My Father's House

My Father's House Hebrew: בית אבי‎ is a 1947 British Mandatory Palestine-American drama film directed by Herbert Kline, with a script by Jewish-American novelist and journalist Meyer Levin. Kline and Levin produced the film. The cinematography is by Floyd Crosby. [1] [2] The film was an official selection of the 1950 Venice Film Festival. [3] One of the lead actors was the Israeli sculptor Yitzhak Danziger, who was cast due to his exotic appearance. [4] At the time, Ronnie Cohen, the lead actor, was a nine year old boy born in Britain to a Zionist family and immigrated to Israel when he was three. The director was looking for an English speaking child for a few months until he found Cohen from the film make-up artist who was the barber of Cohen's mother. [5] The music is mainly composed of Hebrew folk songs and ocassionaly Maller-Kalikstein music; the music editor is Henry Brandt. [6] The locations are different parts of Israel: Afikim, Ginosar, Gvulot, Kfar Hittim, Kinneret, Kiryat Anavim, Ma'ale HaHamisha, Ma'abarot, Nirim and Ramat Rachel. This is an English speaking film because it was made for the American-Jewish audience. The budget was provided mainly from wealthy Israelies and Americans and the residue from the Zionist institutes. [7]

Plot

David Halevy is a ten years old Holocaust survivor. He is separated from his father in Nazi occupied Krakow and his father has told him they will meet in Palestine. After WWII is over, David goes to Palestine, hoping he will meet his father. On the ship he befriends Miryam, who lost her family in an Extermination camp. David is taken to Meir Shfeya Youth village, but he cannot adapt and makes a journey to find his father. After a long journey he is told that his parents were murdered in the holocaust. [1] [2]

Cast

  • Avraham - Yitzhak Danziger
  • David - Ronnie Cohen
  • Maccabee - Michael Cohen
  • Miriam - Irene Broza
  • Shmulik - Zalman Levioush
  • Shulamit - Israela Epstein
  • Waiter - Raphael Klatchkin
  • Yehuda Halevi - Yoseph Millo

References

  1. 1 2 Amy Kornish and Costel Safirman, Israeli Film – A Reference Guide, Praeger, 2003, p. 103-104.
  2. 1 2 Meir Schnitzer, Israeli Cinema: Facts/ Plots/ Directors / Opinions, Kinneret Publishing House, 1994. p. 38.
  3. ↑ Israeli cinema book site
  4. ↑ Mordechai Omer, Yitzhak Danziger, Israeli Museum, Jerusalem, 1981, p. 14
  5. ↑ Davar, December 19, 1947
  6. ↑ Al HaMishmar, February 17, 1948, p. 4
  7. ↑ Daver, November 5, 194
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