An American Hippie In Israel (Blu-ray)

Greaser's Palace, The Strawberry Statement and many other godawful "Head" / counter-culture-cash-in films of the era.Despite product description, this is a two disc set, complete with the extras on numbered limited edition release.And what a release!Grindhouse Releasing: it’s a name that carries a lot of weight with collectors of cult cinema on home video. Their catalog might be small but they’ve distinguished themselves by giving Criterion-level treatment to exploitation gems like I Drink Your Blood and Pieces. They’ve been very active as a theatrical exhibition company in recent years, releasing a lot of titles to theaters in new 35 mm prints. One of the titles they’ve put back into theaters is An American Hippie In Israel – and the company made their blu-ray debut with this title. Simply put, the results are impressive and one of the best cult movie home video releases of recent years.I'm not going to get into the plot (spoilers, etc.). Except to say this is chock full of sex and violence - and bizarre sights, sounds and dialogue.The good stuff begins with a crisp transfer of the film, presented in both blu-ray and DVD formats. The blu-ray is fantastic, applying skillful remastering to a rare print to create a richly detailed image. The film’s mostly muted color scheme is given an accurate representation here, with occasional bright colors – like the crystal-blue seas around the island – popping nicely on the screen.In terms of audio, the original mono mix is presented in a lossless form that sounds good for a vintage, low-tech mix. There is also a 5.1 stereo option called “The New Beverly Experience”: in other words, it’s a recording from an audience watching the film in a Los Angeles theater. A similar feature was included for their Pieces release and it allows the viewer to experience how a cult-film crowd responds to the film in a public setting.Grindhouse has also assembled a diverse collection of extras to flesh out the story of this fascinating obscurity. First up is a quintet of deleted scenes. These five bits are extensions of existing scenes in the film but make for interesting viewing because they clarify what is missing from a few abrupt edits in the finished film, including a brief but unforgettably loopy coda that should have been kept in. On a similar note, there are about eight minutes’ worth of silent screen tests including several actors who didn’t make it into the film. This will probably a one-view-only item for most but it’s worth checking out for a wild improv bit with a quartet of actors fighting over a loaf of bread.The next pair of extras go deeper into the film and its history from the actors’ perspective. “Asher Tzarfati and Shmuel Wolf Q&A” offers nearly an hour’s worth of interview footage with both the film’s male lead actors. The two men cover a lot of ground, including how their friendship with director Amos Sefer led to roles in the film, stories about the challenges of production and why the film never made it to the theaters. Tzarfati is often raffishly witty, particularly when addressing the top of how real the film’s sex scenes were, while Wolf is more philosophical, particularly in how he describes the beautful naivete of the film’s production. (Unlike the titles listed above.)Tzarfati also gets a 17-minute solo interview piece called “An Israeli Actor In Israel.” It’s a more biographical segment that allow Tzarfati to discuss the poverty of his childhood, how he developed a love for movies while working as a theater usher during his teens and his successful career as an actor. He’s had quite the career and has great stories to tell about working with Menahem Golan of Cannon Films fame and Jean-Claude Van Damme. He’s grateful to be interviewed, even thanking his interviewers at the end, and his good cheer makes this segment fun to watch. A filmography in text form is also provided for Tzarfati’s career, showing how varied his screen career has been.Another text-driven feature is a brief but informative biography of director Amos Sefer. Sadly, he passed away before he could be interviewed for this disc but this biography does a good job of providing a thumbnail sketch of his life. It includes some pictures of the director at various ages and even a photo of his filmmaking résumé. The disc also includes one of Sefer’s short films, a silent short entitled Be Careful, Children. This crude yet bold piece contrasts children’s games with war, predicting the in-your-face symbolism Sefer would use in his one feature film.The next two extras delve into the birth of the recent revival of An American Hippie In Israel. “A Cult Is Born” is a 5-minute featurette that chronicles how the film got its first public screenings at an cinematheque in Israel, including interviews with the film’s fervent admirers and footage of said admirers dancing alongside the screen and improvising lyrics to go with the instrumental score. Along similar lines is an Israeli t.v. news report on the film that covers the film’s revival and the necessary elements for a bad film to get a successful cult revival. Tzarfati and Wolf are interviewed for this piece and it’s touching to see the two friends reunited. This report is also noteworthy for the incredible smarminess of the news anchor who introduces it.And still there’s more: Susan Devor was half of a folk singer duo who appear in the film and a seven minute interview reveals how the duo went on to great success in Israel as recording artists – but never saw the film that captured one of their early performances. Devore is also reunited with the other half of her musical duo via Skype and gets to perform her song from the film for an enthusiastic group of cinemagoers (including Shmuel Wolf). A brief but fascinating interview with Moshe Berman follows. He served as an associate producer on the production and was the son-in-law of the man who financed the film. His tart comments reveal how the investment went horribly wrong for his starry-eyed stepfather and ate up a small fortune in the process.The disc is rounded out by a series of promotional materials. First is a five minute piece called “Shmuel’s Still Show,” which features Wolf showing some photos from his personal collection as he answers questions (he gets amusingly annoyed by one question that leads to this piece’s end). Also included are two formal still galleries in click-thru form: “Production Stills” offers an array of staged and behind-the-scenes shots in color and black and white, also including a few shots of Sefer on his boat circa 2007, while “Promotional Materials” features news clippings, a press kit, various revival art campaigns and even photos taken outside the film’s New Beverly Cinema screening.The last of the promotional materials is the trailer that Grindhouse put together to promote the film a few years back. This savvy, sharply-edited spot effectively distills the film’s gonzo essence and played a crucial role in inspiring its theatrical revival. Along similar lines, the disc also includes a hefty section of bonus trailers (10 on the DVD, even more on the blu-ray) for a variety of past and future Grindhouse Releasing discs. It’s a great mix of vintage spots and some new items put together by the company itself – and the feverish sights and sounds they deliver will get cult film fanatics hungry for more releases from this company. If that wasn’t enough, there are also a couple of cool easter eggs hidden in the menus that should be easy to find.Must be seen to be believed!

