The Debt (2007 film)

Ha-Hov, aka HaChov, or in English, The Debt, is a 2007 Israeli drama-thriller film directed by Assaf Bernstein and starring Gila Almagor, Yuriy Chepurnov, and Oleg Drach, about three retired Mossad agents confronted by a challenge from their past.

The Debt
Theatrical poster
Directed byAssaf Bernstein
Written byAssaf Bernstein, Ido Rosenblum
Produced byEvanstone Films, Ltd.
Starring
CinematographyGiora Bejach
Edited byEinat Glaser-Zarhin
Music byJonathan Bar-Giora
Distributed byTricoast Worldwide and Elephant Films (France)
Release date
  • November 29, 2007 (2007-11-29)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryIsrael
LanguagesHebrew and German
Budget$900,000[1]

It was remade as the 2010 American/British film The Debt, mixing the Mengele and Eichmann stories.

Cast

Actors with corresponding major characters:[2]

Plot

The film is not based on fact, and centers on an Israeli-Mossad Kidon team who in 1964 capture notorious Nazi doctor Josef Mengele who had performed human experimentation in a German extermination camp. When he escapes from them, they report him as being shot once in the head and killed during his attempted escape. In the following years, the agents receive numerous accolades for their actions, with no one suspecting the truth, but in the late 1990s they learn he may be alive, repentant, and likely to expose the truth of the events.[3][4]

In the film's tense and emotionally charged climax, the agents find themselves facing a series of moral and ethical dilemmas as they confront the possibility of Mengele's survival and the potential exposure of their long-held secret. The tension builds as they are forced to grapple with their past actions and the consequences of their deception, ultimately leading to a high-stakes and morally complex decision that will shape the course of their lives and the truth surrounding Mengele's capture and the events of 1964

Cinematic history

The film was nominated for four awards by the Israeli Film Academy in 2007: Best Art Direction, Ido Dolev; Best Cinematography, Giora Bejach; Best Costumes, Inbal Shuki; and Best Supporting Actress, Neta Garty.[5]

The film has had no theatrical release in United States as of February 2011,[6] but a version with English subtitles has screened at U.S. film festivals[7][8] and has been shown on the Sundance cable television channel.[9]

A U.S. remake titled The Debt starring Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Ciarán Hinds and Tom Wilkinson was directed by John Madden from a screenplay by Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan.[10][11] It premiered at the Deauville American Film Festival on September 4, 2010, and was originally scheduled for wide release in December 2010 until this date was pushed back to August 31, 2011.[12]

"The Debt" (2007) garnered recognition in the cinematic world, receiving four nominations at the Israeli Film Academy Awards in 2007. These nominations included Best Art Direction, acknowledging the work of Ido Dolev; Best Cinematography, attributed to Giora Bejach; Best Costumes, designed by Inbal Shuki; and a nod for Best Supporting Actress, recognizing Neta Garty's performance in the film.

References
  1. The Independent, November 3, 2010, Retrieved February 19, 2011.
  2. "The Debt (2007) - IMDb". Retrieved April 17, 2023 – via www.imdb.com.
  3. Scheib, Ronnie (November 1, 2008). "The Debt (Israel)". Variety. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  4. "Screening of the Israeli Film The Debt". israelemb.org. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  5. IMDb: Awards, accessed February 19, 2011.
  6. "Comingsoon.net". Comingsoon.net. April 30, 2008. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  7. Austin Jewish Film Festival Brochure, accessed February 19, 2011.
  8. Tribeca Jewish Film Festival brochure Archived 2011-07-28 at the Wayback Machine, accessed February 19, 2011.
  9. Sundance Channel Archived 2010-10-20 at the Wayback Machine, accessed February 19, 2011.
  10. IMDb.com: The Debt, retrieved March 2, 2011.
  11. "The Debt". Focus Features. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  12. PunchDrunkCritics, February 9, 2011 Archived September 2, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, accessed February 19, 2011.
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