ID

FBW001175      Fiction

Country / Year

Israel, 1963

Original Title

The Cellar / Ha'Martef

Directed by

Nathan Gross

Produced by

Shay Films Ltd.

Staff

Producer: Shimon Israeli, Nahum Slonim; Production manager: Yerahmie Gover, Zeev Lichter; Location manager: Jakub Jonilowicz (als: Yaacov Yonilovitz); Script: Yaakov Malkin, Shimon Israeli; Camera: Jakub Jonilowicz (als: Yaacov Yonilovitz); Cameraman: Haim Shreiber; Editing: Danny Schik; Art direction: Yigal Tomarkin; Music: Shimon Israeli; Musical arrangements: Edmund Halpern (als: Eddy Halpern)

Cast

Shimon Israeli; Hannah Kahane (Hair); David Semadar (Shadow); Zaharira Harifai (Voice)

Length

90'

Format

35mm/sw/1:1,37

Abstract

A young Holocaust survivor returns to his native town in Germany after seven years of suffering in concentration camps. To his surprise the town was untouched and all the houses are intact. Hans, an enemy from his school days, is now living in his house. Hans has persecuted Emmanuel all his life and killed his father. The reason for this hatred was Lotte, a German girl, did not respond to his love but chose Emmanuel ,a member of an inferior race, instead. In the past, Hans had frightened and intimidated Emmanuel,therefore, Emmanuel hides in the cellar, so that Hans will not notice him. Hans suspects nothing, and merely closes the cellar door which he found open. Emmanuel walks around the cellar imprisoned with remnants of his past: his love, his parents, his childhood. All these emerge now and become vivid to him. With the rising sun he returns to reality and realizes that Hans is walking above him. Emmanuel hesitates and is afraid because he now realizes that vengeance is inevitable.

Subject Terms

Germany (1933-1945); Drancy (Polizeihaftlager); Survivors of the Holocaust; Extermination of the Jews; Concentration camp prisoners

Holdings

- Israel Film Archive - Jerusalem Cinematheque, Jerusalem: 76'; 35mm
- Israel Film Archive - Jerusalem Cinematheque, Jerusalem; 35mm
- Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive, Jerusalem: 90'; 16mm

Bibliography

- Ofner, Françis: "Mord mit Mord vergelten. Film-Experiment in Israel", in: Die Welt, 17.04.1963
- Lapid.: "Hamartef (The Cellar", in: Variety, 19.06.1963
- ger: "Aus Israel", in: Die Welt, 24.06.1963
- nz: "Israels Beitrag: Der 'Keller'", in: Berliner Morgenpost (Berlin/West), 25.06.1963
- N.N.: "Aus Israel", in: Münchner Merkur, 25.06.1963
- Herrmann, Walter M.: "'Keller' der erinnerung: Israels Beitrag für Berlins Internationale Filmfestspiele", in: Hamburger Abendblatt, 25.06.1963
- , in: Cinématographie Française (Paris), Nr. 2022, 29.06.1963
- G: "Ein Hamlet aus Israel. Einmannfilm 'Der Keller' vor Kölner Schülern", in: Bergische Landeszeitung (Bergisch-Gladbach), 16.07.1963
- Kronish, Amy: World Cinema: Israel. Trowbridge: Flicks Books, 1996