Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Beyond the Walls (1984)

 Beyond the Walls (1984)
type
TVTItem
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
label
Beyond the Walls (1984)
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
page
BeyondTheWalls1984
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
comment
Beyond the Walls (the Israeli title literally translates to "behind the bars") is a 1984 film from Israel directed by Uri Barbash.It's a prison film set in a high-security prison. Uri is the unofficial leader of the Jewish prisoners in the block. He is serving a sentence for armed robbery, and has a teenaged daughter, Sigi, on the outside. Issam is the unofficial leader of the Arab/Muslim faction. He is serving a life sentence for a terrorist attack. The two factions are held in separate cells, but get on tolerably well, eating food in the same cafeteria.Shlomo, a Jewish inmate nicknamed "The Songbird", sings songs and plays a guitar. He gets a spot on an Israeli talent show, with the show agreeing to do a live broadcast from the prison. This brings the Palestinian and Israeli inmates together, but the mood in the jail becomes more confrontational again when the news reports Muslim terrorists blowing up a Jewish bus.Meanwhile, a corrupt prison guard, Herskovitz, is collaborating with an inmate, Hoffman, to sell drugs in the prison. When Hoffman grows too demanding, Herskovitz has him murdered—with surprising consequences.
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
fetched
2023-11-23T02:00:28Z
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
parsed
2023-11-23T02:00:28Z
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
processingComment
Dropped link to AnAesop: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
processingComment
Dropped link to CallBack: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_18d15922
type
Title Drop
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_18d15922
comment
Title Drop: A delighted Pitoosi quotes the newspaper article about Shlomo's TV appearance, which says "the muses are there behind the bars, too."
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_18d15922
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_18d15922
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_18d15922
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_1a3a91dd
type
Say My Name
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_1a3a91dd
comment
Say My Name: Uri is yelling "SIGI!" repeatedly, after a confrontation about Sigi not showing up at the kibbutz leads to her stomping out of the visitation room.
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_1a3a91dd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_1a3a91dd
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_1a3a91dd
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_2310dacb
type
Dead Man Writing
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_2310dacb
comment
Dead Man Writing: It turns out that Doron had a note, which he kept clutched in his fist as he was being strangled to death, and which whoever killed him didn't see. As Uri reveals to the prisoners, Doron wrote that he had been asked by Herskovitz to lie and say that he heard the Arabs plotting the murder of Hoffman.
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_2310dacb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_2310dacb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_2310dacb
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_2bcd8194
type
Loyal Animal Companion
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_2bcd8194
comment
Loyal Animal Companion: One of the Jewish prisoners has a pet cockatoo that sits on his shoulder literally all the time. Apparently he was sent to the jail from a psychiatric facility.
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_2bcd8194
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_2bcd8194
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_2bcd8194
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_471c46f8
type
Allegory
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_471c46f8
comment
Allegory: The whole film is a pretty obvious metaphor for the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Jewish and Palestinian prisoners represent the two sides. The prison authorities, and especially Herskovitz, represent the right-wing Israelis who sow dissent and division for their own political ends. This is underlined in a speech by Herskovitz towards the end, as he, who is trying to get the Jewish prisoners to betray the Arabs and end the strike, tells Uri that as Jews they should stick together and that the Arabs are murderers who can't be trusted.
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_471c46f8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_471c46f8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_471c46f8
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_48cffdb7
type
I Want My Mommy!
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_48cffdb7
comment
I Want My Mommy!: Played for drama twice. Doron screams "Help me Mama, I'm dying" as he's being raped in his cell. Later, Pitoosi is crying out for "mama" as he suffers through the pains of heroin withdrawal.
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_48cffdb7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_48cffdb7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_48cffdb7
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_4b1afa0d
type
Spiteful Spit
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_4b1afa0d
comment
Spiteful Spit: Uri spits blood at Herskovitz as he's being dragged back to his cell after taking a beating.
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_4b1afa0d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_4b1afa0d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_4b1afa0d
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_64e975cf
type
Manly Tears
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_64e975cf
comment
Manly Tears: The last shot is Uri in his cell crying tears of pride, after Issam has returned to his cell and the whole cell block has stuck together.
