Exodus | | Cast : | Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint | | Director : | Otto Preminger | | Studio : | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | December 15, 1960 | | DVD Released Date : | June 08, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | NR (Not Rated) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 08, 2005 | | Summary | Important movie | Content
 | This movie is long and somewhat slow. However, that doesn't stop me from watching or liking this movie because it is full of history and drama. I am captivated by the Jewish culture and history, and seeing a nation of people just trying to get home is very touching. There is some action and some romance, but the important thing about this movie is the conflict of a people just trying to be free.
Please be patient and watch this. It is very touching and compelling. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 28, 2005 | | Summary | GFT off base; this movie depicts complexity | Content
| GFT says 'Even so, EXODUS would remain passable were it not for the incredibly niave brand of Zionism the film adopts. More than fifty years later after endless wars, waves of terrorism, and failed peace talks we all know that it was NEVER as simple as this movie would have us believe.' Simple?? This movie (i) shows Arab Moslems dying over the terrible options available: live in peace with Jewish friends or march to the tune of Islamic extremists, (ii) depicts the family-splitting dispute over tactics to be used against a party (i.e., England) in an "enemy" position (England obviously was not a real enemy, but the English had to leave) and (iii) ends in the middle of a battle. There is nothing naive adopted here, nor are we led to believe that anything is simple. Fred T. Lopez gets it right. See this movie. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 23, 2005 | | Summary | The movie Exodus meant a lot to me | Content
| I was in the 8th grade when I read the book and saw the movie. Exodus introduced me to an area of information that I had not been exposed to. I had never known a Jewish person. There was a lot of anti-semitism in my home and town. I read about the holocaust. This story led me to the greater world. |
| Rating | | | Date | November 20, 2004 | | Summary | Well Intentioned But Unexpectedly Awkward | Content
| Early in the film, while discussing the squabbling between Jews and Arabs over Palestine, an exasperated Eva Marie Saint sighs and asks "How is it all going to end?" How indeed! It is a question the world has asked for more than half a century, and to date there is no answer in sight.
Concerning the creation of the Jewish state of Israel, the 1958 Leon Uris novel EXODUS was among the great bestsellers of its era and remains widely read to this day. The 1960 film version was also widely admired at the time of its release--but it is seldom seen today. There is a reason for that. In spite of its reputation, the film is remarkably slapdash. The cinematography is poor, lacking arresting visuals and often so sloppy that the shadows of the boom mikes are visible here, there, and everywhere throughout the film. The sound mix is also quite poor, with post-production effects as much off the mark as they are on. But the great flaws here are the script and the cast.
Written for the screen by Dalton Trumbo, the script has a very artifical and very talky quality. This might be overlooked if Trumbo actually had anything to say in the process--but he does not, and a remarkably gifted cast struggles vainly against one artificial line after another. Paul Newman is horrifically miscast; Eva Marie Saint, Ralph Richardson, and Lee J. Cobb fare a bit better, but Jill Haworth is chiefly memorable for giving the single worst performance in the film. As for Sal Mineo's much lauded performance, today it seems extremely theatrical.
Even so, EXODUS would remain passable were it not for the incredibly niave brand of Zionism the film adopts. More than fifty years later after endless wars, waves of terrorism, and failed peace talks we all know that it was NEVER as simple as this movie would have us believe. When all is said and done, the most memorable thing about EXODUS is the Academy Award-winning score by Ernest Gold, which really is as good as every one says it is.
As for the DVD itself, it is truly a no-frills effort. The transfer is merely tolerable; the sound leans toward poor throughout. The only bonus feature is the original trailer; English, French, and Spanish subtitles are also available. Final thought: it has moments of interest and on rare occasions even brilliance, but those moments are few and far between. Best left to those who remember it fondly from its 1960 debut.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer |
| Rating | | | Date | September 04, 2004 | | Summary | 1960 was a long time ago - still holds up however | Content
| When viewing this movie it is important to remember that the events it mythologizes happened only a dozen years before. The Six-days war of 1967 was still in the future, as was the Yom Kippur war of 1973, the Camp David Peace Accords with Sadat (and Sadat's assassination), the 1972 Olympic murders, and the various Intifadas. So, it was a time of beginnings and hope with the horrors of the holocaust part of the life experience of everyone involved in the founding of Israel.
The book was amazingly popular, the movie had a strong cultural impact, and the theme music was part of the popular culture for years. Is it a great movie? Probably not. Certainly, it would be edited differently if made today. Like many popular pieces taken out of their time certain aspects of the story seem artificial, like the whole of the Eva Marie Saint character. She seems to be there to give the non-Jewish audience a romantic connection to the story. Not that Eva Marie Saint does a bad job; it is just that she seems unnecessary today.
However, it is an enjoyable movie. My eleven and thirteen year olds were captivated by it and holding their attention for over three hours is a testimony to the power the movie still retains.
I was a bit disappointed in the quality of the print transfer and that there was NO booklet about the movie in the package, nor any extras about the making of the movie. I remember the program that was sold in theaters that should be reproduced when someone gets around to making a higher quality DVD of this movie.
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