Film Overview"Exodus" is an impressive war movie launched in 1960, directed by Otto Preminger. The movie is an adaptation of an unique written by Leon Uris in 1958, bearing the very same name. The plot focuses on the foundation of the modern-day state of Israel in 1947. Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint lead the cast, together with Lee J. Cobb, Ralph Richardson, and Peter Lawford.
Plot SynopsisThe film opens with a group of Jewish Holocaust survivors who are unlawfully restricted in a British internment camp on the island of Cyprus and are desperate to reach Palestine. Nurse Katherine "Kitty" Fremont, played by Eva Marie Saint, and General Sutherland (Ralph Richardson) check out the camp, where they meet and get included with camp organizer Ari Ben Canaan, played by Paul Newman. Ari, a Jewish resistance fighter, sets up a daring plan to take numerous survivors to Palestine on an old truck, Exodus, despite a blockade by the British navy.
The plan is successful, but the British refuse them entry into Palestine, forcing them to return to Cyprus. The episode leads to a hunger strike by the Jewish immigrants. Ashamed and under international pressure, the British federal government lastly relents and allows the Exodus safe passage to Palestine.
Secondary PlotThe film likewise puts light on two love stories. The very first is between Ari and Kitty who, though at first opposed to each other's views, eventually fall in love. The 2nd is in between Holocaust survivor Karen, who Ari saved from a ship sunk by the British, and Dov Landau, an embittered young man who joins the Irgun (a Jewish paramilitary organization).
Turning PointOn reaching Palestine, the characters' lives take a remarkable turn. Ari and Kitty's romance unfolds and Dov becomes associated with an Irgun plot to bomb the British administrative head office-- the King David Hotel. A devastating scene opens when the British find big stockpiles of Irgun weapons, with Ari passing away in the final battle.
As the film concludes, Israel's existence as an independent state is declared, leading to an awaiting war with the Arab states.
Conclusion"Exodus" is a powerful and psychological film that handles the birth of modern-day Israel. It offers an engaging look at the labyrinthine politics of the British Mandate of Palestine and the forces that led to the development of a Jewish homeland. The performances by Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint, together with the remainder of the cast, helped bring to life this vital duration of history. The film efficiently communicates the spirit of the time-- struggle, passion, and the indomitable hope in quest of a homeland. It was not only a significant box-office draw however likewise had a significant influence on public opinion during an important age in mid-20th-century geopolitics.
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