User Reviews

One of the earlier efforts of Tom Hanks, this film is a nice, if somewhat unremarkable love story set against the background of WW2 in Jerusalem. Hanks meets a young jewish girl (Marsillach), they fall in love, but have to face her strongly religious family. The story is not as much about the war, as it is about love and religion. Though, the film isn't very "deep", it has some interesting ideas, for example the choice between human feelings and tradition. The strong religious beliefs of the girl's family seem so cruel at times, that it's hard to have any sympathy for them. Maybe a bit too black-and-white for some, but certainly an interesting little film, with (of course) an excellent Tom Hanks in the lead role. 7/10

This was a cute love story that kept me completely involved, even during the sub title part, which i generally do not enjoy. Being Jewish I could understand the conflict Sarah was going through between her family and love...and being in love with Tom Hanks I could completely see why she picked him :). I do not know how I never heard of this movie before, but I definitely enjoyed it. Only thing is, I wish we learnt more about the ending. What happened between Sarah and her family? Did Tom even make it through the war? I kinda wish they let us know...but I guess they let us use our imagination, and mine told me that it all went well! I would recommend this movie to anyone who is in the mood to see a nice, not too deep love story. Guys most likely should stay away!

I love anything with Tom Hanks - he is such a believable actor, even in this early part of his career. This movie is a fun chick flick where you see the complete vulnerability of people when they fall in love under oppressive circumstances. You just get the "tingles" right along with them. David (Hanks) falls hopelessly in love with a Jewish girl, Sara (Marsillach) of Spanish decent. She tries to fight her feelings, knowing her family would not approve of him because he is a Gentile. They fall more in love through secret trysts and hide their relationship from her family. The intensity rises too high when her family figures out them, and cruelly forces her to put an end to relationship. Sara must choose if she will go against her family to love a man who may have his life taken in this war.

The only thing that disappointed me, was that I felt the movie wrapped up too quickly. I would have enjoyed more relationship development to make the ending more satisfying. However, the character development throughout the movie was great, and Hanks did wonderfully showing the intensity of his love for "Sara."

I saw this while flipping channels and stopping on the local Canadian broadcast. It's not the best project Tom Hanks has ever been in, but the character is much more subdued than others he was playing at the time - it gave insight to the "serious" actor that Hanks was evolving to become.

The most fascinating part of the film is the look at the world of the Ladinos - Jews who were expelled from Spain during the Reconquest ending in 1492 and who retain the language and cultural traditions that they had in Spain centuries later.

Although some may raise an eyebrow about a film that takes place during WWII centering around Jewish people, and there's not even a mention of the ongoing Holocaust, to me, this underscores the inertia of human relations, that even when the entire planet is in the midst of war, and the fate of an entire people is at stake, we still have a tendency to cling to our differences.

This movie is not for everyone. However, I think it's a nice attempt at a WWII Casablanca type of plot. Casablanca was a bit like capturing lightening in a bottle, not easy to do. This movie manages it, I think.

I enjoyed this movie for a variety of reasons. A young Tom Hanks holds up his end. Not easy to do in this case - he has to believably play an American who went off to join the RAF before America became involved in WWII. If he isn't able to do this, the movie falls apart. Of course it has to be an American because that's the target audience, and that's part of the Casablanca meme.

Here's what I like about the movie: First: It shows you a little window into the Ladino world. It's interesting. Some people find it was harsh. But my father grew up in an ethnically German family in Chicago and he still remembers his father slapping his sister for having gone on a date with a boy of Italian descent. My brother married a Jewish girl and I don't think his in-laws ever got over the fact he wasn't Jewish. So the movie captures the times well: old cultures colliding with a new era of integration that would really pick up steam once the war ends.

Second: Jerusalem has been the center of a political storm ever since the end of World War II. But here we get to view and imagine Jerusalem as a peaceful back drop, where Hanks and other units go to convalesce, from the rest of the world that is waging in a world at war. To me, its a bit bizarre and serine and I really value the aspect of viewing Jerusalem that way. I can't imagine it that way now, but this movie allows me to imagine it that way back in the days it portrays.

