THE POLICEMAN

Israel, 1971, 87 minutes, Colour.
Shay K. Ophir.
Directed by Ephraim Kishon.

The Policeman is a pleasant satirical Israeli comedy written, produced and directed by Ephraim Kishon, himself a satirical journalist. It has a very pleasing performance by Shay K. Ophir as the incompetent hero. The film creates the atmosphere of life in Israel, the range of characters, but focuses on themes of Israeli fellowship and lack of tolerance of incompetence. Where it succeeds for a non Israeli audience is in the satire on the incompetence of the hero and his being tricked into helping people that he should be applying the law to. This is especially the case in a very funny sequence where a gang try to commit a robbery in order to be caught and almost fail in their task. A light small example of the Israeli film industry.

1. Comic appeal? The human touch? Social comment? A glimpse of the Israeli way of life?

2. The background of Israel ? Tel Aviv and Jerusalem? The people, groups? Colour photography and location photography? The episodic nature of the screenplay? Special effects? The pace for laughter? Musical score?

3. The screenplay and the catalogue of incidents in Azulai's career? The tension between his performance of his work, his wafting off into fantasy and having to come back to reality, his home life and hopes for promotion? Engaging audience sympathy for him and then showing his dismissal from the force?

4. Azulai as a personality, pleasant and engaging, the comic touch? The bumbling comic type (familiar from American film?). How really inept was he? In himself, in action? The pathos of his kindness? His commendation at the end ? and dismissal? What was he left with?

5. The film showing the sense of group solidarity in Israeli groups? Duty, skills. ambition. reputation, salary? The inspector and the sergeant and their friendship with Azulai? Their impatience with him? The dilemma about dismissing him? How fair were they in their attitudes, treatment? The inability to tell the truth to Azulai? The semi-comic ways of handling it? The decoration, the final salute?

6. Azulai at home, his wife, the family, their supporting him? The uncle and the money? Azulai's imagination ? while watching TV and substituting himself for the heroic tough types of the series and films? Their supporting him at the end?

7. The sentiment and humour in the incidents? The staging of Azulai's helping criminals: the prostitute and his association with her, the youth and his speeding and the paying of the fine, the Orthodox Jews and their protests and his knowledge of texts, the car chase and his pursuing the car with a stolen car?

8. The background of gangsters and terrorism in Israel? The ironies of the mix-up? The plan to keep Azulai on the job for their own self-protection? The planning of the robbery, the comedy of the execution of the robbery and Azulai’s almost not noticing?

9. The effect of Azulai's arresting the group ? his commendation, his still being fired?

10. A portrait of society and individuals, a plea for kindness and tolerance? Satire on the work of the police? The individual who has to live within his limitations?