Cheap Late Marriage (DVD) (Lior Ashkenazi, Ronit Elkabetz) (Dover Koshashvili) Price

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Customer Reviews of Late Marriage

Intelligent, persuasive and true-to life
By far the best Israeli movie I've seen, Late Marriage explores the difficulties one 30-something intellectual has in individuating from his tradition-bound Georgian (as in former Soviet Union) family, who are recent immigrants to Israel. The movie, which is in Hebrew and Georgian, presents a much subtler and more convincing portrayal of the conflict between tradition and westernization, and of the more specific issue of arranged marriages, than the very popular "Monsoon Wedding." Unlike "Monsoon Wedding," this is primarily a dark film with a powerful evocation of the grip of a reactionary family on an attractive and ostensibly mature man.

The performances are uniformly terrific and there is a prolonged and explicit sex scene in the middle of the movie that is astonishing in its beauty and realism. The direction is unobtrusive and superb, with minimal camera movement and extremely long takes. Overall, "Late Marriage" doesn't really resemble most Israeli movies that I've seen - there's no reference whatsoever to the political situation, for example - and most closely resembles a quiet European art film from the 60s or 70s.

A must-have for collectors of serious cinema for grown-ups.

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Late Marriage
LATE MARRIAGE is a fascinating and refreshing look at love and courtship in contemporary Tel Aviv, Israel. Free of politics and the current tragedy being played out in the streets, the movie is a raucous, honest and sexually explicit portrayal of the love of a 31-year-old Georgian immigrant for a Moroccan-Isreali single mother three years his senior. Her "advanced" age and previous marriage make her unacceptable to his family. According to cultural tradition, he must marry a younger woman. After arranging several unsuccessful blind dates, his parents become suspicious, and discover the hero's relationship with his "undesireable" lover. What follows is both funny and tragic, leading to a conclusion that is, at best, bittersweet. The dialogue and the depiction of the lovers' relationship leaves nothing to the imagination, yet this is less about sex and more about love, passion and ancient traditon. Some of the actors are amateurs (the parents of the hero are portrayed by the director's real-life parents), but the main performances are well acted. I would definitely recommend this film as an alternative to the usual summer fare, but be warned: given the frankness of the subject, it's not a "first date" movie for the unworldy.

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A Great Israeli Film!
I took a chance and ordered this film not knowing too much about it. I was looking for some Israeli movies and lucked out. This movie was easy to follow (many foreign films with subtitles are not) and it was easy to follow the storyline. I'd recommend it only for adult viewers as the sexual content is high but a very honest and realistic look at modern life in Israel. Being single in Israel is more and more common and with the traditional as well as family values still as present as ever, Zaza makes it easy to sympathize with him.

This is a great film if you're interested in getting a different look at modern Israel without the politics, fighting and religious aspect. The only thing that I would change is the ending. I would have liked more closure in the end, perhaps a more smooth transition to the final scene but that final scene was a very warm and wonderful way to experience Israeli culture, music and dancing. Watch it, you won't be disappointed.