{"id":13659,"date":"2016-05-26T15:46:14","date_gmt":"2016-05-26T19:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=13659"},"modified":"2018-05-26T00:56:48","modified_gmt":"2018-05-26T04:56:48","slug":"br-exodus-1960","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=13659","title":{"rendered":"BR: Exodus (1960)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Exodus_BR\"Film<\/strong>:\u00a0Excellent<\/p>\n

Transfer<\/strong>: \u00a0Very Good<\/p>\n

Extras<\/strong>: Good<\/p>\n

Label:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Twilight Time<\/p>\n

Region:<\/strong>\u00a0All<\/p>\n

Released:<\/strong>\u00a0March 15, 2016<\/p>\n

Genre:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Drama \/ Action \/ Historical Epic<\/p>\n

Synopsis:<\/strong>\u00a0Vivid film version of Leon Uris’ best-selling novel about the founding of Israel.<\/p>\n

Special Features:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>Isolated stereo music & effects track \/ Theatrical Trailer \/ 8-page colour booklet with liner notes by film historian Julie Kirgo \/ Available exclusively from Screen Archives Entertainment<\/a> and www.twilighttimemovies.com<\/a> \/ Limited to 3000 copies.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Review:<\/strong><\/p>\n

56 years since its release, Otto Preminger\u2019s production of Leon Uris\u2019 global best-selling 1958 novel may have aged into a curio of film history, seeming rather quaint for its politics and melodrama, but it deserves a peek, as it represents a daring cinematic maneuver in 1960 by its author, director, and screenwriter Dalton Trumbo.<\/p>\n

Uris had already been lured by Hollywood \u2013 he scripted his own adaptation of his WWII drama Battle Cry<\/a> <\/strong>(1955), and penned the screenplay for Gunfight at the O.K. Corral <\/strong>(1957) \u2013 but it was the research on the founding of Israel that drove him to pen a novel which drew from facts, personal interviews, and some doses of criticized dramatic license to craft a neat structure where a people fed up with being kicked around break from the pens of European-orchestrated refugee camps, claim a rickety freighter for an escape route, and ultimately navigate to Palestine where the story\u2019s second half kicks in, tracing the events and parties involved in the creation of a new country. (A smaller scale dramatization of the mass migration lies in The Earth Cries Out<\/strong><\/a>, a striking 1949 production which specifically follows Italian refugees to post-WWII Palestine.)<\/p>\n

Harsh critics blasted Exodus<\/strong> the novel + film as Zionist propaganda, but no one could deny the thrilling narrative of espionage, capers, escape, subterfuge, terrorism, flight, and combat, and while Trumbo\u2019s script reportedly toned down the more sharp anti-British and anti-Arab tone of the book, the movie still takes jabs at racism, injustice, and the uneasy alliance between two formal rivals, the more moderate Haganah<\/a> and the militant Irgun<\/a>, who brought pro-active strategizing to the game plan when the United Nations voted for an Arab-Jewish partitioning of Palestine, and fears of next-day killings were very real.<\/p>\n

The anti-British stance in the film is more pronounced \u2013 they\u2019re portrayed as irritated overlords in having to spend time away from tea and more pressing international issues because of refugee processing \u2013 whereas the Arabs are almost gone from the picture. The token Arab is Taha (John Derek), boyhood friend of resistance leader Ari Ben Canaan (pouty Paul Newman), who naturally becomes a sacrificial lamb because he espoused moderate \/ civil relations, while the rest of the unseen Arabs are under the manipulative influence of eeeevil Nazi expat Von Storch (always slimy Marius Goring).<\/p>\n

However Uris\u2019 novel was structured, Trumbo\u2019s adaptation has three cinematic chapters: the gathering of the Haganah in Cyprus where a camp escape plot is hatched in conjunction with sympathetic Cypriots; the arrival of Ben Canaan and travelers on the decrepit ship Exodus in Palestine, plus springing jailed Haganah and Irgun fighters from prison to organize anti-Arab defenses; and the build-up to the flight from a kibbutz, rescuing children and teens from a possible slaughter before morning clears the air and allows for a full reorganization of forces for the newly minted Israel.<\/p>\n

The problem with the first section \u2013 escape caper notwithstanding \u2013 is some of the screeds that Trumbo and Preminger were compelled to inject to hammer home the message of an oppressed people, ready to die in a moored rust bucket than within the pens of a refugee camp. In 1960, the scenes probably packed a punch \u2013 like the book, the film was and remains a message picture about leaving the oppressed the fuck alone, and treating them as people \u2013 but there are some choice speeches that are hugely overwrought, notably a mother choosing to keep her child on board during a hunger strike to force the Brits to open the port; and a Russian refugee (played to the hilt by fist-pumping director Gregory Ratoff).<\/p>\n

