Waiting for Godik
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company
| Waiting for Годик | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ari Davidovich |
| Written by | David Davidovich |
| Produced by | Amir Harel |
Production company | Lama Productions |
| Distributed by | Second Television and Radio Authority |
Release date |
|
Running time | 60 minutes |
| Country | Israel |
| Language | Hebrew |
Waiting for Godik is a 2007 documentary written and directed by Ari Davidovich, chronicling the rise and fall of the Israeli theater producer and impresario Giora Godik.
According to the description on the Internet Movie Database, this documentary "tells the story of the rise and fall of the Israeli King of Musicals, legendary producer and impresario Giora Godik. The tragic story of the man, who touched the dream and crashed, is also the story of an unforgettable era and the tale of the local version of the musical genre."[1] Originally establishing himself by bringing performers including Marlene Dietrich to Israel[2] he established the "Godik Theater," becoming famous for producing Hebrew language versions of American and international musical comedies to the Israel stage. "At its peak," the enterprise managed by Godik "had about 200 employees, and paid very high salaries to dozens of actors, singers, musicians, directors, and dancers."[3]
"Godik, one of the prominent symbols of Israel's happy 60s, endeavored, in his way, to bring the American dream to Tel Aviv. However, the dream was shattered when Godik skyrocketed to the top and plummeted to the lowest depths."[1] After losing his money and accumulating massive debts, Godik fled to Germany, "utterly destitute," where he ended up selling hot-dogs at the central railway station in Frankfurt.[1]
According to Davidovich, the film's writer and director, the documentary "brings back to life the story of a man who believed that life was a musical."[4] Through the story of Godik's successes and failures, "a bygone historical era in Tel Aviv is also exposed."[5]
Production
Produced and released in 2007, the 60-minute film can be classified as a musical documentary because it includes a number of songs from Godik's productions. The documentary was produced by Amir Harel. for the production company Lama Productions, and distributed by Israel's "Second Television and Radio Authority."[6] It was filmed in Hebrew, and distributed with subtitles available in English and French.[6]
The film had its international premiere at the Jerusalem Film Festival,[7] and its U.S. premiere at the 2008 Los Angeles 23rd Israel Film Festival.[8] Its U.S. East Coast premiere was in October 2008 at New York's 23rd Israel Film Festival.[9]