Sallah Shabati
Sallah Shabati (Hebrew: סאלח שבתי) is a 1964 Israeli comedy film about the chaos of Israeli immigration and resettlement, as well as the issues Mizrahi Jews faced in the developing Israeli society. This social satire placed the director Ephraim Kishon and producer Menahem Golan among the first Israeli filmmakers to achieve international success. It also introduced actor Chaim Topol (who would later achieve even greater success with Fiddler on the Roof.) to audiences worldwide.
Sallah Shabati | |
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DVD cover of the film. | |
Directed by | Ephraim Kishon |
Written by | Ephraim Kishon |
Produced by | Menahem Golan |
Starring | Chaim Topol Arik Einstein Gila Almagor Shraga Friedman |
Cinematography | Floyd Crosby |
Production company | Herzliya Studios |
Distributed by | Noah Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
Country | Israel |
Language | Hebrew |
Budget | 400,000 lirot. |
The protagonist's name, Sallah Shabati, is perhaps a play on the phrase סליחה שבאתי, Sliḥa she'bati, "I apologise for coming/I regret coming here". In earlier print versions of Kishon's short stories which were revised for the film, the character was known as Saadia Shabtai.