‘Exodus’: When Hollywood still loved the Jewish state

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.

This week, before diving into the nuts and bolts of the iconic epic Hollywood adventure, we learn how the 1960 film “Exodus” is part of Hoffman’s genesis story.

WATCH the full episode here:

Hoffman lays out the film’s plot, which is based on a 1958 Leon Uris novel. We learn about director Otto Preminger, who was a very big deal in Tinsel Town during his era, which is how he managed to capture an all-star cast including a dashing Paul Newman, high-heeled Eva Marie Saint, Sal Mineo’s fury and the “good Arab” John Derek, whom we recently saw in “The Ten Commandments.”

We give a big shoutout to Ernest Gold’s soundtrack — as well as the many covers of it.

We then hear a sharp criticism from Borschel-Dan on the poor historical accuracy of the film: The real boat, the Exodus 1947, never weighed anchor in Cyprus, where the first third of the film takes place.

Hoffman notes that the film raises abiding issues, including ideology pitting brother against brother and the everlasting hope of coexistence in the land.

Stick around to see if “Exodus” got an “oy,” “meh” or “not bad” in this week’s The Reel Schmooze.

The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.

Check out last week’s The Reel Schmooze here: