Ha-Trempist

An American Hippie in Israel

source: An American Hippie in Israel

The only saving grace of this movie is the symbolism that keeps popping up. Considered by many to be one of the worst movies ever made, more still consider it to be the worst Israeli movie ever made. Originally titled, the Hitchhiker, this movie has been defined as a metaphorical counter-culture film. I will disagree with its current label of being a psychedelic drama. Not once in the movie do we see anyone taking drugs or hallucinating...technically. The central character of the story is Mike, who is introduced wearing goat fur. The goat symbolize fertility, vitality and ceaseless energy. The he-goat (buck) is the epitome of masculine virility and creative energy. Among being a veteran, Mike identifies to the audience as being a "Hippie". From his long hair, down to his bare feet. Throughout the entire movie, Mike walks around without shoes or sandals. Bare feet have come to symbolize innocence or childhood in a glorifying perception of freedom from real-life requirements. Others see Mike's shoe less character as one that is dead. In some cultures, the dead are buried without their shoes. Meaning, Mike may be a ghost if not dead inside. After all, Mike is being chase by two Mimes that look like Undertakers. Returning from the War, he has given up on the world and is constantly trying to find beauty and love. The dream he has showcases all the horrors or war, ignorance, imprisonment, hunger and hate in the world. To dream that you are screaming symbolizes anger and fear. If you try to scream, but no sound comes out, then it indicates your sense of helplessness and frustration in some situation. Mike's dream is completely silent. The movie is flawed in many ways, but throughout the movie, you can see symbolism in the innocence in the white car they drive, the ruins on the island, the biblical way they dance for joy on the edge of the beach, and most of all, symbolism in the lamb. In Christianity, the lamb represents Christ as both suffering and triumphant; it is typically a sacrificial animal, and may also symbolize gentleness, innocence, and purity. The lamb symbolizes sweetness, forgiveness and meekness. The ending is powerful and delivers the most obvious message for its audience. However, the low budget, mediocre acting and rushed production quality makes it difficult for many to take seriously. And that is the biggest shame about the movie.

I did like this movie however I wouldn't want to see it again. There are a lot of long scenes of nothing which I remedied by going to you tube and listening to a review while the movie was playing, sort of a commentary kind of thing you see in DVDs. That did work and when they would start talking again, I paused the review. This movie kept my interest until the end and that was something. Turned into a cave man movie where they all stopped talking and grunted and growled. They didn't like war but they sure had a cat fight battle at the end. I liked the meanings of the 2 mimes as maybe the government and when they were on the island became the sharks. And the speech about "pushing buttons" reminded me a little of the "I'm as mad hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore" speech. Maybe a better movie to watch if you are doped up.

I supposed that the few hippies who bothered to see "An American Hippie In Israel" during its theatrical release probably reacted with a "far out!" at the time. But I think that if those same people were to see the movie today, they would wonder, "What were we thinking?" It's a real head-scratcher of a movie. For a long time, there seems to be no real plot, just people going place to place and occasionally taking off their clothes. Then it turns into a weird story of people stuck on a desert island. I don't have a good idea what the point of this movie was supposed to be. It seems aimless, and there are things like the two pursuers of the title figure that are never explained. There is some nice Israeli scenery, but a good look only goes a little way in a movie - you need a good story and well-written characters as well, and this movie simply doesn't have those two important things.

I believe that Markastzm's review gets everything right, except one very thing. Indeed, he is correct that the mimes and the sharks both represent "The Man", and also that the film does not refute hippie ideals, but rather shows the unrelenting glee "The Man" takes in squashing those embracing those ideals. Markastzm is wrong, however, when he states that "Neither the characters, the actors, nor the director take themselves too seriously". There is an interview with two of the actors on the blu-ray disc and they indicate that took all of this very seriously, and that - to some extent - they all naively thought they were making a important statement. And it is precisely this that makes this film such a jaw-droppingly WTF oddity. Tedious to no end, but also fun in the right mindset with the right group of friends.

This feels like the people who made it actually believed in it, in the Hippie credo. It also feels like they kind of made it up as they went along and don't really know how to make a movie. The best scene is a silent nightmare sequence both in a funny way and in an inspired way--too bad the whole film can't live up to this level. And the basic idea of a hippie Lord of the Flies is good too. But the action and violence is all laugh out loud poorly done and the long scenes of hippie talk need better actors or an actual script. The music is quite good at times but gets repeated as do the nice travel shots out into the barren wilds. The surreal nature of the two "Mine" figures and much of the rest of it feels like a stage troop decided to film a half rehearsed stage show and that's what we have. Camp by definition. Is it slow, well let's just say scenes go on as long as possible, sometimes that has a retro, you-should-have-been-there quality. Others make you glad you can fast forward. It's well worth a look if you either like and or like to laugh at hippies at their pure core. Also a little different as it's sort of a culture clash of American Hippie and Euro Hippie. They just needed some real actors and a real filmmaker to put it over, though the lead isn't bad and looks the part. Oh yes there are naked hippie chicks. A fun, if pokey, movie that you have to see just to say you've seen it all. Get with it.

An American Hippie in Israel is an independent film that revolves around none other than the titular character. I really don't know I can describe it, but here I go. It is downright bizarre, and I do not mean that in a good way. The tone is all over the place, the editing is virtually non-existent, and I honestly cannot describe the writing to save my own life. On the bright side, the two lead males acted in other films (before and after this), which is more than I can say for the two actresses; it's quite a bummer if you ask me. If it hadn't been for the ending, I would've given this tripe a lower rating than 1.9/10.

An American Hippie in Israel (1972) ** (out of 4) American hippie Mike (Asher Tzarfati), angered from what he saw in Vietnam, heads off to form a civilization where love and peace is everywhere. He ends up in Israel where he meets three fellow hippies and they head off to an island for fun times. Here's another film that was pretty much forgotten to time but Grindhouse Releasing managed to save it and turn it into a surprising hit in the midnight circles. AN American HIPPIE IN ISRAEL isn't as crazy as some of the others film that the company has rescued but it's certainly a weird little film that's hard to explain. I'm going to guess that writer-director-producer Amos Sefer had big ideas about peace and happiness but the film manages to be a laugh riot at times with its silly dialogue before turning into a downright bizarre nightmare. The biggest flaw with the film is certainly the screenplay, which doesn't seem to know what it wants to do because the majority of the running time just seems to be dialogue- free while the four characters walk around, smile, laugh, get naked and just wonder around without any purpose. Some of the scenes drag on to a point where you'll want to scream at the director to yell cut or for a producer to walk on camera and ask what the hell is going on. Just take a look at the sequence where the American, speaking English, and the Israeli, speaking Hebrew, argue because they can't understand one another. Several scenes just drag on to the point where they become annoying and aggravating. The performances are pretty much what they are but I must say that Tzarfati was "good" to the point where he keeps you entertained. Shmuel Wolf, Lily Avidan and Tzila Karney play the three other hippies and all of them are at least interesting enough to keep you involved in their story. The dialogue gets some of the biggest laughs because it basically sounds like a non-hippie trying to write hippie dialogue. It's quite laughable at times and perhaps this is why so much of the film is dialogue-free; because what dialogue there is is pretty bad. I'm not going to ruin the final fifteen-or-so minutes of the film but they're certainly crazy and makes very little sense. A lot of the laughs from midnight crowds probably happens to what the four "turn into" and there's no doubt that you could really rip the film a new one because of it but at the same time it's a pretty bleak vision. AN American HIPPIE IN ISRAEL isn't a masterpiece or a complete disaster. It's an interesting little film to say the least.

Flying to Israel from New York City, American hippie and Vietnam War veteran Asher Tzarfati (as Mike) is picked up while hitchhiking, by attractive actress Lily Avidan (as Elizabeth). They almost get into an accident with two mute men in weird suits and chalk-white make-up. These men have been following Mr. Tzarfati around the world. After copulating at her place, the twosome enjoy a fun hippie lifestyle. They befriend another couple, Shmuel Wolf and Tzila Karney. The foursome end up on a deserted island paradise where they either go naked or wear tight bikinis... The island is supposed to be a paradise, with plenty of freedom. However, after sex and frolicking, the quartet eventually find their food and transportation are gone. They are stranded and begin to act like the animals. Apparently, the outside world isn't going to let Amos Sefer's hippies obtain freedom without a fight. This is an allegorical story hampered by the fact that the characters we're supposed to like are so annoying, we're often rooting for them to get shot or run over. The dubbing and repetitive soundtrack are not helpful. The location footage is most appealing. *** An American Hippie in Israel/ Ha-Trempist (1972) Amos Sefer ~ Asher Tzarfati, Lily Avidan, Shmuel Wolf, Tzila Karney