Dover Koshashvili

[Petty Bourgeoisie]

Georgian born Israeli director who made quite a splash with his full length debut Late Marriage. Has since been roundly ignored. I consider both Late Marriage and Anton Chekhov's The Duel to be masterpieces. Does anybody have info to add to mine regarding home releases?

In Hukim (1999) - Short (Never Released on DVD or Blu-Ray)
Hatuna Meuheret aka Late Marriage (2001) - DVD release in Region 1 (OOP New Yorker), Italy and France. No Blu-Ray releases.
Matana MiShamayim aka Gift From Above (2003) - Never released on DVD or Blu-Ray, available to watch on youtube, but in Hebrew and Georgian, No subs
Anton Chekhov's The Duel (2010) - DVD and Blu-Ray release in Region 1
Hitganvut Yehidim aka Infiltration (2010) - Never released on DVD or Blu-Ray, Trailer on youtube, No subs
Revaka Plus aka Single Plus (2012) - Never released on DVD or Blu-Ray
Zug Yonim aka Love Birds (2017) - Never released on DVD or Blu-Ray

[Cinephile1]

If you own a region-free DVD player, please contact either Mr. Lior Cohen (Third Ear, Tel Aviv-Yafo, my recommendation) at [email protected], the staff associated with Eighth Note (Tel Aviv-Yafo) at [email protected], or, Mr. Asi Cohen (Disc Centre, Tel Aviv-Yafo) at [email protected], in order to inquire regarding purchasing options of a wide variety of Israeli films on legal DVDs, including several of the ones you mentioned, usually with English-language (and, if relevant, occasionally, with Russian-language and French-language) subtitles (and, less frequently, even in other languages). Good luck, and, if you feel like it, feel free to tell me how it goes.

[dda1996a]

Am surprised to see his name here in this forum (hell also be my teacher this year).
To be honest, I'd say only Late Marriage is good (haven't seen The Duel yet). Gift From Above is the only one out of the others that is set in the same milieu, and is solid. The rest are neither good nor set in the Georgian culture (except his graduation short film which is only available in my University's archive and can't be made available outside)

[swo17]

I remember The Duel being worth a look

[zedz]

Anton Chekhov's The Duel is great. Until now I'd never realized that Late Marriage (which I didn't find especially impressive) was made by the same director.

For me, the strength of The Duel lay in its solid adaptation and great location work, and I don't know how much of that is attributable to Koshashvili.

[dda1996a]

To be honest, he takes what was a poignant sexual scene in Late Marriage and makes it the main focus of all his other films in a way, that he's mostly known for stripping his actresses than anything else by now (even though he just won the Ophir (Israeli Oscar) for best supporting actor in a film not by him.
Gift from Above still works but feels cheapened by it's callous treatment of women in service to the male characters.
Infiltration is just another standard FMJ rip off with nothing to speak of (and features another naked female in one of the films very brief female parts).
Single Plus is just cruel and gross, while it tries to be funny while critiquing the look on single women it fails at both.
Love Birds takes all the criticisms he received and takes them to their absurd point; it's basically Certified Copy just confined to a single hotel room (and a few corridors and the pool) and all the cast is seen mostly naked. It was vehemently hated here, but I found it the most enjoyable film since Gift from Above, mostly because it actually takes risks in alienating everyone, and as a Certified Copy fan, I found it similar story somewhat interesting. But not to do injustice to Kiarostami, the film still suffers from being pretentious, crude and it's story eventually arrived at a bit of let down, but I still rather enjoyed it enough at it's brisk runtime.
I saw his short, graduating film, which focuses on Zaza as an adolescent this time. It ok, nothing really special aside from it's focus on a minority group that will receive much better focus in his next two films.

Still haven't seen Duel, but I'm a fan of Late Marriage. Overall this sums up my brief thoughts on all his films I guess

[Petty Bourgeoisie]

If you own a region-free DVD player, please contact either Mr. Lior Cohen (Third Ear, Tel Aviv-Yafo, my recommendation) at [email protected], the staff associated with Eighth Note (Tel Aviv-Yafo) at [email protected], or, Mr. Asi Cohen (Disc Centre, Tel Aviv-Yafo) at [email protected], in order to inquire regarding purchasing options of a wide variety of Israeli films on legal DVDs, including several of the ones you mentioned, usually with English-language (and, if relevant, occasionally, with Russian-language and French-language) subtitles (and, less frequently, even in other languages). Good luck, and, if you feel like it, feel free to tell me how it goes.

Thanks for the tip. I've got a package coming from Tel Aviv! Lior at Third Ear hooked me up with Gift From Above and Infiltration.

If any other fans of Late Marriage want to see more of the directors work let me know. I'll be happy to lend them out once I have them. I'm in the US btw and media mail is still affordable, thank goodness.

[Cinephile1]

If you own a region-free DVD player, please contact either Mr. Lior Cohen (Third Ear, Tel Aviv-Yafo, my recommendation) at [email protected], the staff associated with Eighth Note (Tel Aviv-Yafo) at [email protected], or, Mr. Asi Cohen (Disc Centre, Tel Aviv-Yafo) at [email protected], in order to inquire regarding purchasing options of a wide variety of Israeli films on legal DVDs, including several of the ones you mentioned, usually with English-language (and, if relevant, occasionally, with Russian-language and French-language) subtitles (and, less frequently, even in other languages). Good luck, and, if you feel like it, feel free to tell me how it goes.

Thanks for the tip. I've got a package coming from Tel Aviv! Lior at Third Ear hooked me up with Gift From Above and Infiltration.

If any other fans of Late Marriage want to see more of the directors work let me know. I'll be happy to lend them out once I have them. I'm in the US btw and media mail is still affordable, thank goodness.

You are more than welcome. If you have any other Israel-related questions, I am here.

[Petty Bourgeoisie]

...and makes it the main focus of all his other films in a way, that he's mostly known for stripping his actresses than anything else by now...

Same thing with Avi Nesher. He is capable of greatness (The Wonders) but in some movies it seems like his main motivation is to get straight to the actresses nude scenes (The Secrets and Turn Left At The End Of The World).

[dda1996a]

I actually hate Nesher, who is considered Israel's most successful and popular director. Aside from his two early, classic, Israeli movies (The Band and Dizengoff 99, which I think are just solid), I dislike all his other films (Israeli that is; haven't seen his U.S action schlock).
Hated both Wonders and End of the World, Past Life and Match Maker are passable, haven't seen The Secrets and his latest.

[Cinephile1]

Hoping that you have already received your package and that eveything went fine and arrived in good condition.

[Petty Bourgeoisie]

Just got the DVD's today! Everything arrived in good condition.

Need to finish binging AMC's Lodge 49, before I dive in.

[Cinephile1]

Just got the DVDs today! Everything arrived in good condition.

Need to finish binging AMC's Lodge 49, before I dive in.

Great to hear that!

[Petty Bourgeoisie]

Well, I watched Gift From Above (2003) last night. That was certainly a shock to my American psyche! And most certainly not in a good way. This movie could have been subtitled "Odious people acting odiously".

The directors motives remain shrouded behind the sheer ugliness of the characters. Am I supposed to approach this sociologically and not judge them? That's an impossible ask.

Late Marriage was a glimpse into a culture. This was full fledged voyeurism with the viewer hijacked into going along for the seedy ride.