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Amos Gitai: Exile Esther/In Berlin Jerusalem/Birth of a Golem Golem: The Spirit of Exile/Golem: The Petrified Garden Amos Gitai Five feature films by Amos Gitai that address the subject of exile are included in this collection. Esther (1986, 97 mins.) updates the Biblical story of Esther in a "dense, provocative" film (Village Voice) that is "bristling with ideas" (New York Times). In Berlin Jerusalem (1989, 83 mins.), two women seek out a new life in the Holy Land in a beautiful, powerful portrait of the birth of Israel. Birth of a Golem (1991, 60 mins.) is a "notebook" film exploring ideas for a feature film on the theme of the Golem and a parable about the creative process. Golem: The Spirit of Exile (1992, 105 mins.) fuses the Book of Ruth and other Biblical tales of exile with the Jewish legend of the Golem. Its eclectic cast includes Bernardo Bertolucci, B-Movie legend Samuel Fuller, and Fassbinder regular Hanna Schygulla. Fuller and Schygulla also appear in Golem: The Petrified Garden (1993, 84 mins.), in which Gitai turns his iconoclastic gaze to the collapse of the Soviet Union as seen through the eyes of an art dealer. The DVDs of Esther, Berlin Jerusalem, and Golem: The Spirit of Exile are letterboxed, 16x9 widescreen versions. Includes the original featurette, Amos Gitai: Images of Exile; the short film Alekan-Cochet; interviews, production stills, and more. Films are in French, German, Hebrew, English, and other languages, with English subtitles. Israel/Great Britain/Austria/Netherlands/Italy 1986-1993. DVD | $119
Amos Gitai: Territories Amos Gitai A collection of thematically linked films by acclaimed director Amos Gitai. House (1980) and House in Jerusalem (1997) are two extremely simple yet utterly profound films, exploring the history of a house in East Jerusalem as a microcosm for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Combined running time: 148 minutes). Wadi 1981-1991 and Wadi Grand Canyon 2001 (180 mins.) are three interlocking films depicting a group of Arab and Israelis who nurture a fragile culture of coexistence over a span of twenty years. Field Diary (1982, 83 mins.) is an explosive, shocking, and profound film. Set mostly in the West Bank before and during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon (some scenes were also shot there), it explores, as the film states it, "how the occupation manifests itself, and how violence against the Palestinians is legitimized." Its earliest screenings were greeted with vicious anger from armed Israeli soldiers; and the aftermath led to Gitai's decade-long exile from Israel. Arena of Murder (1996, 80 mins.), finds Gitai investigating the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin three weeks after the event. 3-DVD set. In Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, English and other languages, with English subtitles. Israel/France, 1980-2001. DVD | $99
Alila Amos Gitai The lives of over a dozen residents in a rundown apartment complex on the outskirts of Tel Aviv are explored in this drama from the director of Kadosh and Berlin Jerusalem. Gitai exposes tensions within Israeli society through disparate characters whose stories resonate with humor, pathos and the tempestuous clamor of everyday life. "Ruefully funny. . ..moving" (Scott Tobias, The Onion). In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2003, 121 mins. DVD | $44.95
Berlin Jerusalem Amos Gitai An Israeli epic. Two women seek out a new life in the Holy Land in this beautiful, powerful portrait of the birth of Israel. Berlin Jerusalem tells the story of two women: Else Lasker-Schuler, a German expressionist poet, and Mania Shohat, a Russian revolutionary. Their journeys intersect in Jerusalem, both a real city and the mythical place of their dreams. They shudder at the reality but remain committed to making a better world. Gorgeously photographed, this is a feast for the senses and a provocative commentary on the conflict in the Middle East today. German, Hebrew and other languages, with English subtitles. France/Israel/Great Britain/Netherlands/Italy, 1989, 83 mins. DVD | $44.95
Birth of a Golem Amos Gitai A powerful and unusual work, Birth of a Golem is a dreamlike "notebook" film exploring ideas for a feature film on the theme of the Golem. Gradually, the notebook takes on a life of its own, incorporating tales of Biblical creation and other stories from Jewish legend. The result is a parable about the creative process--and the many forms it takes. The DVD includes interviews and the short film Alekan-Cochet, featuring the great cinematographer Henri Alekan (Beauty and the Beast, Wings of Desire) and his gaffer Louis Cochet at work. French and other languages with English subtitles. France, 1991, 60 mins. DVD | $44.95
