Exodus | 
| Director: Otto Preminger
Actors: Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Ralph Richardson, Peter Lawford, Lee J. Cobb
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
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Avg. Customer Rating:  91 reviews
Sales Rank: 3716
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Letterboxed, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Dubbed)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 208
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: D1003897D
ISBN: 0792853695
UPC: 027616880154
EAN: 9780792853695
ASIN: B00006FDAU
Theatrical Release Date: December 15, 1960
Release Date: October 15, 2002
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Condition: ******BRAND NEW****** THE SOURCE FOR RARE MEDIA, THOUSANDS OF CUSTOMERS SATISFIED, AND OVER 250 000 ITEMS IN STOCK, BUY FROM A TRUSTED SOURCE, ESTABLISHED SINCE 1998 - INETVIDEO ~~~
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential video
Otto Preminger's 1960 adaptation of Leon Uris's novel is a sprawling 220-minute tale of the founding of modern Israel, starring Paul Newman as a Resistance leader. The film works best as an example of Preminger's estimable skill with all levels of drama and action, but as a reflection upon history it is compromised by stereotypes, unpersuasive relationships, and a certain moral ambivalence about issues related to the subject. There are good and exciting sequences, however, particularly one involving an effort to break through a British blockade and get to the homeland. --Tom Keogh
Description
Inspired by Leon Uris' international bestseller, this "extraordinarily moving" (The New Republic) chronicle of the rebirth of a people and the establishment of a nation is the ultimate experience in human drama. Nominated* for three Academy Awards and winner* for Best Score, Exodus is an "exciting, dramatic, scenic, panoramic and deeply moving" (New York Daily News) masterpiece. Ari Ben Canaan (Paul Newman), a commander of the Israeli underground, manages to lead 600 Jews from the detention camps of Cyprus onto a large freighter bound for Palestine. But British forces soon learn of his plan and insist that he turn back. Undaunted, Ari and his passengers refuse to give up, risking their lives for the greater cause of Israeli independence.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 86 more reviews...
 Exodus August 15, 2008
Exodus is a perfect example of Paul Newman workmanship. He portrais his love for his cause and the time when it took place.
Very moving and inspiring DVD
Timeless cinematic epic of Israel -- details here August 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
What a fine film this is in every respect!
This is the historic story of the establishment of Israel as a nation and one man's role in bringing this difficult agenda to fruition. PAUL NEWMAN plays Ari Ben Canaan, a courageous commander of the Israeli underground who manages to lead 600 Jews from Cyprus detention camps onto a freighter, bound for Palestine. The British military forces make his task nearly impossible but Canaan is not a man to fold in the face of opposition. As the tale unfolds, the viewer cannot help but to be inspired by both Canaan and his worthy mission. I think that this is Paul Newman's best film performance ever.
This 1960 film is also superbly notable in terms of its terrific cast which includes EVA MARIE SAINT, PETER LAWFORD, LEE J. COBB, RALPH RICHARDSON, and SAL MINEO (tragically, Mineo was ultimately stabbed to death 16 years later in an alley, murdered by a pizza delivery man who didn't know who he was). Every one of these magnificent screen legends were at the pinnacle of their art in this one! Producer-Director Otto Preminger filmed Exodus entirely on location in Cypress and in Israel.
The spectacular beauty of this cinematic wonder was captured in Technicolor and photographed in Panavision 70. (From Wikipedia: "During the late 1950s the Hollywood filmmaking community decided that changing from filming in the commonly accepted 35 mm format to 65 mm film would provide viewing audiences with an enhanced visual experience. To this end, cameras began to be designed to handle 65 mm film stock. The first camera system to be released using this format was "Todd-AO," in 1955. (Cleopatra (Five Star Collection) was filmed in this format.) The second was "MGM Camera 65," a system designed by Panavision, which was introduced in 1956. In 1959 Panavision released the "Super Panavision 70" system to compete with these two cameras. Unlike its counterpart "Ultra Panavision 70," which used anamorphic lenses, "Super Panavision" used spherical lenses to create a final aspect ratio of 2.20:1"). Exodus, an MGM film, was released by United Artists and the screenplay (written by Dalton Trumbo) is based upon the novel of the same name written by Leon Uris:
Exodus (Modern Classics)
But perhaps the finest aspect of Exodus is the filmscore/soundtrack, the work of Ernest Gold. This is one of the most inspiring Modern Classical Music compositions ever written in support of a film endeavor and is separately available, (I have also written a brief review of this CD):
Exodus - Original Soundtrack
In summary, I can think of few better ways to spend a rainy weekend afternoon than to watch this fine production which has a total running time of 3 hours 28 minutes. The viewer is quickly drawn into the story and s/he will discover that this is one of those rare timeless films. My highest recommendation.
