Posted on 01/02/2006 1:43:27 PM PST by Cinnamon Girl
Believe it or not, I only saw "Exodus" for the first time last night. Wow. I can't believe Hollywood ever had a kind word for Israel, especially considering the current prevailing attitude, as portrayed in Spielberg's "Munich."
"Exodus" was made in 1960, only 12 years after the U.N. voted to allow a separate state of Israel. Somehow, liberal revisionist history had not yet taken over Hollywood and here came a film that made the struggle for an idependent state a righteous battle, not a "mistake" as Tony Kushner, screenwriter of "Munich" has said.
"Exodus" stars the extremely good looking and masculine Paul Newman, who is saddled with the idiotic name Ari Ben -Canaan. The Ari part is fine (it means "lion" in Hebrew), but "son of Canaan?" No Jew has such a name because the Canaanites were idol worshippers and had to be conquered so that the Hebrew people could fulfill the commandment of taking over the land of Israel. Anyway, Newman is intense, driven, and hot as a leader in the Haganah who has to finagle his way past the British army to get Jews into Palestine. Interestingly, Newman refers to himself and other Jews born in Palestine/Israel as "Palestinians." This is historically accurate, but would probably be confusing to many people today who have bought into the arab/muslim claim on this term.
Another main character played by Sal Mineo, joins the Irgun and blows up the King David Hotel, a British military installation. The film makes clear that the British were warned repeatedly that the hotel would be bombed and still did not evacuate. Today, many people bring up this bombing to equate the Jews with the terrorist groups like hamas.
Eva Marie Saint plays the somewhat annoying Presbyterian from America who spends most of the movie not understanding why the Jews would want to go to Israel or fight for it, and even tells Ari (Paul Newman) "can't you just forget about being a Jew for a few mintues?" Then she makes a pass. It's understandable why she would find him so attractive, but why he would like her is a mystery.
The better romance was between Sal Mineo's character Dov Landau and the cute young refugee Karen, played by Jill Hayworth. These two understood each other, having both suffered during the war and now dedicating themselves to being part of the new state.
The film points out the relationship between the grand mufti of Jerusalem and the nazis, and also makes clear that the Jews wanted the arab residents to stay in their homes in Israel, but that the muslim leadership said they could not.
I recommend the film because it is very engaging (even though it's almost four hours!) and it has a lot of factual information going for it-- it was filmed on location in Israel and Cyprus. I've been to the Acco prison and well, the British military would probably like to forget about their ugly history there. Mostly, however, it was good to see something so politically at odds with Hollywood/European current sensibilities. The question is: could a film like this be made today?
The most accurate analysis is yours. Extreme socilalism/communism is what Hollywood is all about, not Jewishness. Hollywood promotes communism by and large and has since the twenties. This plague never rests and will attack any who move away from communism or are successful using capitalist endeavors.
I'm sorry. I didn't consider it throwing Judaism out the window, but I can see how it can be taken that way. I didn't mean to be offensive.
"Exodus" really brings back memories. I enjoyed both the book and the movie. One of my Jewish friends went gaga over the Karen character. The movie was made at a time when the actions of the Israeli founders could still be considered heroic and stirring. Such a movie made today would be roundly criticized by every magazine in America. Israel is not considered politically correct.
But I enjoyed the movie, and I really don't care what Paul Newman thinks of it.
I heard Michael Medved say once that a major reason America was loved by the world 50 years ago was that Hollywood loved America and that was what people saw of us around the world. And similarly, a major reason why people hate us today is that Hollywood hates America and that is what people now see of us. If we hate ourselves (as though Hollywood represents America, but how would others know that?). Like you, I love the theme music to Exodus. Yes, the old Hollywood was much better.
"If you REALLY want to look at how favorably the Jews used to be treated, go watch "The Ten Commandments" and "Ben-Hur" again."
At least as long as they were played by Charleton Heston.
The old man.
But the Ari character is the typical Kibbutz Sabra who joined Hagganah then the IDF and then the succession of parties that are today's Labor. Not necessarily modeled after Rabin but pretty much Rabin.
The "brother", the old "terrorist" is probably Begin- who of course wasn't killed.
Notice that even the book and movie are socialist enough that by the end the Dov character abandons the Irgun for the Hagganah.
Leaders of the Judenrat couldn't believe the Nazis would kill them. they logically thought that alive they would be more valueble to the war effort. Evil is not logical.
Obviouslly the Israelis haven't learned from the past and they also think it may not apply to them because they are "new Jews"- the "i'm not Jewish I'm Israeli" and that by becoming such all anti-semitism would disappear-HAHA
They did a lot of crappy stuff after WWI regarding Middle East too.
My sister once said that Charlton Heston wouldn't be in a movie unless the title was in those giant, architecturally heroic letters. LOL!
Leon Uris was a remarkable writer, one of my favorites when I was younger. Funny story about QBVII. I had a job in grad school where I answered the phone at night in the Emergency Radiology Dept at the university hospital. I was allowed to read because we had long periods of little activity. That book grabbed my attention so much--had me sitting on the edge of my chair--that when the phone rang at good parts, I would just about growl into the phone. How dare a caller interrupt me? Obviously, not a book I should have been reading at work. I just couldn't put it down.
The book was much better than the film. In fact I read that the portions of the book concerning the Warsaw ghetto were so profound that Leon Uris was convinced to write Mila 18.
I did enjoy the scene where Newman asked for help from the officer (who could spot any Jew) getting a speck out of his eye. Gee, I haven't seen the movie in more than 30 years.
No mention of Frank Sinatra, a comedy-relief pilot who squirts at enemy fighter planes with a seltzer bottle?
You're right. I never thought of it that way. Unfortunately, there are alot of smart Jews who think the same way. They don't understand that the only thing some backwards cultures respect is strength.
QB VII was about the trial in England of an author who had written that a Nazi doctor had performed "thousands" of experimental surgeries on Jews. He had, in fact, only performed hundreds.
That's in "Cast a Giant Shadow" not Exodus.
Paul Newman was always embarrassed by his earlier film, "The Silver Chalice" and took out full-page ads in the trade papers apologizing for it.
I don't remember anything back then about him being embarrassed by "Exodus", but he and the director, Otto Preminger, had totally different styles, so perhaps Newman was not too happy while filming.
Who knows what Newman thinks of it now? Probably whatever "The Nation" thinks of it, since he donated at least $1,000,000 to that old pinko rag to keep it afloat.
"Ari Ben -Canaan?" LOL! Maybe the name was in reference to the actor instead of the character. [g]
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