David Wile Hey folks, In over 60 years of watching American films, I had never heard of this 1955 film. When I recently read about this film and learned it was to be shown on Turner Classic Movies, I was looking forward to watching it for the first time. From my youth I have been interested in the establishment of the Israeli nation, so I was really expecting to find a great story in this film which was apparently the first film produced by Israel.Sadly, the film simply does not tell a good story. It may seem unfair to compare this film to "Exodus" which was released in 1960, but "Exodus" really did tell a great story. This film contained four small vignettes within it where each vignette described a brief story about each of the four main characters. The four vignettes were not good stories on their own, and they did not come together to make a good story from the sum of their parts.I know a lot of folks have expressed how good they thought this film was, but I have to wonder if many of these folks may sympathetic to the birth of Israel and thinking more with their hearts than their minds. I, too, have long been sympathetic with the birth of Israel, but this film simply did not do well at telling that story. "Sword In The Desert" from 1949 tells a much better story about the refugees' struggle to enter Palestine, and "Exodus" tells a much better story which goes beyond that of "Sword In The Desert."Best wishes,Dave Wile

kapelusznik18 ****SPOILERS*** With the UN truce about to come into effect at sundown July 18, 1948 the Jewish now called, since the founding of the Jewish state of Israel on May 14th, Israeli forces are determine to hold Hill 24 in the Judean hills to keep the life saving supply route from Tel Avive to Jerusalem open. With just four soldiers assigned to Hill 24 it doesn't look as if they can hold off a major attack of the Arab Jordanian legion supported by bands Arab irregular troops. It's during those tense hours that we get to see in a number of flashbacks the lives of the three men and one women assigned on Hill 24 who, as we saw at the beginning of the film, ended up losing their lives in defending it.There's former British policeman James Finnegan who despite not being Jewish joined to fight for establishing a Jewish State for Jews mostly fleeing Europe after WWII and the Holocaust. Finnegan returned to Palestine, now the State of Israel,to reunite with his Jewish girlfriend Miriam Mizrahi whom he left for home two years ago. There's also American Allan Goodman who on a trip to then, in 1947, Palestine fell in love with the country and decided to stay when he rediscovered his Jewish roots there. The same goes for tough and non-caring, for anyone but himself, 1st generation Sabra, native born Israeli, Yehuda Burger and 4th generation Ester Hadassi who, in living there all her life, knows the area around Hill 24 like the back of her hand.The ending is no real surprise in that we know non of the quartet survived. But the biggest surprise is that despite no one there being alive to claim the hill for Israel the UN observers gave it to the Israeli army. That in Ester clutching the Israeli flag in her dead cold fingers making it, in the UN observers minds, Israeli territory! There's also a very dramatic moment in the Nagev Desert when Berger tries to help an injured Egyptian soldier, who he was fighting against, to safety in a bombed out mosque. Realizing by seeing his SS Nazi tattoo that he was a member of the heated German Army during WWII Burger still tries to nurse him beck to health as a POW. The soldier, Azaria Rapaport, feeling a combination of guilt in what Germany did to the Jews and rage in his obvious dislike of Jews completely lost it. Rapaport ends up going into such a wild and crazy frenzy reliving his glorious days as a solider in Hitler's Germany that he literally dropped dead, from both exhaustion and loss of blood, as he gave his last and final Hitler salute!

GUENOT PHILIPPE There are not many films made about Israel birth. I won't add many things to what have already said the other users, except no one of them have talked about George Sherman's SWORD IN THE DESERT, starring Jeff Chandler, back in the 50's. I have it in my library and have not seen it since a while now, so I won't compare the two features. Say which is better than the other. I just say that this one, the Israeli, looks like a British or European film; it is directed by Thorold Dickinson, a director from UK. Another British could have made it: Lewis Gilbert, Guy Green, Ronald Neame...It looks like a UK film because of the story, filming, characterization, music score. Yes I think of a British feature.But it is a really good movie, with interesting characters. The US industry would have made a quite different film. I can't explain more.But, again, there are no many films about Palestine in the late 40's, and the war of independence. Only this one, SWORD IN THE DESERT, CAST A GIANT SHADOW and of course EXODUS !!!A real gem.

francodomenico Yes; sometimes the acting was hokey; but the Music at the Beginning; and, the Suttle, but kind interrelations between the "worn-out" British hanging on to their "inheritence" from WWI, and the Zeal by which the Europeans who found themselves just fortunate to be alive, after surviving the nightmare of Hitler's Europe, are Again called to fight for their Survival- Michael Shillo--who plays Yehuda Berger, does a marvellous job as a Polish Refugee, barely surviving a clandestine Landing at the Haifa coast, and Finally becoming an Officer in the Newly formed Army of Israel. I liked that actor the best. I only wish I knew more of his work. Maybe he lives in USA; and IF so, Write me!I loved Haya Harareet, too---But the Prettiest lady in the Movie is Shoshana Domari--she Plays a Druze lady--She was "Miss Israel Bonds" in the Early 50's!Also, the Little Yemenite Beauty, I think is Gorgeous! She is my type- I guess because I am part Italian! She, too, went on to become quite a Dancer and her family is well known in Israel these days, as accomplished dancers.I hope you can see the movie. It is very good.Mulhare is excellent, too. Watch for this line:"...Finnegan--Is that English?""...hell, no."!ALSO: This Movie IS available on DVD (NTSC) and VHS(NTSC).