Review of Exodus

Introduction

I`ve never been one to venture into the realms of classical cinema, which is probably the reason I`m not as mesmerized as maybe I should be when witnessing such screen presences as Paul Newman in modern day films. You see, I rode through my entire childhood saddling Arnold Schwarzenegger`s ass & amidst all the stuff getting blown-up I never looked back once. Though in recent years I`ve seen many fabulous movies where actors like Paul Newman have starred, but somewhat taken a back-seat to new crops of young performers, I would still think to myself "that guy used to be major didn`t he?" Well in the year 1960, 22 years before my mother`s proudest day (giving birth to me), the movie `Exodus` was released, which means this qualifies as the oldest movie replicated onto DVD I`ve ever seen.

Based on the novel by the late Leon Uris, `Exodus` is a lengthy telling of the story of a Jewish British officer (Paul Newman) who struggles not only in the fight to bring freedom to his people, but also to bring together his divided family. At the start of the film we see Newman`s character use his influences to break out 611 Jews from a concentration camp with the intention of shipping them to Palestine via a boat. That however is only half the story, as later on Exodus chronicles the struggles the Jews encounter upon gracing their new found surroundings, as well as Newman`s conflict with his uncle, the leader of an anti-British terrorist organization.

Video

Isn`t great, but having read comments on the region one release`s transfer, I think us Brits have got by far the better deal here. The frequent flicker that retro movies carry is painfully evident through-out, and the colours aren`t very well defined as a lot of the scenes appear quite light in contrast. Wasn`t half as bad as the alternate region version sounded, as the presentation aspect didn`t in anyway detract from the enjoyment of the film.

Audio

Age definitely shows through here in the aural sense, but again isn`t nearly bad enough to ruin the experience. Exodus is a surprisingly quiet experience for a war movie, especially for the first half of the duration. The dialogue delivery is a tad on the subdued side, which lead to me having to crank the volume up more so than I usually would.

Features

Other than some scene selections & sub-titles, there aren`t any.

Conclusion

This movie caught me totally off-guard & gave me a lesson in `old school` cinema that I`d never forget. Though "Exodus" is ludicrously long, weighing in at well over three hours, it`s one of those rare war movies that grasp your attention with great storytelling, and not the darker side of world conflict. The outstanding Paul Newman oozes charisma & charm as the lead character, as he gives the type of tireless performance that made him such a star in the 60s.

Ok so the film`s presentation isn`t exactly tip-top & extras are none existent, but it doesn`t hide the fact that this is a damn fine movie. You can always be safe in the knowledge you`re buying a great war film that ultimately satisfies for the better part of four hours. For lovers of classic cinema, surely this is one you can`t miss out on.