EXODUS - MOVIE [Blu-ray] [1960]

First the actual disk, this is a German/English Bluray which defaults to the German language, it took me ten minutes to identify and persuade it to play the English language version.For a film that was made in 1960 it has worn the years well and given the running times of some modern films no longer seems as Long as I remember. Set in Cyprus and Palestine the film covers the "escape" of Jews from Cyprus to Palestine aboard the Exodus and the partition of Palestine to create separate states Palestine and Israel.The screenplay both Exodus and Spartacus were by Dalton Trumbo and these films are credited with bringing down the blacklisting of screenwriters in the US film industry.(if you want to know more watch the film Trumbo )Considering it was made in 1960 it's a film still worth watching today.

Though the name is taken from biblical times and refers to the ship carrying hundreds of Jewish refugees out of Cypress, the main thrust of this story is set in the preceding months of the formation of a new nation in an old land.The aftermath of the hollocaust fresh in their minds, they persevere, making more sacrifices along the way.Seen from two main perspectives: the Jewish underground fighting force against British empirical mandate and the settlement Kabutz housing the young generations to build the land that their forefathers had once been a part of.From the perspective of storytelling and film production:This film isn't bad, but not brilliant.Made in the late 50's in Israel and released in 1960 it still remains fresh and innocent as well as ragged and weiry from the many millennium of enduring exiles, persecutions and executions upon the Jewish people with a final exodus to their own promised land.Even though it is well produced, the story is more of a calm meander through the lives of early settlers with buildups of national pride and political pressure being more of a backdrop.This then makes the story, plotline and developments somewhat slow.Unfortunate, as this film represents an important part of both Jewish and world history.If this film were to be made again it would be better written to show more individual lives affected as well as bringing the politics into the foreground. Further the risks of the early repatriation would be highlighted even more (tragic as this film already is).For such a famous film about such an important time in the birth of a nation, I would have expected more.One thing that stands out most is the iconic theme music that repeats itself throughout in a number of variations.

Very good film.

This movie is beautifully crafted by Otto Preminger and boy what a cast . I felt that Jill Haworth was the only let down , however when I viewed the movie again I realized I was wrong the part did not require great acting but rather an an innocent young girl and that she seemed to be at that time . we would see her in only a couple of Preminger films in America and died last year at the age of 60 from natural causes . it's a pity we didn't see more of her as she matured . the rest of the cast are perfect and Sal Mineo deserves a mention for a knockout performance his second film with Mr Newman . The beautiful and talented Eva Marie Saint always so good and still making movies in her late 80s the film is glorious from every angle and you need to see it restored and on BLU RAY .

Excellent Quality and well worth the money

I bought this on the strength and curious to know more about the work of Dalton Trumbo.I cannot recommend Brian Cranston s performance of Trumbo highly enough.As of Exodus a film I never even heard of. Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint are solid and believable performance. I don't normally go for political films but while on a forced sick leave this film past away an afternoon very nicely. Nice to have this one in my library now and a good companion to Trumbo.

Wonderful movie

Since this is a product review, first off a few words about the DVD. The film is presented in a letterbox version for old 4:3 TV sets. Which means you get a small picture with broad black edges on all four sides on a modern widescreen set. If you use a zoom function the picture quality suffers. Also the bottom half of the subtitles (if you need them) is cut off. Overall picture and sound quality are perfectly adequate for a film from the time.The film itself is based on the novel by Leon Uris and is produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay is by Dalton Trumbo. While the story of Jewish settlers returning to Palestine to set up the state of Israel is, of course, historically true it's worth keeping in mind that the film is based on a work of fiction and is a Hollywood production that wants to appeal to American audiences. It's biased. Also, with a runtime of well over three hours it's very long. Even the solid perfomances of such ever delightful big screen stars as Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint, ably supported by the likes of Hugh Griffith, Ralph Richardson and many mnore, could not keep my mind from wandering after the first hour. Despite all efforts of filmmakers and actors, this film does not quite live up to the book it's based on. Still, if you like the stars or have an interest in the subject matter you could do far worse on a long slow night. I'd probably have given a four star rating if it wasn't for the less than ideal technical details of the DVD.