Ari Ben Canaan, a passionate member of the Jewish paramilitary group Haganah, attempts to transport 600 Jewish refugees on a dangerous voyage from Cyprus to Palestine on a ship named the Exodus. He faces obstruction from British forces, who will not grant the ship passage to its destination.
Score
Ernest Gold's Oscar-winning theme you'll hum for days.
Acting
Sal Mineo's Oscar-nominated broken youth steals scenes.
Production
Massive practical ship sequences, pre-CGI spectacle.
Director
Otto Preminger
Paul Newman
Ari Ben Canaan
Eva Marie Saint
Kitty Fremont
Ralph Richardson
Gen. Sutherland
Peter Lawford
Maj. Caldwell
Lee J. Cobb
Barak Ben Canaan
Sal Mineo
Dov Landau
John Derek
Taha
Hugh Griffith
Mandria
Gregory Ratoff
Lakavitch
Felix Aylmer
Dr. Lieberman
David Opatoshu
Akiva Ben Canaan
Jill Haworth
Karen
Marius Goring
Von Storch
Alexandra Stewart
Jordana Ben Canaan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Exodus ship was scrapped in 1952; Preminger's production built a full-scale replica in Cyprus that became a tourist attraction.
Released when Israel was only 12 years old, the film shaped American perceptions of the state before most viewers could locate it on a map.
US
