''Ervinka'' is a 1967 Israeli film written and directed by

Ephraim Kishon Ephraim Kishon (: August 23, 1924 – January 29, 2005) was a Hungarian-born Israeli author, dramatist, screenwriter, and Academy Award, Oscar-nominated film director. He was one of the most widely read contemporary satire, satirists in Israel, ...

. The film, starring

Chaim Topol Chaim Topol ( he, חיים טופול; born September 9, 1935), also spelled Haym Topol, mononymously known as Topol, is an Israeli actor, comedian, singer, film producer, author, and illustrator. He is best known for his portrayal of Tevye the ...

(best known for his role as

Tevye Tevye the Dairyman, also translated as Tevye the Milkman ( yi, טבֿיה דער מילכיקער, ''Tevye der milkhiker'' ) is the fictional narrator and protagonist of a series of short stories by Sholem Aleichem, and various adaptations of th ...

from ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

'') is a comical tale of a

con man A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have def ...

who falls in love with a police officer.

Plot

Ervinka is a young man living in Tel Aviv of the 1960s. He does not believe in work, morality, law and order, and settling down. He ekes out a living as a petty con man by charging parking fees to a lot that doesn't belong to him, stealing electricity from his neighbors, eating for free in family events he is not invited to, and extorting money from movie directors by revving up his moped engine near their film sets. He also finds ways to con the authorities, taking advantage of the stupidity, laziness, and inefficiency of bureaucrats (a favorite subject of Kishon's work). Ervinka even ingratiates himself with the local underworld by getting them out of trouble with the law over a robbery. His only dream is to win the lottery so he would not have to get by on his wits anymore. Ervinka's carefree life becomes complicated when he falls in love with Ruti, a police officer. While she loves him, she is equally appalled by his way of life and is concerned that he is on a slippery slope to a life of crime. Tired of never winning the lottery, Ervinka devises a devilish con to rob the lottery offices in Tel Aviv. Under the guise of making a movie, he has his underworld friends try to crack the lottery safe open while all around him are spectators and even police officers, all under the impression that they are watching a film director at work. When the underworld has problems getting the safe to open, the police volunteers its own expert to help them so that filming could proceed as planned. Thanking them for their help, Ervinka and his friends leave with the money seconds before the authorities realize what is actually going on. With next week's jackpot safely tucked in a bag behind his moped seat, Ervinka believes he has realized his dream. However, his police officer object of affection tracks him down, while he's making his escape. She confesses her feelings for him to be just as strong as his are for her, but makes it clear she will not associate with a criminal. Choosing her over the money, Ervinka returns the money to the General Manager of the lottery in an official ceremony just like the one he had always imagined himself receiving this money in.

Cast

as Ervinka *

Gila Almagor Gila Almagor Agmon ( he, גילה אלמגור אגמון; born Gila Alexandrowitz; July 22, 1939) is an Israeli actress, film star, and author. In Israel, she is known as "queen of the Israeli cinema and theatre". Biography Gila Alexandrowitz (A ...

as Ruti *

Shraga Friedman Shraga (Talmudic Aramaic: ) is a Jewish given name (meaning "candle" in Talmudic Aramaic) and may refer to: *Samuel ben Uri Shraga Phoebus, Polish rabbi and Talmudist of Woydyslaw in the second half of the 17th century *Shraga Bar (born 1948), form ...

as Mr. Veinrib *

Shaike Ophir Shaike Ophir ( he, שייקה אופיר; November 4, 1928 – August 17, 1987) was an Israeli film and theater actor, comedian, playwright, screenwriter, director, and the country's first mime. Early life Yeshayahu (Shaike) Goldstein-Ophir was b ...

as the Police Sergeant *

Avner Hizkiyahu In the Hebrew Bible, Abner ( he, אַבְנֵר ) was the cousin of King Saul and the commander-in-chief of his army. His name also appears as "Abiner son of Ner", where the longer form Abiner means "my father is Ner". Biblical narrative Ab ...

as Ervinka's partner Yossi * Edna Fliedel as Liz, the neighbor *

Yossi Banai Yosef "Yossi" Banai ( he, יֹוסֶף "יֹוסִי" בַנָאי; April 13, 1932 – May 11, 2006) was an Israeli performer, singer, actor, and dramatist. Biography Banai was born in Jerusalem during the Mandate era, and grew up in the neighbor ...

as Maurice, the neighbor & Liz's husband *

Shaike Levi Shaike Levi ( he, שייקה לוי; born December 13, 1939) is an Israeli comedian, singer and actor. He is best known for his role in the Gashash HaHiver (HaGashash HaHiver) comedy trio, which won the Israel Prize in 2000. Biography Yeshayahu ...

as Friedrich (underworld) *

Yisrael Poliakov Yisrael "Poly" Poliakov ( he, ישראל "פולי" פוליאקוב; July 7, 1941 – October 30, 2007) was an Israeli comedian and actor. Poliakov was born in Jerusalem, and grew up in Tel Aviv. He became one of the three members of the Israeli c ...

as Leon (underworld) *

Gavriel Banai Gabriel is a messenger angel or an archangel in the Abrahamic religions. Gabriel may also refer to: People * Gabriel (given name), a given name * Gabriel (surname) * Saint Gabriel (disambiguation) * Gabriel, pen name of the Scottish cartooni ...

as Musa (underworld) *

Mosko Alkalai Mosko Alkalai ( he, מוסקו אלקלעי; March 10, 1931 – April 1, 2008) was an Israeli actor. ...

as Zigler

Production notes

* Ervinka is a

hypocorism A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for I ...

of the name Ervin. In the movie, it is actually pronounced "Arbinka."

References

External links

* {{Ephraim Kishon 1967 films Films directed by Ephraim Kishon Israeli comedy films