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Exodus
1960 208 min United States of America 12+
★7.3
Drama, War
Director: Otto Preminger
📖 Based on the novel
«Exodus»
byLeon Uris
Trailers
Description
Ari Ben Canaan, a passionate member of the Jewish paramilitary group Haganah, attempts to transport 600 Jewish refugees on a dangerous voyage from Cyprus to Palestine on a ship named the Exodus. He faces obstruction from British forces, who will not grant the ship passage to its destination.
Budget:
$4M
Worldwide:
$20M
Starring
Paul Newman
Actor
Eva Marie Saint
Actor
Ralph Richardson
Actor
Awards
Golden Globe 1961
— Best Supporting Actor
Academy Awards 1961
— Best Score for a Drama or Comedy
Golden Globe 1961
— Best Original Score
Golden Globe 1961
— Best Supporting Actor
Golden Globe 1961
— Best Female Debut
Academy Awards 1961
— Best Score for a Drama or Comedy
Key opinion
Exodus is widely regarded as a flawed historical epic that struggles to reconcile its grand scale with a laborious, uneven narrative. While the musical score is universally praised, the film is hampered by a punishing runtime and significant departures from its source material that weaken its emotional resonance.
| Score | Ernest Gold’s sweeping musical score provides the film’s most consistent and effective highlight. | |
| Runtime | The 200-minute runtime is widely cited as excessive, creating a labored and exhausting viewing experience for most audiences. | |
| Adaptation | The adaptation fails to capture the emotional gravity and character complexity of the original novel, resulting in flattened, distorted portrayals of key figures. | |
| Cinematography | Opinions on the cinematography are split between those who admire its restrained, professional composition and those who find the technical execution, including lighting and camera placement, to be poorly managed. | |
| Pacing | The pacing is a point of contention; some viewers feel the extended length allows for necessary character depth, while others view it as pedestrian and structurally disjointed. |