OTTO PREMINGER, OPUS 27 July 20, 2008
**** 1960. Based on Leon Uris's Exodus and produced and directed by Otto Preminger. One Academy award (Music) and two other nominations. Paul Newman is Ari Ben Canaan, one of the leaders of a Jewish independence movement. He manages to force the British forces to let the boat Exodus leave Cyprus with more than 600 Jews on board and reach the port of Haifa. When Otto Preminger directed EXODUS, he was detached from the Hollywood studios and independent for some years. After Bonjour Tristesse, Anatomy of a Murder and PORGY AND BESS, he chose to adapt to the screen another bestseller: EXODUS. If everybody agrees that this 210 min. film isn't a masterpiece, I didn't yawn once during the projection however. I particularly liked the way Otto Preminger paralleled Israel's destiny and Eva Marie Saint's psychological evolution. I'm more confused in front of Preminger's handling of the extremisms: between the blonde and passive Karen and the wild Dov Landau, between smooth integration and armed guerrila warfare, the director favoured the latter. Art and Life can't obviously meet. Highly recommended.
Okay, but not up to book July 5, 2008
This story is both long and complex. Unfortunately, it is too long and complex for one full-length movie. The movie, overall does as good a job as can be done, for the excellent Leon Uris story.
As for acting, Paul Newman does an okay job. Eva Marie-Saint does her normal exceptional job, as well as the rest of the supporting cast. Cinematography has both great and bland areas, but this edition limits the great areas by not being wide-screen.
Overall, I recommend the movie, I just don't think it is 5-start caliber.
Otto Preminger revisited...an excellent film.... July 3, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I saw this film a long, long time ago (in a VHS, pan and scan copy, ugh), but I recently saw Otto Preminger's The Cardinal, which I really liked. I usually don't like Preminger's work, as I found it too long and too self important. But after seeing The Cardinal, I went back and revisited his work, starting with Exodus.
I like this film a lot more the 2nd time around. It wasn't perfect. The romance between Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint's characters smacks of contrived Hollywood romance, and there is no chemistry between them at all. Some of the dialogue is silly as well. But there are many magnificent things about this film. It's very well acted and directed. Preminger shot a lot of the scenes in long takes, and it gives the film an excellent pace. Preminger's mise en scene is quite striking at times. There's a scene where Sal Mineo is talking to his girlfriend about how he wants to get to Palenstine and kill the British, and it's filmed all in one take. It's a medium close up of Sal, his girlfriend, and Paul Newman standing in the background. Otto lets it play out without a cut, and it all works. The scene where Sal Mineo is interrogated by a Jewish "terrorist/freedom" organization is one of the most powerful in the film. It goes on for a long time, yet it's necessary and it's beautifully acted and directed. The prison break out scene is done with minimal dialogue, and is very powerful as well. The scene where Sal Mineo escapes from British soldiers after blowing up the King David hotel is really strikingly shot as well. I also liked the scene where Lee J. Cobb announces that the UN has voted to give the Jewish people their own state in Palenstine. Otto doesn't show any generic crowd shots; he just shows the whole crowd (thousands of people), and it's pretty overwhelming. Ernest Gold's excellent music score is used sparingly. As with The Cardinal, there are no sledgehammer music cues in this film, which is a welcome change from most Hollywood films.
The film was shot on location in Israel in 1960. It wasn't really easy to do then, as Israel was still a young country with violence occurring every day, and all the equipment had to be imported from Hollywood, as Israel had no real film industry to speak of. Despite the logistics of the film, Otto shot the film in a mere 13 weeks. This is also the film where the McCarthy blacklist was broken permanently. The screenwriter was Dalton Trumbo, a known leftist and one of the Hollywood Ten. He was writing under a pseudonym, and Preminger had had enough. He announced that he was giving credit to Trumbo for his script. Contrary to popular belief, Preminger broke the blacklist first. Many have written that Kirk Douglas broke it on Spartacus (Trumbo also wrote that script), but it was Preminger who took the important first step, and Kirk took the 2nd step. I also admired the ending of the film, which is really dark, ambiguous, sad, yet realistic. It's not a contrived Hollywood happy ending, but an adult one, and one that, unfortunately, is still valid today. As for the DVD itself, it's a barebones one with a less than stellar transfer and muddy sound. There are scenes that looked washed out and grainy, and others that look superb. MGM didn't really do a good job here, and it's a shame, as this film deserves a deluxe treatment.
Aside from a few flaws, this is an excellent film, one that I am glad I revisited. It's worth checking out for anyone who wants to appreciate Otto Preminger and the ways of old Hollywood.
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