murders in the department store she works in. The bumbling police try to help; despite the obstacles their help presents to her, with much shouting and scolding she unravels the mystery. In Hebrew, this film has English subtitles. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1972
The ongoing plight of Russian Jewry serves as the backdrop for the Golan-Globus effort Escape to the Sun (Habricha el Hashemesh). Laurence Harvey is cast against type as Major Kirsanov, a nasty KGB officer who refuses to allow Soviet Jews Nina Kaplan (Josephine Chaplin, Charlie's daughter and Geraldine's sister) and Yasha Bazarov (Yuda Barkin) to emigrate to Israel. In desperation, Nina, Yasha and several others hijack a jetliner. Kirsanov foils the plan, but Nina and Yasha manage to escape--if you can call heading to the desolate Russian steppes an "escape." The actors are talented and the locations well chosen, but the script is a real let-down. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this Israeli musical, shot in old Jaffa and Jerusalem and based on a popular stage show, a street-wise war hero inspires his neighbors to fight back against the developers endeavoring to destroy their neighborhood. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1973
While Egyptian-born director Moshe Mizrahi is best known for such popular European films as Madame Rosa (1977), I Sent a Letter to My Love (1981), and La Vie Continue (1981), he scored his first cinematic successes in his adopted homeland of Israel. Mizrahi was 15 years old when he emigrated to a kibbutz in what was then known as Palestine. Likewise 15 years old is Sami, the young protagonist of Mizrahi's 1973 film The House on Chelouche Street, which takes place in 1946 Tel-Aviv. Sami's day-to-day efforts to provide for his family are placed in context with the ongoing struggle to establish the State of Israel. One of the most intensely personal of historical films, House on Chelouche Street was nominated for the "Best Foreign Picture" Academy Award. Its featured players include such Israeli film luminaries as Shai K. Ophir, Gila Almagor, and actress-director Michal Bat-Adams. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
- PG
Menahem Golan directed this low wattage heist movie enlivened by Robert Shaw in a dual role as twin brothers. Shaw plays a jaded British aristocrat who decides to become a jewel thief in order to get back at his brother (also played by Shaw), a security expert who has constructed an impregnable vault in Israel where a cache of diamonds are stashed. The tired plot concerns the intricate preparations for the diamond theft and the time-consuming task of cracking the safe. Shaw organizes a gang consisting of Richard Roundtree and Barbara Hershey. Shelley Winters is also on hand as an American widow who tries to seduce Shaw. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Shaw, Richard Roundtree, (more)
- 1975
- R
Tony Curtis stars as the feared leader of "Murder Incorporated" in this underworld drama based on the life of Louis "Lepke" Buchalter. Lepke began his criminal career as a petty thief in his teens; a stretch in prison taught him the finer points of life on the wrong side of the law. After getting out of jail, Lepke and his pal Gurrah Shapiro (Warren Berlinger) join a gang who hire themselves out as strikebreakers, and the vicious but clever Lepke soon rises through the ranks. Lepke makes powerful friends with mob kingpins "Lucky" Luciano (Vic Tayback) and Albert Anastasia (Gianni Russo), and when high-ranking but deranged gangster "Dutch" Schultz (John Durren) announces he's going to kill District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey (Richard C. Adams), Lepke is chosen to rub "Dutch" out. Lepke handles the assignment well, and he's able to strike up a deal with the various Mafia families -- he'll form a separate organization to handle executions and assassinations, and he'll hire out his services to any mobsters who need it, provided the mob bosses approve the killings. Between "Murder Incorporated" and a drug ring operated with Luciano, Lepke has become a wealthy and important man in the underworld, but ironically he finds soon himself himself investigated by the man whose life he unwittingly saved -- Dewey. Lepke also features comedian and impressionist Vaughn Meader as the voice of Walter Winchell. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, Anjanette Comer, (more)
One of two 1976 Italian-Israeli co-productions starring Lee Van Cleef and Leif Garrett (Joseph Manduke's Kid Vengeance was the other), this spaghetti Western stars Van Cleef in a dual role as twin brothers. One of the brothers, Father John, is gunned down by the ruthless Sam Clayton (Jack Palance), allowing Sam's gang to take over Juno City. Young Johnny (Garrett) crosses into Mexico to convince the priest's twin, a retired bounty hunter named Louis, to strap on his guns one more time and save the town. Van Cleef is compelling, even in his somewhat laughable wig, and the familiar cast also includes Richard Boone and Sybil Danning, but it somehow misses the mark. Irwin Yablans, who made his name with Halloween two years later, co-produced with Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Van Cleef, Jack Palance, (more)
TThough barely released to theaters, the tongue-in-cheek crime melodrama Four Deuces became a Late Late Show fixture in the '80s. Jack Palance plays Vic Morano, a high-ranking Prohibition-era mobster with a weakness for women. Vic's humanity begins surfacing when he falls for gorgeous blonde Wendy (Carol Lynley). The film's title refers to the name of his speakeasy, and to his gang, which consists of himself, Wendy, and a brace comic-relief hoodlums. The plot concerns Vic's ongoing war with rival hoodlum Chico Hamilton (Warren Berlinger). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