Devarim Amos Gitai Amos Gitai's narrative debut is also the first in a cycle of films about contemporary Israeli cities (Yom Yom, Kadosh). Set in Tel Aviv, Gitai's powerful drama charts the singular paths of three disaffected men: a womanizing divorcee (Assi Dayan), an aimless pianist (Amos Schub), and their emotionally stunted friend (Gitai). When the latter's father dies, the three set off to attend his funeral, and find their lives transformed in the process. "Amos Gitai's most ambitious film to date... handsomely photographed" (David Stratton, Variety). In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1995, 110 mins. DVD | $44.95
Esther Amos Gitai Amos Gitai (Kadosh, Kippur) updates the Biblical story of Esther in this unforgettable film. Drawing from ancient sources to explore the world today, Esther is a "dense, provocative" film (Village Voice) that is "bristling with ideas" (New York Times). Ahasverus, the ruler of a great and sprawling kingdom, chooses as his queen Esther, a beautiful peasant girl. Mordecai, Esther's uncle, convinces her not to tell Ahasverus that she is Jewish. But when Mordecai refuses to bow down before Ahasverus' lieutenant Haman, a vicious cycle of revenge begins, pitting friend against friend and a king against his queen's people. Cinematography by the great Henri Alekan (Beauty and the Beast, Roman Holiday, Wings of Desire and countless other classics). Letterboxed, 16x9 widescreen. Includes Amos Gitai: Images of Exile featurette, pre-production and production slide shows, and more. Hebrew, Arabic and other languages, with English subtitles. Israel/Great Britain/Austria/Netherlands, 1986, 97 mins. DVD | $44.95
Field Diary / Arena of Murder Amos Gitai Two explosive, shocking, and profound films from Amos Gitai. Set mostly in the West Bank before and during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon (some scenes were also shot there), Field Diary (1982, 83 mins.) explores, as the film states it, "how the occupation manifests itself, and how violence against the Palestinians is legitimized." With its in-your-face interference with soldiers and its unique and profoundly haunting counterpoint of sound and image, Field Diary is a daring and brutally on-the-edge film. In Arena of Murder (1996, 80 mins.), Gitai investigates the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin three weeks after the event. He travels through the country for several months, filming random encounters to paint a melancholic portrait of a country in turmoil. In Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles. Israel/France, 1982, 1996, 163 mins. DVD | $44.95
Free Zone Amos Gitai Natalie Portman plays an American living in Jerusalem in this allegorical road movie by the controversial Israeli auteur, Amos Gitai. After leaving her fiance, Portman impulsively hops in the cab of a harsh Israeli woman (Hanna Laslo), and joins her on a trip to the "free zone" of Jordan, where she is to collect money owed to her husband. Upon their arrival, a Palestinian woman (Hiam Abbass) informs them that the money and their contact are missing. Forced to join the search, the trio comes to represent the macrocosm of unsolvable strife in the region. "The movie's early enthusiasm for visual experimentation recede in deference to the main event: the battle of wills" (Village Voice). In English, Arabic, and Hebrew with optional English subtitles. France/Israel/Spain/Belgium, 2005, 90 mins. DVD | $44.95
Golem: The Petrified Garden Amos Gitai A revelation from one of the world's great filmmakers. Amos Gitai turns his iconoclastic gaze to the collapse of the Soviet Union in a magnificent, wry, and oddly humorous film that stretches across the vast Russian plain. Daniel is an art dealer with bases in New York, Tel Aviv, and Paris. He inherits a collection in Birobidzhan, the autonomous Soviet Jewish Republic in the far reaches of Siberia. Daniel embarks on a trip to find the collection, including a gigantic statue of a Golem, by whatever means necessary. As he travels, he glimpses the painful aftermath of the Soviet Union's collapse. This brilliant epic stars Jerome Koenig, with supporting roles by B-movie legend Sam Fuller (Shock Corridor, The Naked Kiss) and Fassbinder's muse Hanna Schygulla (The Marriage of Maria Braun). In English and other languages, with English subtitles. France/Israel/Russia, 1993, 84 mins. DVD | $44.95
Golem: The Spirit of Exile Amos Gitai Amos Gitai fuses the Book of Ruth and other Biblical tales of exile with the Jewish legend of the Golem, into a Biblical parable for the modern world. Elimelech, Naomi, and their sons move to a new city. Elimelech dies, and the sons are murdered. Naomi, stranded, forges an enduring friendship with Ruth, one of her sons' widows. Together they cautiously face the future. This lavish film features many great and legendary figures, including Bernardo Bertolucci, B-Movie legend Sam Fuller, Fassbinder regular Hanna Schygulla, and many others. Set in a gorgeously photographed Paris, packed with talent, heady with ambition, and infinitely mesmerizing, Golem: The Spirit of Exile is a major achievement. In French and other languages, with English subtitles. France/Netherlands/Italy/Germany/Great Britain, 1992, 105 mins. DVD | $44.95
