The Debt (2007 film)

Ha-Hov, aka HaChov, or in English, The Debt, is a 2007 Israeli drama-thriller film directed by Assaf Bernstein and starring Gila Almagor, Yuriy Chepurnov, and Oleg Drach, about three retired Mossad agents confronted by a challenge from their past.

The Debt
Theatrical poster
Directed byAssaf Bernstein
Produced byEvanstone Films, Ltd.
Written byAssaf Bernstein, Ido Rosenblum
StarringGila Almagor, Yuriy Chepurnov, and Oleg Drach
Music byJonathan Bar-Giora
CinematographyGiora Bejach
Edited byEinat Glaser-Zarhin
Distributed byTricoast Worldwide and Elephant Films (France)
Release date
  • November 29, 2007 (2007-11-29)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryIsrael
LanguageHebrew and German
Budget$900,000[1]

It was remade as the 2010 American/British film The Debt, mixing the Mengele and Eichmann stories.

Cast

Actors with corresponding major characters:[2]

Plot

The film is not based on actual fact, and centers on an Israeli-Mossad Kidon team who in 1964 capture a notorious Nazi doctor Josef Mengele who had performed human experimentation in a German extermination camp, and, when he escapes from them, they report him as being shot once in the head and killed during his attempted escape. In the following years, the agents receive numerous accolades for their actions, with none suspecting the truth, but in the late 1990s, they learn he may be alive, repentant, and likely to expose the truth of the events.[3][4]

Cinematic history

The film was nominated for four awards by the Israeli Film Academy in 2007: Best Art Direction, Ido Dolev; Best Cinematography, Giora Bejach; Best Costumes, Inbal Shuki; and Best Supporting Actress, Neta Garty.[5]

The film has had no theatrical release in United States as of February 2011,[6] but a version with English subtitles has screened at U.S. film festivals[7][8] and has been shown on the Sundance cable-television channel.[9]

A U.S. remake titled The Debt starring Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Ciarán Hinds and Tom Wilkinson was directed by John Madden from a screenplay by Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan.[10][11] It premiered at the Deauville American Film Festival on September 4, 2010, and was originally scheduled for wide release in December 2010 until this date was pushed back to August 31, 2011.[12]

References
  1. The Independent, November 3, 2010, accessed February 19, 2011.
  2. IMDb: Cast
  3. Scheib, Ronnie (November 1, 2008). "The Debt (Israel)". Variety.com. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  4. http://www.israelemb.org/index.php/en/events/details/114-reelisraeldc-screening-of-israeli-film-qthe-debtq
  5. IMDb: Awards, accessed February 19, 2011.
  6. "Comingsoon.net". Comingsoon.net. 2008-04-30. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  7. Austin Jewish Film Festival Brochure, accessed February 19, 2011.
  8. Tribeca Jewish Film Festival brochure Archived 2011-07-28 at the Wayback Machine, accessed February 19, 2011.
  9. Sundance Channel Archived 2010-10-20 at the Wayback Machine, accessed February 19, 2011.
  10. IMDb.com: The Debt, retrieved March 2, 2011.
  11. "The Debt". Focus Features. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  12. PunchDrunkCritics, February 9, 2011, accessed February 19, 2011.
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