This movie came out only a little over a decade after Israel became a recognized nation, and only a couple of years after the release of the Leon Uris novel of the same name. The history of the turbulent Middle East and Israel in particular, would be enough to inspire dozens of movies, no single one being expansive enough to effectively cover the entire gamut. Elements of that history are touched on in "Exodus", even some of the specifics of the Exodus voyage are historically inaccurate. The film's central emphasis that came across most forcefully for me had nothing to do with nationalism or ideology, but the idea, expressed by Ari Ben Canaan (Paul Newman) to Kitty Fremont (Eva Marie Saint), that the differences between people must be recognized and respected. Initially, Mrs. Fremont resisted the idea, but eventually came to that understanding after witnessing the strife between Jews, the Brits, and their Arab neighbors.
It was jarring however to see Paul Newman cast as a Jewish leader of a resistance movement, even if the stare down between him and Major Caldwell (Peter Lawford) was meant to convey that Jews can look like anybody at all. It was also jarring to see how much Eva Marie Saint had aged in a mere matter of six years since appearing in "On The Waterfront", although makeup might have had a hand in her appearance. Someone else mentioned it in their review of the picture, but the character of Karen Hansen (Jill Haworth) also reminded me in some ways of Anne Frank, in the manner of her obvious love of life and hope for the future. Her murder, along with that of Taha (John Derek), the Makhtur of Abu Yesha, dramatically brought home the senselessness of the violence that existed between warring neighbors and persists to the present day. If only, if only, if only..., men of reasonable mind and heart like Ari Ben Canaan and Taha could find a way to bridge the gulf that exists between people and cultures so diametrically opposed to one another.
It was jarring however to see Paul Newman cast as a Jewish leader of a resistance movement, even if the stare down between him and Major Caldwell (Peter Lawford) was meant to convey that Jews can look like anybody at all. It was also jarring to see how much Eva Marie Saint had aged in a mere matter of six years since appearing in "On The Waterfront", although makeup might have had a hand in her appearance. Someone else mentioned it in their review of the picture, but the character of Karen Hansen (Jill Haworth) also reminded me in some ways of Anne Frank, in the manner of her obvious love of life and hope for the future. Her murder, along with that of Taha (John Derek), the Makhtur of Abu Yesha, dramatically brought home the senselessness of the violence that existed between warring neighbors and persists to the present day. If only, if only, if only..., men of reasonable mind and heart like Ari Ben Canaan and Taha could find a way to bridge the gulf that exists between people and cultures so diametrically opposed to one another.