The finale has its Trumboisms as well, but the speeches are nevertheless precise and inarguable in their intent, if not applicable (again) to any people\u2019s quest to end oppression. Ben Canaan\u2019s speech of Arabs and Jews living in peaceful harmony under one flag is unintentionally amusing to present day cynics \u2013 the tug-of-war between both sides has been never-ending and bloody for decades – but the film, maybe due to its imagery, has an unexpected resonance today with Syrian refugees held in camps after epic land and ocean voyages, wanted by no one, and deemed unworthy and potential terrorists by fear mongers.<\/p>\n

The midsection \u2013 the introduction of rival Haganah and Irgun factions banding together for the prison break of skilled members \u2013 is undoubtedly the film\u2019s most thrilling third, as it\u2019s not about politics, but action<\/em>. Twilight Time\u2019s trio of Big Heat<\/a><\/strong> (1953) commentators Lem Dobbs, Julie Kirgo, and Nick Redman, and Where the Sidewalk Ends<\/a><\/strong> (1950) commentator \/ film noir historian Eddie Muller gave concise explanations of Preminger\u2019s directorial style (yes, he has one), and while his use of visual and editorial economy \u2013 wide shots, tracking shots, and occasional cuts \u2013 show a simplicity in dialogue scenes, the prison break illustrates his brilliant use of motion within the frame as the camera glides through environs, often with invisible edits.<\/p>\n

Sam Leavitt\u2019s Oscar-nominated cinematography is extraordinary \u2013 especially in lighting and exploiting real Cypriot and Israeli locations \u2013 but it\u2019s Preminger\u2019s technique in pacing the action that\u2019s a fine textbook example on creating tension through movement and selective sound in place of rapid cuts.<\/p>\n

One shot seems to go deep into the prison bowels \u2013 even a simple, prior scene of Ben Canaan\u2019s incarcerated uncle has the camera tracking Steadicam-style down dank corridors \u2013 but it\u2019s also tension derived from minimal sounds, especially Ernest Gold\u2019s decision to score the entire sequence with a repeated motif using woodwinds and light percussion. The music, a near-perfect evocation of a warm summer breeze, keeps restarting itself, while the onscreen movements intensify, adding more information to the breakout whose precise details have been denied to audiences.<\/p>\n

At 3 hours and 27 minutes, Exodus<\/strong> is a monster (legend has it an audience member at the premiere stood up during intermission, turned to Preminger, and shouted \u2018Otto! Let my people go!\u2019), but it\u2019s actually quite lean; only the early intro material seems to hover a bit too long, because Trumbo\u2019s script sets up the ennui and limbo of refugees, present critiques of the British management team (led by Sir Ralph Richardson and Peter Lawford), and wiggle in Ben Canaan\u2019s unlikely love interest Kitty Fremont (Eva Marie Saint), an American nurse who eventually falls for our hero and helps his cause.<\/p>\n

Kitty may feel like a contrivance, but she\u2019s also rather banal, and whether by Trumbo, Uris, or Newman\u2019s design, Ben Canaan has no sense of humour, no moments of lightness: he\u2019s driven, cold, impatient, and ultimately too detached for audiences to latch on. Within the film, he\u2019s the chess piece we follow, marking his position so we\u2019re clearly aware of each faction, historic event, and the interconnected nature of the supporting characters, like Ben Canaan\u2019s Irgun uncle (David Opatoshu), his kibbutz founding father (Lee J. Cobb), his sister (Quebec-born Alexandra Stewart), his Cyprus-based aide Reuben (The Mask<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Paul Stevens), Cypriot sympathizer Mandria (Hugh Griffith, lacquered in Cypriot Tan #12), Irgun handler Yoav (Satan Bug<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s George Maharis), and token good Arab Taha (bronzed John Derek, sporting another impeccable beard).<\/p>\n

In the blink-fast-and-he\u2019s-gone domain there\u2019s Paul Smith (Midnight Express<\/strong>, Sonny Boy<\/a><\/strong>) making his film debut as a prisoner exchanging detonators at a fence. The two other stars for younger audiences are a mixed bag: strong (if not a bit too earnest) Sal Mineo (Rebel Without a Cause<\/strong>) earned as Oscar Nomination for his role of Dov Landau, a concentration camp survivor; and Jill Haworth is kind of affecting yet dramatically often out of her league, as camp survivor Karen. Karen\u2019s been shaped into an \u2018innocent light,\u2019 but she\u2019s also a bit of a doe-eyed dunce, so her fate doesn\u2019t really resonate as much as it should. The actress remained under contract with Preminger, appearing in the director\u2019s underrated The Cardinal<\/a><\/strong> (1963) and In Harm\u2019s Way<\/strong> (1965).<\/p>\n

Ernest Gold was an extremely erudite and gifted composer, having enjoyed a long association with \u2018message\u2019 producer-director Stanley Kramer in stellar works such as Inherit the Wind<\/a><\/strong> (1960), Judgment at Nuremberg<\/a><\/strong> (1961), Ship of Fools<\/strong> (1965), and lighter fodder such as It\u2019s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World<\/strong> (1963), and The Secret of Santa Vittoria<\/a><\/strong> (1969), but his masterwork, at least in the dramatic epic category, remains Exodus<\/strong>, for which he wrote an exquisitely stirring theme and superb score, deservedly winning an Oscar for Best Music.<\/p>\n