House / A House in Jerusalem Amos Gitai Two extremely simple yet utterly profound films, exploring the history of a house in East Jerusalem as a microcosm for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the first film, House (1980), a Euro-Israeli Professor has purchased the house from an aging Algerian-Israeli couple. An Israeli contractor rehabs the house with Palestinian laborers. Meanwhile, the filmmakers seek out the house's pre-1948 owner. Produced and then censored by Israeli television, House was saved from the dustbin of history by its director, Amos Gitai (Kadosh, Kippur). Almost twenty years later, Gitai returns to the house, revisits the families of the pre-1948 owner, and explores some of the same issues in A House in Jerusalem (1997). In English, Hebrew and Arabic, with English subtitles. Israel/France, 1980/1997, 148 mins. DVD | $44.95
Kadosh Amos Gitai Amos Gitai, Israel's gifted and most controversial director, turns his unblinking eye on the treatment of women in ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities. The story, set in the Mea Sherim quarter of Jerusalem, follows the struggles of two sisters to find personal happiness in a system that seems designed to marginalize their place in society and limit their possibilities for personal happiness. One of the sisters, although devoted to her husband, is rejected by the community when her marriage remains childless. The other is pressured by the rabbi into marrying a cruel, violent man. "...an anguished cry...has a ripped-from-the-headlines immediacy" (Scott Heller, Boston Phoenix). Videocassette and DVD in Hebrew with English subtitles; Israel, 1999, 117 mins. DVD | $44.95
Kedma Amos Gitai Set in May of 1948, this powerful film from Amos Gitai (Kadosh) tells the story of a group of Holocaust survivors who sail to Palestine on an old cargo ship called the Kedma, only to arrive before British troops leave and before the formal founding of the nation of Israel. Gitai's look at the first hours the men and women spend in the newly established country is a beautifully photographed meditation on exile, hope and despair. The DVD is letterboxed, and includes a Gitai filmography, a stills gallery, a bonus featurette, optional English subtitles and more. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2002, 100 mins. DVD | $44.95
Kippur Amos Gitai Amos Gitai's vivid and wrenching film about the Yom Kippur War of 1973 draws upon his own experiences as a soldier while presenting combat in a subjective, existential, and visually arresting manner. Few films have conveyed the physical and emotional disorientation of war so powerfully. "Gitai plunges the viewer into the reality of modern warfare, in which the enemy is often invisible--we never see the Syrians in Kippur--and battle lines are often unclear...Depicting war as chaos, he makes a powerful argument for peace" (Fred Camper, Chicago Reader). In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2000, 123 mins. DVD | $44.95
Wadi 1981-1991 / Wadi Grand Canyon 2001 Amos Gitai Three interlocking films depicting a group of Arab and Israelis who nurture a fragile culture of coexistence over a span of twenty years. The films--Wadi: 1981, Wadi: 1991, and Wadi: 2001--are set within Wadi Rushmia, a valley in Haifa. Like House and A House in Jerusalem, these films show a microcosm of relations between Israelis and Palestinians, though here things are somewhat more hopeful. We see the pain of displaced Romanian Jews, and of Palestinians forced to live in shambles. But we also see friendships and even love affairs across the social boundaries, as all these people strive in one way or another to establish roots within a constantly changing landscape. In English, Hebrew, Arabic, Russian and other languages, with English subtitles. Israel/France, 1981-2001, 180 mins. DVD | $44.95
Yom Yom Amos Gitai The second film in Amos Gitai's celebrated trilogy (Devarim, Kadosh) about contemporary Israeli cities, Yom Yom is set in the bustling, ethnically diverse port city of Haifa. Moshe Ivgi (Munich) stars as a listless young man whose Jewish mother (Hanna Maron) and Arab father (Yussef Abu Warda) are under intense pressure to sell their family bakery to an Israeli developer. When Moshe's father balks at the deal, Moshe is forced to reconcile his mixed ancestry even while his own marriage crumbles. "A darkly comic tale. Gitai's genius is to show the conflict infiltrating every encounter, from the market place to the bedroom" (Leslie Camhi, The Village Voice). In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1998, 105 mins. DVD | $44.95
