Lemon Popsicle

Original title: Eskimo Limon

1978
R
1h 35m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Three friends live their lives in 1950s Israel, each looking for someone to love.Three friends live their lives in 1950s Israel, each looking for someone to love.Three friends live their lives in 1950s Israel, each looking for someone to love.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

3.8K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 nominations total

Benzi
(as Yiftach Katzur)
…

Anat Atzmon

Nili…

Jonathan Sagall

Momo
(as Jonathan Segal)
…

Zachi Noy

Yudale
(as Zacki Noy)
…

Dvora Kedar

Sonja, Benzi's mother
(as Deborah Kaydar)

Ophelia Shtruhl

Stella
(as Ophelia Shtrel)

Menashe Warshavsky

Romek, Benzi's father

Rachel Steiner

Bracha…

Louis Rosenberg

Pharmacist

Yehoshua Luff

Iceman

Avi Hadash

Froggy
(as Avi Chadash)
…

Denise Bouzaglo

Ricki, prostitute
(as Dennis Bozaglo)

Rita Raish

Teacher

Savich Goldreich

Doctor
(as Savitch Goldreich)

Mira Birenbaum

Ruthy

Doron Zafrir

Pool Bartender

Sarah Aman

Chemist's assistant
(uncredited)

Sarit Baruch

Bit Part
(uncredited)

Director
- Boaz Davidson
Writers
- Boaz Davidson
- Eli Tavor
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

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Trivia
The director claims he based the movie on a situation which happened to him as a youth.

Goofs
At the beginning of the movie, a young man in a red shirt appears in front of the diner eating ice cream and talking with friends; in the next scene he's happily dancing. The same for the blond boy in blue shirt.

Quotes
Yudale: [after having sex with Stella] She's a nymphomaniac all right.

Alternate versions
The Iserali DVD version while containing the original language track still uses the American print resulting in some oddities when viewing the sub-titled original version. Namely the English sub-titles are from the American dubbed version featuring the alternate songs used (or re-used) due to licensing restrictions for worldwide release, meaning often the sub-titles don't correspond to the song that is playing. A scene featuring the guys sneaking into the cinema had a movie news reel featuring President Kennedy, replacing the cinema screen footage from the original version for the US version. Selecting the original language track means you now have the original cinema audio, an Israeli sung quartet, over the top of the movie news footage with the original visuals missing. The original scene as it was filmed can be seen on the TV special on the DVD extras, featuring the audio this time matching the images playing in the cinema of the singing men in suits.

Connections
Featured in Videofobia: The Apple (2012)

Soundtracks
My Little One
Lyrics by George Fenton
Music by George Fenton & David Gussin
Performed by Frankie Laine

User reviews19

Review

Featured review

7/10

Life's Learning Lessons

Taking a trip smack dab to the origins of Cannon Films founders Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan, I wanted to see the movie that (in a way) launched it all. Equal parts a coming of age story and prerequisite sex film, 'Lemon Popsicle' was pretty much what I expected ... but what a doozy that ending is.

The story is your simple boy meets girl and falls in love in 50's Israel. He tries to get her attention, but to no avail (she's not interested). He has two schoolyard friends and when the good looking, confident boy of the trio sets his sights on his dream girl he isn't able to say or do anything. Saying anything more would venture into spoiler territory and give away the third act.

An Israeli production you can see it in an English dub or keep the original language and go for subtitles. The acting is raw, but solid. There's some light crude talk between the boys, but nothing highly offensive. Light nudity as well. There's a lot of vintage American music tracks featured.

'Lemon Popsicle' is a everyday tale at its heart beyond the sexual escapades. It holds a lot of real truths and hurts that young boys and grown men alike come to learn the hard way. Potent for 1978, director Boaz Davidson and Cannon Films would do an Americanized remake years later.