Published via Ecency

(source: tmdb.org)

In 1967, following the Six-Day War, Yugoslavia broke diplomatic relations with Israel, and that state of affairs remained until shortly before the dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1991. The decision, motivated by Tito’s personal friendship with Nasser, complicated geopolitical calculations and the country’s economic interests in the Arab World, but failed to have much of an impact on the everyday lives of Yugoslav citizens. They could still buy Israeli goods in stores, borrow books by Ephraim Kishon from public libraries, and even watch Israeli films in cinemas. The most popular of those was Lemon Popsicle, a 1978 period comedy directed by Boaz Davidson.

The plot is set in the late 1950s in Tel Aviv. The protagonist is Bentzi (“Benji” in the English-language version, played by Yftach Katzur), a 17-year-old high school student who spends most of his free time hanging out with his two best friends – good-looking Momo/Bobby (played by Jonathan Sagall) and slightly obese Yudale/Huey (played by Zachi Noy). Like most boys at that age, they are obsessed with sex and often go to great lengths to get it, which includes a bizarre encounter with a lonely nymphomaniac housewife, Stella (played by Ophelia Shtruhl), and paying a prostitute. The woman who really gets Bentzi’s attention is Nili/Nikki (played by Anat Atzmon), a beautiful girl who has recently joined their school. Bentzi is immediately smitten, but Nili is easily seduced by Momo, who takes her virginity only to discard her when she informs him that she is pregnant. Bentzi decides to do everything in his power to help her and even sells his possessions to provide for her abortion, but his efforts ultimately result in just another heartbreak.

Boaz Davidson, who co-wrote the script, claims that this film is mainly inspired by his personal experiences in the late 1950s. Most critics at the time, however, thought that the main source of inspiration for Lemon Popsicle was American Graffiti. The main argument for such a conclusion can be found in the fact that both films spent most of their budget on the soundtrack. Lemon Popsicle, produced by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, who would later build an international B-film powerhouse known as The Cannon Group, apparently spared no expense, and the film features a truly impressive collection of the greatest late US rock ’n’ roll and pop hits from the era (with the notable exception of “Ciao, ciao, bambina” performed by the great Italian singer Domenico Modugno). Those songs play almost constantly in the background and, at times, sound at odds with what is going on in the plot, while at other times they serve as a perfect commentary on what the characters feel.

The script, which deals with teen love, coming-of-age and rejection, is quite generic, but its universal qualities allowed it to reach even those audiences who weren’t fooled by the producers’ lame attempt to hide the Israeli setting with a lame English translation. Davidson keeps a tight pace, has a very good cast at his disposal, and walks a fine line between sentimentality, serious issues, and sometimes very crude humour which includes scenes of nudity and explicit sex. Katzur is well-cast as the nerdish and tragic Bentzi, while Anat Atzmon is great as an angelic, unattainable, and seemingly perfect object of desire. This interesting blend of nostalgia, melodrama and sex comedy was good enough to smash all box office records in Israel, and its success was repeated on international markets. Lemon Popsicle spawned a popular film series which lasted until 1988 (or 2001, if Party Goes On is counted as its part). Davidson in 1982 directed a shot-by-shot remake specifically for the US market under the title The Last American Virgin.

RATING: 7/10 (++)