Sallah Shabati

As part of an annual film festival of films from Israel, I saw this classic film at the legendary Cinema des Cineastes located near Place de clichy metro station in Paris. This will be remembered as a landmark film in the history of Israelian Cinema. This was filmed in 1964 by Ephraim Kishon at a time when there was hardly any visible trace of film-making in Israel.Kishon,the great humorist filmmaker of Israel proved that good films can be made even when one has limited funds and equipments at one's disposal.The highlight of this film is the light hearted manner in which it shows various hilarious solutions to housing problems of Jewish people after the independence of Israel. To my mind,it is one of those rare films in which two of the greatest living stars of Israelian cinema : Haym Topol and Gila Almagor have acted. They play an impoverished couple with a lots of children. It is fun to watch all the ruses adopted by them in order to be able to get hold of their own house.After the screening, chatting with bemused audiences Haym Topol recounted how owing to a prior commitment he declined Sergio Leone's offer to star in "A fistful of dollars". So if there is anything which has made Clint Eastwood what he is now, it is this refusal in question by Haym Topol.

Watching "Sallah Shabati" now, 38 years after it had been made, really amazes me when I come to think about the latest productions from Hollywood, and their huge budgets. In Israel of those times it was even difficult to obtain a suitable filming equipment; according to Ephraim Kishon, the director, there was only one camera available in the whole country. Kishon admitted he had no idea about how to make a film, therefore he surrounded himself with experts, such as Floyd Crosby the cinematographer. There was even an attempt to stop the film from being distributed internationally, due to It's 'poor technical quality'... Despite all that, "Sallah" became a domestic hit, and achieved international success also; it won several important awards, and was nominated for 'best foreign film' at the 1965 Academy Awards. Kishon, who by that time was already a well known writer, begun a second career as a film maker, Topol gained recognition as an international actor and went on to star in films such as "Cast a Giant Shadow" and "Fiddler on the Roof", and Menahem Golan (the film producer) established himself as a successful Hollywood producer and director. So, is it all about the money, or it is the talent we are looking for?

In many ways, not only cinematically, Shabati is a master piece. With endless subtlety and style, Kishon (writer and director, one of Israel's all-time best creative artists in his debut film) brings the story of Salleh Shabati, a Yemenite immigrant to Israel in the first years since it's foundation. Shabati and his big family find themselves in a torn and yet un-structured society, trying in all sorts of ways to get the government - representatives of which being ignorant (if not racist), hard-headed, and at times corrupt, to move them from the "Ma'abara" (refugee camp) to a permanent housing. Shabati may appear, at first, to be a simple illiterate immigrant, but his simple and straightforward wisdom reveal the deepest-most hardships the new society of Israel is being challenged to face. Racism, cultural exclusion, poverty. Eventually, though, love triumphs. Fantastic acting by all actors involved, especially Topol with a magnificent once-in-a-life-time performance, plus sharp, accurate writing by Kishon, make this film a joy to watch. The history and sociology lesson are there if you want them, but Shabati is, before anything else, simply a brilliant film.

From 1948-1968 Israel absorbed about 1.5 million immigrants. Almost doubling its population. Most immigrants came with nothing. This movie shows the difficulties in dealing with so many newcomers for as young and as poor a country Israel was. Today, in 2020, one looks back with pride and admiration. Yes, the movie shines light on all the mistakes and shortcomings of the young state. But the huge accomplishments are undeniable. Excellent movie delivered with just enough humor. Enjoy.

This movie is in Hebrew and the subtitles blend in with the background, so, I am not quite sure what actually happened in this movie but it looked funny. Also, sometimes the characters spoke and the subtitles did not even come up. But, aside from that, Sallah Shabati was hilarious and I recommend it to all of you who can speak Hebrew and understand "Milot Groniot" because that is how Sallah speaks and it is difficult to understand. Here was my favourite scene:- Frieda: Mr. Shabati, we live in the 20th century now Sallah: I live in a Maabara Frieda: The 20th century is not a place to live Sallah: Neither is a Maabara This is just a preview of the hilarity factor of this movie. See Sallah Shabati for a good laugh and a half.