Exodus is one of the all-time classic films. This 1960 adaptation of the best-selling book by Leon Uris tells the story of the birth of the state of Israel, what led up to the historic event, and the aftermath of the United Nations vote leading to the establishment of the country.

The cast is tremendous. Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Sal Mineo, Peter Lawford, Lee J. Cobb, and others gather together to tell this historic tale of hardship, discrimination, and determination. The score by Ernest Gold features the heartening theme and from the very first note the film is off and running directly into the late 1940s when the exodus to Israel, then called Palestine, was the only way of survival for many Jews fleeing the persecution in Europe, and the horrible after effects of the holocaust. The score won the Academy Award that year.

This is a story of passion – for history and survival.

Newman plays Ari Ben Canaan, a determined man who is a leader in the fight to declare Palestine a Jewish state. He takes a boatload of Jewish refugees to the front page of newspapers around the world by keeping them on board instead of having them disembark in Cypress where the British are keeping the Jewish refugees. This boat is renamed “Exodus” in reference to the story in the Bible. They all stay on the boat until Britain finally allows them to sail to Palestine.

This is the first part of the epic story. The next part is the effort, both overt and covert, try to establish the country and get self-determination for the Jews. Getting the British to relinquish the territory is difficult. There are plenty of underground efforts, conducted by both the Haganah and the more radical Irgun.

The next part of this story focuses on the aftermath of the declaration of the state of Israel and the immediate attack on the Jews by the Arabs.

Besides Ari Ben Canaan, the central characters in the film are: Kitty Fremont (Saint), an American volunteer who becomes close with a young Danish refugee, Karen (Jill Haworth) the young Danish Jewish girl determined to help establish the country, Dov Landau (Mineo), a refugee who joins the militant Irgun, Akiva (David Opatoshu), one of the heads of the Irgun and Ari’s uncle, Barak (Cobb), Ari’s father and one of the leaders who wants to rely on diplomacy instead of fighting, Taha (John Derek), a childhood friend of Ari’s who is a leader of the Arab community, and Jordana (Alexandra Steward), Ari’s sister and one of the leaders in a Kibbutz.

All of their stories intertwine as the film unfolds and the history of this turbulent and historic time comes to life on the screen. The screenplay was adapted by Dalton Trumbo (who had his own history-making life when he was blacklisted), and wonderfully directed by Otto Preminger.

This Twilight Time Blu-ray edition includes the restored six-track stereo sound. The film was shot on location in the actual places the events took place. If you have not seen this movie, this is the time. It’s one of the top ten classics. And if you have seen this movie, this Blu-ray is a beautiful edition. Exodus is a movie everyone should see.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for 20 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

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A Fine Pair is a clever and somewhat cute 1968 film starring Rock Hudson and Claudia Cardinale. If you think this is going to be like the Hudson/Day films, think again. It’s a stylish and sophisticated romp through Europe in a story that has plenty of twists and turns.

Hudson is Captain Mike Harmon of the New York Police Department. He’s a by-the-book guy with everything in its place. He likes order and continuity. Cardinale is Esmeralda Marini, an old friend whose father was a policeman in Italy and a friend of Harmon. She’s a free-spirit sexually liberated young woman who knows what she wants.

When Esmeralda arrives in NYC, she goes straight to Harmon with a problem. It turns out she’s a jewel thief. She will be in trouble when the authorities discover the jewels are stolen from one of the richest families. So, as a favor to her deceased father, Harmon decides they have to go to Europe together and put the jewels back in the safe from which they were stolen before the owners discover the theft.

Harmon is an ex-detective and knows his way around a city to find out how to take on a challenge. He does this in Austria with Esmeralda as his accomplice in this reverse caper. Or is it a reverse caper?

While in Austria the two become closer and Harmon begins to let down his stuffy guard. He is slowly converted to the freedom the 1960s has to offer, thanks to the help of Esmeralda. They are cute together, but they are on the opposite side of the law. That is until she tells him she has stolen more jewels and after a clever resolution in Austria they travel to Italy for another reverse caper. Or so he thinks.

Cardinale is adorable in this role. Even though she’s conniving all along, viewers have to enjoy her and root for her.

Composer Ennio Morricone’s score adds fun and lightheartedness to the film. It’s a fun little story with Cardinale showing the freedom of the time and Hudson converting from stodgy to cleverly adventurous. When viewers see the moment he switches, they are in for a treat. This is not one of his best romantic comedy films. As a matter of fact it isn’t one his top five. But it has its moments.

A Fine Pair is part of the Warner Archive Collection and is available from their website. It’s rated PG.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for 20 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

Follow her on Twitter

In Star Wars: The Force Awakens the force awakens in a young woman and the dark force awakens in a young men. The Blu-ray combo pack is filled with plenty of interesting and fun bonus features.

The little star of the film is the newest droid, BB-8. A bonus feature looks at how the filmmakers brought him to life, so to speak. They built several configurations of the little droid: one worked by a puppeteer, one that wiggled, one on a carrier, and on a trike. It’s interesting to see how imaginative they were in creating him. Besides this adorable little droid, there were 105 various creatures in the film, some were animatronic, puppets, and some were completely CG.

The folks at ILM discuss how they used “restraint” in their creativity and created the “grand illusion” in the film. The effects, they say, were only meant to “fill in” the story.

Training, choreography, and cardio buildup were part of the preparation by the actors for their grueling scenes. They discuss their pre-filming training and the filmmakers discuss the epic and visually striking light saber scene, which takes place at night in a snowy forest.

John Williams returned to create the magnificent score for this seventh film in the franchise. He knew he needed to keep the flavor of the franchise while adding to the new characters and paying homage to the returning characters.

The first table read of the script was documented and all the actors and filmmakers remark on this memorable and historic day. The script was read aloud by Mark Hamill. This was the first time the cast gathered together, bringing the original actors together with the new generation. Harrison Ford said that the casting choices were “audacious” and viewers see how they all reacted to their first meeting.

“Secrets of The Force Awakens” is an in-depth feature looking at the entire production, from the time George Lucas handed over the helm of LucasFilm to Kathleen Kennedy. Director J.J. Abrams and writer Lawrence Kasdan talk about their involvement in this film, and the actors discuss their contributions and experiences. For instance, filming in 120 degrees in the Abu Dhabi desert was daunting. And working with BB-8 was a delight. Other interesting tidbits in this educational and enlightening feature look at motion capture and the Skellig Island location for the final scene. Harrison Ford also recounts how he felt about his character of Han Solo and how in this film “his destiny is resolved.”

Deleted scenes and a feature about how the filmmakers are using the Star Wars franchise for a “Force for Change” by giving back to various charities and working with UNICEF round out the remaining features on the bonus disc in the combo pack. Needless to say, there are plenty of interesting aspects of creating this movie that are explained in all the additional features included in this pack.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for 20 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

Follow her on Twitter