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Reviews
Sallah Shabati (1964)
watching the movie became a chore
I don't doubt that this was a groundbreaking movie in Israel in 1964, but it didn't do much for me in the U.S. in 2013. Virtually every turn in the plot was telegraphed far in advance. But if I wasn't surprised by the events, I was taken aback by how long the gags were allowed to run until the camera finally moved on. I was also surprised by how thoroughly insufferable most of the characters were, in terms of both personality traits and speaking styles. The romantic interludes, which involved the most purely sympathetic characters, only partially helped to mitigate the long stretches of whining in Yemenite, Eastern European, and Israeli accents. I had planned to watch the movie twice to work on my Hebrew, but making it through once was more than enough.
Crossing Delancey (1988)
Raises interesting questions but never satisfactorily explores them
On one level, "Crossing Delancey" is a fun, heartwarming romantic comedy; on another, it has an agenda that is as pushy as any over-the-top matchmaker. Ironically, for a movie that undoubtedly shares much of its audience with those who loved "Fiddler On the Roof," it tries to undo the social revolution that drove "Fiddler's" plot; "Delancey" suggests that a Jewish woman might be better off relying on matchmakers and familial authority figures than actively choosing her own spouse, a job she only seems to mess up when it is entrusted to her. And while she's at it, maybe she should rethink her life in the non-Jewish world and come back home. You've come a long way, baby, but what did it get you?
For the record, I believe women are best off finding their own mates, and preferably from a set that is larger than two. But what I find most troublesome in this movie is not so much the implied counterargument as the fact that it is made poorly. I can imagine a movie where a woman rejects her background, is miserable alone, encounters repeated disappointment in the Gentile world, and finally returns to her grandmother's milieu to find true fulfillment, romantic and otherwise. It might be done as propaganda; it might be done as a persuasive, touching story. But "Crossing Delancey" doesn't make a serious effort to do it at all. Izzy never really rejects her background in the first place, never comes across as particularly lonely or unhappy, and only undergoes a single unpleasant romantic failure. Then, when she does surrender to the man who has been preselected for her, the movie fails to make a convincing case that she will truly be happy. Sam is pleased with how things work out. Izzy's grandmother is ecstatic. It is almost as if the romance is between those two characters, and Izzy is simply the one who, through her sacrifice, allows the match between them to be consummated.
It's a pity, because the movie does raise some interesting questions before it rushes to extinguish them. There is a rich potential in the premise of a woman unfairly dismissing a suitor due to how he has been thrown at her, perhaps due even to a small amount of snobbery, only to gradually discover his merits and discover that they are good for each other after all. There are certainly possibilities in the idea of a woman being romanced by a man with what she thinks is an aesthetic sensibility, only to recognize that he exploits people and the artistic impulse alike. It would be interesting to see a character seriously wrestle with which components of the literary world she values and which she decides are simply based on vanity, and the extent to which she reconciles her ongoing involvement in that landscape with her attachment to a man who doesn't fit particularly well into it. There are even interesting minor notes that are never satisfactorily explored: how do a woman who has essentially used her friend as a means to flee from a potential relationship, and a man who has taken the bait, reconcile their behavior and their future friendship with her when they push her out of the picture again? But as this is not a movie designed for a sequel, we are not meant to explore those questions further.
According to its tag line, "Crossing Delancey" is "a funny movie about getting serious." If only its makers had been more serious about exploring the questions it raised, this could have been a better film.
Eldorado (2008)
interesting songs, clouds; otherwise, predictable and dull
I could call the movie a disappointment except that after about 20 minutes I didn't have high hopes for it. I could see that it was following the basic arc of "Midnight Cowboy" or "Central Station": one lonely, marginalized character tries to take advantage of another, then they end up forced to depend on each other on a quixotic quest through a desolate landscape toward an illusory goal of warmth and safety. But "Midnight Cowboy" was a great film, and "Central Station" was worthwhile. There is almost nothing of lasting interest in this movie either inside or outside the two characters. (The scenes at Didier's parents' house are an exception.) There are not only one, but two conversations that are literally of the "Yes. No. Yes. No" form, which are not particularly amusing, suggesting instead that the writer had nothing much to say. The random wackiness that he occasionally attempts to pump into the action is a poor substitute because there is no follow-through. Yvan gets his hair taped to the ceiling of his car to keep himself awake, but later he crashes, without any even cursory shot to show us whether the tape gave way, his hair was pulled out, or he fell asleep still attached to that ceiling. And though the car goes off the road and drives through trees, it reveals itself as magically unharmed when a nudist appears from nowhere to tow it and give them directions, then disappears from the action. A dog is dropped from a bridge, crushing the roof of a car, but the ceiling is intact when we see it immediately thereafter.
This lack of consistency and consequence compromises the character development that is supposed to occur as well. Yvan, who is supposed to be demonstrating a growing feeling of responsibility to assuage his guilt for not being present for his family in the past, abandons his plan to take the suffering dog to a veterinarian. (Why? How expensive could it be to have a dog put to sleep by even a private vet, let alone a shelter, and has Yvan ever shied away from expense in the past?) Instead, he indulges Elie/Didier in his plan to ostensibly buy heroin to euthanize the dog, though he suspects correctly that the money will not go to that end. In the meantime, the dog whimpers, uncomforted and unseen, in the back of the car, until it finally dies. That, thankfully, is also the point at which the movie expires.
Invisible Ballots (2004)
Solid introduction to election integrity issues
This is a solid introduction to election integrity issues in the age of paperless electronic voting, and more comprehensive than the similar "Votergate" (to be renamed "Hacked"). Scary stuff, but information that should be confronted rather than ignored. It should motivate viewers to read up on election integrity (search for "election integrity" on the web), join election integrity organizations, and demand a commitment from political candidates and officeholders.
The experts interviewed in the film were well-prepared and had interesting things to say. There were no camera tricks or loud music to distract from the information presented.
Votergate (2004)
Valuable message, could use some rework
Decent intro for neophytes to the issues surrounding election integrity in the age of paperless electronic voting machines, especially if it motivates people to get more information on election integrity, or, better yet, to join an election integrity organization (search for "election integrity" on the web). Nice vignettes of interviews with Bev Harris, David Dill, and other experts. But the movie left me scratching my head at the end when it basically suggested that voting was enough to cure our problems with voting. This was particularly puzzling since the movie had shown a clip of activists Bev Harris and Andy Stephenson being told the same thing by an obviously apathetic assistant Secretary of State. Yes, vote -- but join an election integrity organization, demand commitment to election integrity from candidates, and serve as a poll worker or watcher. Was that judged too complicated for a sound bite?
The movie website indicates that it will be renamed "Hacked," which is probably a better name. Hope there will be some editing and new material as well.
For a longer and more comprehensive film, see "Invisible Ballots."