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_64e975cf
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_64e975cf
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_64e975cf
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_70506bc7
type
Going Cold Turkey
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_70506bc7
comment
Going Cold Turkey: As a means of breaking the strike, prison authorities withhold methadone for the estimated ten dope addicts on the block. Pitoosi, who is one of them, goes through terrible withdrawal symptoms, and eventually caves and accepts the invitation to leave.
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_70506bc7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_70506bc7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_70506bc7
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_758c3034
type
Prison Rape
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_758c3034
comment
Prison Rape: Played for drama. Young Doron is raped by Menashe, a significantly bigger inmate sharing his cell. Later, Herskovitz tries to use this as leverage, offering him parole if he signs a false statement pinning a murder on Issam, with the veiled threat of throwing him back in a cell with Menashe if he doesn't play along.
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_758c3034
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_758c3034
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_758c3034
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_7eccbb3d
type
Shower Scene
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_7eccbb3d
comment
Shower Scene: A whole lot of body hair and homoeroticism as the prisoners shower together in a communal shower, and make jokes about dropping the soap. (One has soap-on-a-rope.)
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_7eccbb3d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_7eccbb3d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_7eccbb3d
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_80b5924
type
Left Hanging
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_80b5924
comment
Left Hanging: The film ends with the strike still ongoing, with no resolution as to whether the prisoners will get their demands met, or whether the deaths of Hoffman and Doron will be investigated.. Of course, that is not strictly the point, as the film's message is about the possibility of peace and cooperation between Arabs and Israelis.
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_80b5924
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_80b5924
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_80b5924
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_8163e2bb
type
Dramatic Drop
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_8163e2bb
comment
Dramatic Drop: The prisoners are eating in the cafeteria. Uri deliberately and dramatically drops his tray of food to the ground. Issam, standing next to him, does the same. Several other prisoners either drop their trays or sweep them off the tables. Uri then announces the strike.
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_8163e2bb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_8163e2bb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_8163e2bb
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_8591611a
type
Shameful Strip
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_8591611a
comment
Shameful Strip: The film begins with Uri having to submit to the usual strip-search after being let out on leave. Stripping down to his underwear and having his privates checked is bad enough, but when it's time to have an inspection enema, he flips out and pulls a knife on a guard.
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_8591611a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_8591611a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_8591611a
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_9afd34de
type
Slow Clap
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_9afd34de
comment
Slow Clap: The last tactic by the authorities to break the strike has them bringing Issam's lovely wife and the son he has never seen to the prison, in order to tempt him out. After Issam sees his family and turns back into his cell, Uri starts a slow clap which is joined by everyone left on the block.
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_9afd34de
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_9afd34de
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_9afd34de
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_aaece264
type
Rousing Speech
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_aaece264
comment
Rousing Speech: Menache (the rapist and drug smuggler) initially refuses to join the strike. Uri then gives a stirring speech to all the prisoners in the cafeteria, saying that anybody who plays along with the prison administration is a "patsy or stooge", and that they should stand up to the authorities and not "play their game." Almost everyone joins the strike.
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_aaece264
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_aaece264
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_aaece264
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_ce6b54d9
type
Enemy Eats Your Lunch
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_ce6b54d9
comment
Enemy Eats Your Lunch: Menache, who is part of the drug-smuggling ring with Hoffman, approaches him and acts all intimidating while demanding to know why there's been a delay in supply. While he does so he takes the piece of chicken off of Hoffman's dinner tray and eats it.
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_ce6b54d9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_ce6b54d9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_ce6b54d9
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_f70710ae
type
Blackmail Backfire
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_f70710ae
comment
Blackmail Backfire: After the ugly confrontation with Menache, Hoffman demands better treatment from Herskovitz, and suggests that if he doesn't get it he could tell what he knows about the drug-smuggling ring. This results in Herskovitz having Hoffman murdered, which drives the rest of the movie as Herskovitz seeks to pin the blame on the Arab prisoners.
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_f70710ae
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_f70710ae
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_f70710ae
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_name
type
ItemName
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_name
comment
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_name
 Beyond the Walls (1984) / int_name
itemName
Beyond the Walls (1984)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Dead Man Writing / int_204045c5
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Left Hanging / int_204045c5
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Prison Films / int_204045c5
 Beyond the Walls (1984)
hasFeature
Prison Rape / int_204045c5