Those who\u2019ve spun the original LP many times may be surprised by how little music there seems to be within the film \u2013 most of the prime cuts are on the 44 minute album \u2013 and yet the theme does make its way into many scenes; the trick is doing it with great subtlety and strength when called for. Twilight Time\u2019s Blu features a stereo isolated music & effects track for completists, although some might be surprised by the sonic quality. (The full 78 minute score was re-recorded by Nic Raine and James Fitzpatrick for Tadlow Music<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

The LP always sounded rather pinched, and the mixed film \u2013 neatly remixed from surviving elements by Mike Matessino in 5.1, 4.0, and 2.0 stereo \u2013 still has a dry quality, as though elements were captured, recorded, and mixed in a hurry, including the score engineering. The orchestra\u2019s performance is superb, but the recording isn\u2019t. The restored surround sound mix adds some depth, directional effects, and gets rid of the pinched sound, but it\u2019s surprising a huge production like Exodus<\/strong>, shot in 65mm and released Super Panavision 70 and 6-track multi-channel audio, isn\u2019t as crisp as one would expect.<\/p>\n

Matessino provided a compact breakdown of the huge effort to restore the sound and create alternate mixes for alternate listening environments in his Twilight Time Blogs<\/a>. What he and is associates accomplished was getting the sound ready for a modern 5.1 environment \u2013 now what\u2019s left is for MGM to launch a picture restoration, using a surviving 70mm print and whatever sources still exist. The 35mm print used for TT\u2019s Blu-ray is fine, but the opening reels do have their share of wear \u2013 an indication that MGM seems willing to create HD transfers of their stock for ancillary markets, but maybe not undertake a costly restoration. Perhaps one day\u2026<\/p>\n

In any event, TT\u2019s disc replaces the mixed bag that existed on prior media: the MGM laserdisc had better sound, whereas the MGM DVD boasted sharper picture.<\/p>\n

One would expect there to be some surviving ephemera of Preminger\u2019s super-production \u2013 vintage featurettes, interviews, or publicity ephemera \u2013 but perhaps their absence on any home video release is another sign of the slow marginalization of both film and director. Exodus<\/strong> is known as a classic, but its length may have marginalized it to a footnote in film history few comprehend.<\/p>\n

In hiring Trumbo and crediting the writer\u2019s full name, Preminger helped break the Hollywood Blacklist that ruined many careers and lives. Although he continued to ghost write scripts during the 40s and 50s, from roughly 1951 thru 1959, Exodus<\/strong> and Spartacus<\/strong> (also 1960) put Trumbo\u2019s name back on the screen, and his subsequent efforts include Lonely Are the Brave<\/strong> (1962), The Sandpiper <\/strong>(1965), Hawaii<\/strong> (1966), and Papillon<\/strong> (1973) \u2013 all genre classics.<\/p>\n

Preminger would also credit blacklisted composer Jerry Fielding in his next production, Advise and Consent <\/strong>(1962), and would make a string of big budget classics before returning to smaller scale thriller material with Bunny Lake is Missing<\/strong> (1965), after which his choice of material became both odd (Skidoo<\/strong>) and poor (Rosebud<\/strong>), ultimately closing his film career with The Human Factor <\/strong>in 1979.<\/p>\n

Leon Uris\u2019 other film work includes the short documentary Israel<\/strong> (1959), Hitchcock\u2019s dull film version of the muddled Cuban non-thriller Topaz<\/strong> (1969), and the Emmy Award-winning TV mini-series QB VII <\/strong>(1974).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a9 2016 Mark R. Hasan<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

External References:<\/strong>
\nEditor’s Blog<\/a> — IMDB<\/a> \u00a0— \u00a0Soundtrack Album<\/a> — Composer Filmography<\/a>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nVendor Search Links:<\/strong>
\nAmazon.ca<\/a>\"\" \"\" —\u00a0<\/span> Amazon.com<\/a>\"\" \"\" —\u00a0<\/span> Amazon.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Film:\u00a0Excellent Transfer: \u00a0Very Good Extras: Good Label:\u00a0\u00a0Twilight Time Region:\u00a0All Released:\u00a0March 15, 2016 Genre:\u00a0\u00a0Drama \/ Action \/ Historical Epic Synopsis:\u00a0Vivid film version of Leon Uris’ best-selling novel about the founding of Israel. Special Features:\u00a0Isolated stereo music & effects track \/ Theatrical Trailer \/ 8-page colour booklet with liner notes by film historian Julie Kirgo \/ Available […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8nuyW-3yj","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13659"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13659"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13659\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18012,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13659\/revisions\/18012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}