Late Marriage
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Aya Steinovitz, Lili Koshashvili, Lior Ashkenazi, Moni Moshonov, Ronit ElkabetzDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Georgian (Original Language); Hebrew (Original Language); Hebrew (Published)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Running Time: 100 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-02-18
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: New Yorker Video
Movie Reviews of Late Marriage
Movie Review: Liked 'Walk on Water'? Try 'Late Marriage' Next
Summary: 5 Stars
The thrill of watching international movies is to find a superb current release at your local first-run 'art house' cinema, lock on to a great star, then work backwards through that person's previous work. "Late Marriage" is the perfect example of how that movie-watching technique can unearth a hidden gem.
In this case, you can start with the oustanding Israeli film (in theaters now), "Walk on Water." You'll never see a better film. Its star, Lior Ashkenazi, is the hottest thing in Israel at the moment. His breakout, it turns out, was 2001's "Late Marriage." Shockingly, my local rental location (with its 150 - 200 international titles) had it in stock.
There's an unexpected treat in here: 'Marriage' also features (albeit too briefly) the charms of Aya Koren (billed here as Aya Steinovitz). This is the most beautiful woman in film today. See 'Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi' if you doubt that.
The film itself is very enlightening and, ultimately, heartbreaking. It centers on the struggles of a 31-year-old man looking for independence in life and love, yet hampered by the expectations and, subsequently, outright threats of his family when it comes to the matters of marriage. The ending of the film is a jawdropper. You'd never get this type of dispiriting - but hyper-realistic - conclusion in the "come lift us up where we belong" world of Hollywood.
Speaking of which, there are some annoying things to comment on about the marketing of this movie. A prominent blurb on the DVD cover box compares "Marriage" to "Big, Fat Greek Wedding."
Not on your life. Writer/Director Dover Koshashvili must have spit out his breakfast when he read that. These two films couldn't be more dissimilar in the way their respective culture conflicts get resolved.
Next, we had back of the DVD, which features solely a picture of Ashkenazi and Ms. Koren. You can't fault a marketer for featuring her front and center, but, alas, she's not center to the film in any fashion.
Last, and most egregiously, when have the cover shot of Ashkenazi flashing his newly be-ringed finger into the mirror. He appears to be showing it to co-star Ronit Elkabetz (his beloved Judith). This photo is faked. It's a montage. It egregiously misrepresents the resolution of the movie. At this point, Ashkenazi's Lior is alone, lost in deep introspection (we see why in the dramatic, concluding 10 minutes that follow).
Who is responsible for this trickery? Why resort to it? Will it sell a single extra copy of the movie? I'll bet this approach greatly upset Mr. Koshashvili. No way a director would condone this misrepresentation of his baby.
Summary of Late Marriage
This remarkable Israeli movie starts as a sweet romantic comedy: unmarried at 31, Zaza is an embarrassment to his family. Though they parade him past young, attractive, and eligible girls, he resists them all--because Zaza already has a secret love affair with Judith, a divorcée. Zaza knows his parents would never accept Judith; but when his parents find out, the results are worse than either of them ever expected, leading to a harrowing and sad conclusion. Late Marriage has an amazing richness of character and honesty about their behavior. Every turn of the story is full of lively, unexpected details; there's not a predictable moment in the entire movie. The extensive sex scene between Zaza and Judith has an intimacy and dimension unseen in American movies. Quite simply, one of the best movies of 2001. --Bret FetzerSimilar DVD Movies
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