Okay...With this one I really just want to say two things;1. Watch the trailer on You Tube or Grindhouse Releasing's website2. Buy the damn film while you can. There are only 2000 of these bad boys.That should conclude my review but it won't. Because that would be getting off the hook too easy.An American Hippie in Israel is a long lost film from an age of cinema long forgotten. An age where anyone with passion and a few bucks could make something out of nothing. While it may, at first, seem like a stretch to compare An American Hippie in Israel to the likes of THX 1138, American Graffiti, Schlock, A Kentucky Fried Movie and Dementia 13…These films were all made by a pool of auteurs who all had a passion to create something different, with limited resources. I know I am comparing Amos Sefer, who really only made this one film, to George Lucas, John Landis and Francis Ford Copolla, who have had thriving careers. Amos Sefer had the misfortune of making an Israeli movie in a time when it wasn't marketable in any country. Had this not been the case I wonder just how many more memorable films this guy could've made. The fact that Mr. Sefer never got to see just what a phenomenon his film turned out to be -The Rocky Horror-like screenings and such, is saddening to say the least.But on the positive he left us with an inspiring 'Hebrew Road Pic' to watch, over and over now thanks largely to Grindhouse Releasing.At it's core this film is about the exploits of an American Vietnam Vet as he pursues a life of true freedom. Having been disillusioned by war he travels to Israel, another country not a stranger to conflict, to find all the freedom, weed and free love he can handle. Along the way he picks up like-minded folks, some of which do not even speak english and he doesn't speak Hebrew, but that doesn't stop him from being a, sort of…Hippie leader. But exactly what does he lead his small band of deodorant fearing buddies to? That I won't spoil. Watch it for yourself.At 93 minutes the film is very easy to watch. Quite engaging are the many anti war monologues, rampant nudity, drug induced delirium and so forth. The acting is better than one would expect from a director's first outing. Filled with memorable lines, crazy imagery and scenic locales. There were a lot of films made in the late 60's-early 70's that one can draw parallels to but none of them as grossly engaging as An American Hippie in Israel is. Grindhouse Releasing has done a commendable job in cleaning up the transfer in both the audio and visual departments. This is quite evident when watching the un mastered raw cut of the film on the bonus disc.This release is chalk full of extra goodies…All of them worth repeated viewings.Long story short…An American Hippie in Israel is FAR OUT COOL! If you love retro cinema or any cinema that breathes new life out from a creators lungs of passion (Seriously you will see what I mean when in my earlier comparisons once you watch), you owe it to yourself to own this important film.La heim brothers and sisters! La heim!!!!- Orlando G Acosta, for Cinema Bizarro

No matter how far he ran, his demons were never far behind. A bizarre look at a post Viet Nam veteran trying to find freedom in Israel. Not much is like the Israel I know. The main character and his friends eventually made friends with a lamb and tried to live in harmony on a barren island. Not such a good idea.

This sure was a fun trip of a film! Recommended to those who prefer to watch their movies through rose coloured glasses, if you know what I mean. I would like to see THIS made into a remake.

Another movie I thought would be better than it was. The problem here was it that it just doesn't make enough of itself. The reason they found the print in such good condition is that nobody wanted to watch it. Maybe would be better to watch with a group as part of a late night screening.

just pre ordered an all american hippie in israel todayand been looking forward to seeing it since watching the trailer about 10 years ago on the i drink your blooddvd coming attractions line up.so in a few days when this movie does come in my mailbox i'll be popping this babyin my player and i will relax to some grindhouse love

I am giving 5 stars to the product and 4 stars to the film. An amazing product by Grindhouse Releasing. The movie itself is a great throwback to the grindhouse days of cinema, weird and plainly put awesomeness. A wonderful example of a flawless product.

This movie is bad; but i LOVED it...I don't know why it was made, and the world is NOT a better place because of this movie...That being said; get loaded, call your friends, and then wonder as you watch; why did this "Movie" get made??? It's good...

Its not an especially good film. In its best light, its an allegorical story about youthful idealism and its eventual failings. The actors are good fun, there is some funny hippy dialogue, lots of hugging, a pet goat. It reminded me a lot of a Mondo Macabro release, low budget, cheap, its not going to make your life richer for having seen it, but quirky and some may enjoy it. The soundtrack overstays its welcome a bit but otherwise OK. 15 quid is at the top end of what I would like to pay for a film like this really.