Not Quite Paradise

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This article is about the 1985 film. For the Bliss 66 song, see Titan A.E. § Music.
Not Quite Paradise
J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (UK)
  • Anchor Bay Entertainment
    • (US)
    Release dates
    • 28 March 1985 (1985-03-28) (UK)
    • 6 June 1986 (1986-06-06) (US)
    Running time
    		114 minutes
    CountryUnited Kingdom
    LanguageEnglish

    Not Quite Paradise is a 1985 British

    comedy-drama directed by Lewis Gilbert
    . It was originally released in Europe under the title Not Quite Jerusalem, adapted by Paul Kember from his 1982 play of the same name.

    It was filmed on two kibbutzim, Eilot and Grofit, as well as at the Mikveh Israel Agricultural School.[1]

    Plot

    Six naive British and American

    medical student, falls in love with Gila (Joanna Pacuła
    ), the Israeli girl who is organising the volunteers' work and accommodation, he must choose between a life with her and returning home.

    Cast

    Critical reception

    Not Quite Paradise received very poor reviews. Nina Darnton of

    Philly.com called it "annoyingly schizophrenic – thuddingly humorless when it isn't shockingly offensive."[3] In a savage review in the Los Angeles Times, Patrick Goldstein argued that an "awkward" and "uneven" script, "a paucity of intriguing characters", and an overwrought soundtrack of quivering violins "delivers a dreary, cliché-ridden film with all the wallop of a sheaf of crumbling parchment paper."[4]

    London's Time Out contrasted the "strong material" in Paul Kember's original play to this melodramatic, "caramelized" screen version: "Gilbert has created a toffee-apple with the apple removed: bite through the sweet crust of romantic Holy Land locations, handsome Israelis, dashing Arab terrorists and corny jokes, and what remains is sheer emptiness."[5] TV Guide was equally dismissive, noting, "the world of an Israeli kibbutz is reduced to a few simple-minded cinematic clichés... no different from a boarding school or overnight camp. The only really indigenous thing to be found here is the beautifully photographed Israeli scenery, which borders on travelog material rather than background setting."[6]

    References

    1. IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
    2. ^ Darnton, Nina (6 June 1986). "FILM: GILBERT'S 'NOT QUITE PARADISE'". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
    3. ^ Baltake, Joe (8 September 1986). "'Not Quite Paradise': Not Quite On The Mark". Philly.com. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015.
    4. ^ Goldstein, Patrick (11 July 1986). "Movie Review : 'Not Quite Paradise' Is Not Quite That Funny". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016.
    5. ^ "Not Quite Jerusalem | TIME OUT SAYS". Time Out. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016.
    6. ^ "Not Quite Jerusalem | 1985 | MOVIE". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016.

    External links

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Not_Quite_Paradise&oldid=1215083122"