Judith

Sexy Sophia is always worth watching (even when saddled with possibly the worst hairstyle of her career), and she is well-supported here by Peter Finch, Jack Hawkins and Hans Verner, but this is one of her lesser films. More than the entire first hour is all setup, and lacks tension. Things get a little more engaging in the last half hour, and the film does close with some well-staged epic-scale battle scenes. So it's not quite the BOMB Leonard Maltin classifies it as. But the ending leaves the story unfinished - were they naively hoping for a "Judith II"? **1/2 out of 4.

I am a big believer in historical accuracy in films and when a film excels I try to point it out...and when it fails I quickly do the same. In many ways. "Judith" is a fine film but when it comes to the central character, the filmmakers seem much more concerned about Sophia Loren as a sexy 1960s icon than a credible actress. Too often, she is inexplicably wearing what appear to be Chanel suits and is perfectly coiffed...like a 1960s Italian movie star. However, the film is supposed to be about a Jewish woman who escaped extermination in a Nazi death camp....and showing the lovely and super well-coiffed Loren in this role seemed not only stupid but a bit insulting.

Judith (Loren) is a woman who miraculously survived a death camp. She's lost her son and her husband, Gustav Schiller, turned her in to the SS!! Not surprisingly, she hates the man and wants him dead- -but she also wants to force him to tell her what happened to their son. However, the Haganah (Israeli Defense) wants the guy as well, as he's now working with the Syrians--using his knowledge about German tank tactics to aid in the destruction of the soon to be announced state of Israel.

If they had completely re-cast the part of Judith, had her at least appear in passing to be possibly Jewish and they had her wear normal and appropriate clothing for the era, the film would have been much, much better. Still, it's a strong story and worth seeing--that's why in spite of the problems I still give it a 7. How and why Loren was cast for this film is something I would really love to see. I am NOT being anti-Loren--she was marvelous in many movies but this one is just well beyond her range. Had the filmmakers done a better job in this respect, the film easily could have earned an 8 or 9.

Big budgeted epic drama with some unbeliavable happenings , set in Palestine in 1948 , the British prepare to end their Mandate, leaving an independent Israel behind. By the late Forties, millions of bewildered and homeless Jews people were on the move-across Europe and the Far East. They were looking for somewhere to live and for many of them that meant a new country. Jews demanded a land of their own. Some Jews on board hoped to sail to Palestine in the first 'exodus ship'. Other Jewish emigrants struggle ashore from island of Cyprus. And a lot of Jewish refugees were at British camps on their way to Palestine. On many of the refugees, by a famine-strike, the conditions were appalling , overcrowded, lacking food and water. This is an exodus that succeeded. In Palestine coming so soon after the holocaust, the homeless come home, but those traumatic echoes of Auschwitz and Buchenwald inflamed Zionist feelings. 1946,1947 and early 1948 were a years in which Zionist terrorist was at its height and Independent Israel still seemed heartbreaks away. The British troops (commanded by Major Jack Hawkins) guard the ships load of Jews in the ports, they were rounded up, to be sent to the camps . Meanwhile, a beautiful woman (Sophia Loren who was blacklisted in the Arab countries due to this Jewesh role) who survived a concentration camp with makeup intact goes undercover to Israel in 1948 to track down her Nazi hubby who had betrayed her. The Israeli defense force, the Haganah (commanded by Peter Finch) , has received intelligence that Arab forces, Syria in particular, are employing former German Panzer commander General Gustav Schiller (Hans Verner) to train them in tank tactics against Israel. Judith Had Only One Desire...To Wield Her Body Like a Whip, To Avenge a Wrong Beyond Words! The story of a woman curved like a weapon - a weapon out to avenge a wrong beyond words, beyond imagining, even perhaps beyond avenging...In the violence of an ancient land she found what she had sought - a pure, personal unholy revenge!.Judith woman of the earth. Judith woman of mystery. Judith woman of excitement . The adventure, the ecstasy, the supreme suspense of a woman wronged beyond words, almost beyond revenge...

An intense wartime drama about a merciless vendetta , set when Israel is surrounded by hostile Arab nations and the Israel military force has to fight to defend itself from aggression. This exciting fim deals essentially with two issues : the relentless Judith/Sophia Loren's searching for her husband to exact revenge as well as to locate their son and about the birth of the Israel State. Acceptable performances from Sophia Loren as an obstinate Israeli woman who was betrayed by her husband and left to die in a concentration camp , Peter Finch as an obstinate Jew general and Jack Hawkins as a commandant of British forces. This is a historical film well written by John Michael Hayes , being based on a story by Lawrence Durrell. Furthermore , a nice support cast, such as : Hans Verner, Frank Wolff, André Morel, Arnoldo Foà , Peter Burton and John Stacy .

In addition , a sensitive and emotive soundtrack by Sol Kaplan , including enjoyable leitmotif . Likewise , evocative cinematography by John Wilcox , filmed in Israel, though a perfect remastering being really necessary because of the film-copy is washed-out .The motion picture was regular was efficiently directed by Daniel Mann , though it results to be some boring and tiring , a bad combination . This one was a prestigious director who made notorious films as " Butterfileld 8" , " The Rose Tattoo" , "Come Back Little Sheba" , "A Dream of Kings" , "I'll cry Tomorrow" . Although Daniel Mann also directed some failed and commercial films such as : "Super Rocky" , "The Avengers" , "Interval" , "Journey into Fear" , among others . Rating : 5.5/10 .

I have experienced many emotions watching recently (2014) this wonderful movie! The movie was filmed during 1966 in Haifa, my hometown, 2 years before I was born and that made the excitement for me even greater. I especially enjoyed beautiful Sophia Loren acting both so powerful yet so fragile woman. The story tells about a holocaust survivor who lost the dearest of all, and the only reason that kept her alive was a mutual target to her, and the Israelis (each for their own reasons) … They (the Israelis) brought her secretly to Israel, just before the independence declaration, while the British were still in the area. Great pain, along compassion, hate along love, wrong along right… a conflict indeed

Saw this movie many years ago in the theatre and found it most entertaining with lots of drama and action. Had a lousy ending though, with woman seeking to find her son throughout the entire movie, failing in that endeavor. Maybe this is why I have never seen it come to the small screen.