Tuesday, June 5, 2018

אסקימו לימון [Lemon Popsicle] (1978, Boaz Davidson)

Yes, I heard about these movies. Yes, anch'io was young at a time, but then in a village we hadn't access to a cinema hall. Maybe even at that time I was too old for this kind of entertainment.
Lemon Popsicle is a teeny farce, a kind of American Graffiti among Jews. Actually when I zapped through channels, I thought that it actually was an American trash comedy. - until I saw that it was produced in Israel in 1978. 40 years ago. Tempus fugit indeed.
In 1978 Lemon Popsicle dealt with young Israelis in the 50's. The official slogans were about constructing the country, but carefree young people thought instead about shagging a hot chick.
We follow the lives of three guys in Tel Aviv. There is fat Yudale. He has sufficient money, so he can hang out with the guys. Of course, he never shags a chick.At best he gets his ass beaten or he is trapped in his underwear. Davidson uses this cliché from bad comedies at length - ad nauseam. There is also a glamour boy, Momo. He uses girls at his pleasure and switches them quite often. At a snap of his finger they will be at his service. Momo is a prick. Benji, the third of the musketeers is a quiet character. He has feelings and he is the only person in this film with some depth. Depth as understood within the limits of this film.
The plot? It is as simple and as trivial as possible. Benji falls in love with Nili, the new girl at school. Momo snatches her from Benji and he makes her pregnant. Then he loses interest in her. Benji pays for her abortion and is prepared to take care of her, but when Momo re-appears on the scene, Benji becomes Mr. Lonely, who has nobody of his own.
The first hour of this film is a cavalcade of vulgarities. In the last hour Davidson remembers that being young and being responsible are not two different things. In my view the last thirty minuts do not save the film from being a voyeuristic softcore sex comedy. Lemon Popsicle gets with very much good will 4/10.
While watching this flick, I wondered if the then were proud of their achievements 40 years ago. Is it useful for a career to star in a softcore sex film? It seems that 40 years ago had another status. It ran in the competition of the Berlinale 1978. Dis they really hope that Davidson was a new Fellini?
The documentary Eskimo Limon - Eis am Stiel: Von Siegern und Verlierern by Eric Friedler tells the story behind and after the glamour. Zachi Noy, now 65 years old, is still fat Yudale. While preparing for a humiliating performance in a shabby club, he feels such deep emptiness inside.
After the surprising success of the 1978-film, Lemon Popsicle started suffering from sequelitis. Those films were co-produced with West-Germany. The adult actress Sibyle Rauch performed in some of these movies. For she it was the peak of her career.
For everybody else Lemon Popsicle was in the words of Boaz Davidson like a ride on the Titanic.
6/10












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