Bourekas films

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The term Bourekas films (Hebrew: סרטי בורקס) describes an Israeli film genre that was popular in Israel in the 1960s and 1970s. The name is based on the Israeli pastry Bourekas , a puff pastry known internationally as Börek .

history

Uri Klein, film critic for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, describes the Bourekas films as "a bizarre Israeli genre of comical melodramas and stirring pieces ... based on ethnic stereotypes ". “It was home-made farces and melodramas that provided escapist entertainment in a more difficult episode in Israel .” The term was coined by Israeli film director Boaz Davidson , who has also directed several Bourekas films. It is based on the Italian film genre of the spaghetti westerns .

Gefilte fish films

A few Bourekas films whose protagonists are of Ashkenazi origin and in which ghetto folklore also plays a role are referred to as Gefilte Fish films or “Bourekas for Ashkenazim ” .

A selection of this cinematic subgenre:

  • Kuni Lemel , 1968 (Israel Bekers)
  • Lupo , 1970 (Golan)
  • Kuni Lemel in Tel Aviv (1976) (Joel Silberg)
  • Lupo in New York (1976) (Davidson)
  • Hershele , 1977 (Joel Silberg)
  • Marriage Tel Aviv Style , 1980 (Joel Silberg)
  • Aunt Klara (HaDoda Klara) , 1977 (Avraham Hefner)

subjects

The main theme of many Bourekas films are ethnic conflicts, especially between Jews of Mizrachian (oriental) and Ashkenazi (European) origin. The hero of many films is usually a very poor but shrewd Mizrachian Jew who comes into conflict with state institutions or Ashkenazi Jews, who are often portrayed as rich, vain, cold-hearted, socially alienated and arrogant. In many films, Hebrew dialects, especially those of the Moroccan, Persian or Polish Jews, are imitated by the actors. Slapstick humor , mix-ups and the amalgamation of melodrama and comedy also play a role .

In an essay titled A Shtetl in Disguise: Israeli Bourekas Films and their Origins in Classical Yiddish Literature (German: A disguised Stetl: Israeli Bourekas films and their origins in classical Yiddish literature ), filmmaker and critic Rami Kimchi wrote that the portrayal of Mizrachian society in these films is strongly reminiscent of the portrayals of the Eastern European Stetl in the 19th century, which was spread by classic Yiddish- speaking authors. Kimchi attributes the commercial success of the films to the hybrid character of Israeli society, in which Israeli-born Mizrahim and Ashkenazim immigrated from the European diaspora live together. For this reason, in his opinion, the films meet the political, social and psychological needs of both audiences. He counts eleven films produced between 1964 and 1977 to the core of the Bourekas genre.

Actors and directors

Bourekas films were very successful in Israel in the 1960s and 1970s, but were also criticized for being superficial. Some of the leading actors and directors were:

  • Ze'ev Revach : actor and director who was involved in many famous Bourekas comedies, such as Hagiga B'Snuker (1975), Charlie Ve'hetzi (1974), Rak Hayom (1976), Gonev Miganav Patoor (1977), Ta 'ut Bamispar (1979), Ha-Muvtal Batito (1987), Lo La'alot Yoter (1979), Sapar Nashim (1984), Pa'amaim Buskila (1998) etc. Revach is considered the face of the genre, he was still producing Bourekas films by the late 1980s.
  • George Obadiah : a director who produced many melodramas inspired (often copied) from Turkish cinema. His most famous films are: Ariana (1971), Nurit (1972), Sarit (1974), Na'arat haparvarim (1979) etc. Obadiah also made comedies such as Naheche V'Hageneral (1972), Fishke Bemilu'im (1971) and Koreyim Li Shmil (1973).
  • Yehuda Barkan : actor and director who was involved in many Bourekas films: Lupo (1970) and Lupo B'New York (1976), Katz V'Carasso (1971), Charlie Ve'hetzi (1974), Hagiga B'Snuker (1975), Bo Nefotzetz Million (1977) etc. Barkan also starred in and directed the 1980s Abba Ganuv series .
  • Boaz Davidson : Director of many Bourekas comedies such as Charlie Ve'hetzi (1974), Hagiga B'Snuker (1975), Mishpahat Tzan'ani (1976) and Lupo B'New York (1976). His films Charlie Ve'hetzi and Hagiga B'Snuker had a revival in the 1990s and are considered cult films in Israel.
  • Josef Shiloach : actor of many Bourekas comedies, who also played more serious roles and appeared in various Hollywood films. One figure he is particularly associated with is that of the Persian, a sensual, grotesque type with a heavy Persian accent.
  • Tuvia Tzafir : Actor in various Bourekas films, especially in the role of the grotesque Ashkenazi Jew.
  • Menahem Golan : Director and actor of many successful films such as Lupo (1970), Fortuna (1966), My Margo (1969), and Queen of the Road (Malkat haKvish) (1971).

Selection of well-known Bourekas films

reception

The Bourekas films were very successful commercially, but were often panned by film critics as intellectually undemanding and vulgar. The question of how these films portrayed Israeli society abroad was viewed with concern. In a review of Sallah Shabbati , Biltzki wrote in the newspaper Al hoMishmar : “Since in Israel ethnic groups are not only portrayed in the distorted mirror of twisted humor, but also in the ugly mirror of public life [...], we should do it twice consider whether such a film should represent us abroad. "

The end of the genre

The popularity of the Bourekas films waned towards the end of the 1970s. 1980s Israeli film became more political and turned to more controversial issues. However, many Bourekas films still have cult status in Israel today.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ And Then There Was One, Uri Klein, Haaretz
  2. ↑ Overview: Israeli film
  3. ^ Ella Shohat: Israeli Cinema: East / West and the Politics of Representation , New. Edition, IB Tauris, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-84511-312-4 , p. 114.
  4. ↑ A Shtetl in Disguise, Rami Kimchi
  5. ^ Ella Shohat: Israeli Cinema: East / West and the Politics of Representation , New. Edition, IB Tauris Co & Ltd, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-84511-312-4 , p. 124.
  6. ↑ Biltzki: Another Opinion on "Sallah Shabbati" . In: Al hoMishmar . September.