Like Casablanca, it takes place in a similar climate, in a similar place, just collateral to the world at war, and like Casablanca the source of the tension is the constraints placed upon a true love relationship, like Casablanca, the movie ends at a scene in an airport where two lovers must be separated.

Better than Casablanca, the chemistry between Hanks and Marsillach over Bogart/Bergman (I think this is because Marsillach was husbanding some kind of internal tension at the time, and tension contributes to chemistry). Better than Casablanca the props, surrounding cast members and their roles (with important exceptions to Claude Rains and company, I'm talking about the non-character actors in Casablanca) and the setting. Unlike Casablanca, the plane taking off and the airport are all real, the city and the settings all look real as they are really in Jerusalem, not a Hollywood lot. Unfortunately the only fighter plane they used is a lone P-51d (or later version). The RAF wouldn't have flown those in the first half of 1942, and especially not in the Middle East (the Israeli Airforce had them, though, later on). That theatre was dominated by Hawker Hurricanes of Battle of Britain fame. I know I'm being picky here. Unlike Casablanca, the ending is hopeful for the relationship, but ambiguous. We don't know what will happen to the couple, but we do know to what course they have committed each other too.

For some reason, I would have liked more back story... Hanks decision to leave Missoula Montana, when and how he went about that, crossing into Canada and signing up, then off to war. Where though? England first? Battle of Britain? Then I'd like to have seen post story plot as well. Where does Hanks character end up? How does he end up? What's Marsillach's character's life like while he's away? How does she break her engagement with her cousin? What does she tell here parents and family and how does she cope with the intervening year? When and how does Hanks make his way back? Do they stay in Israel? If so does he join up with the Israeli Air Force? Where do they go after the war? America? Britain? Canada? What happens with the relationship and how do they make their way? Its a low budget movie. They did quite well with it, all things considered. I just would love the makers to redo it as a mini series or something. I would prefer, however, that they choose to leave Jerusalem and move to a land where there is little conflict. I could see them moving to Los Angeles, and Hanks getting a job in the aircraft industry there. The climate would be similar to Jerusalem's and there's sizeable Jewish communities there, many of which are familiar with the integration issues and so I think that would create the best spot. And for the next 50 years of their lives things would be peaceful. Eventually Sarah's family comes to visit. Perhaps they immigrate too, to get away from the conflicts in the Middle East, provide more opportunities for their large family, and be closer to their daughter. Well, there, I guess I just wrote my own sequel. The major theme being, after a world at war, a war fought mainly over nationalism, they retreat into peace, prosperity, integration and pluralism. I'm sorry for the conflict in the Middle East and Jerusalem particularly. The fact that Jerusalem is cast as a peaceful, restful backward to a world at war is what makes this movie so compelling.

A thoroughly irritating, circular drudge of a romance flick. Tom Hanks leads as an injured soldier in the heat of WWII, recuperating in a cushy Jerusalem apartment, who finds/forces love in a barely-legal, deeply religious young woman. The two don't seem to have much in common apart from being particularly good-looking, and though we aren't shown any compelling reason for their love to blossom (there's very little chemistry on-screen), such flowering proceeds regardless. It doesn't take long for the plot to settle into an easy cycle of "our love is great" > "my family will keep us apart" > "I push you away" > "our love is great," which then spins out, sans-flavor, for the duration. At this point in his career, Hanks still had a ways to go as a serious actor, and his co-star most definitely wasn't recruited for her theatrical chops. At least it's nice to look at, with gorgeous locations and a beautiful young lady sharing a majority of the screen time.

1986 Romance starring a very young Tom Hanks as an injured U.S. pilot in 1942 Jerusalem who falls in love with a Jewish girl whose family, of course, disapproves. Also starring Cristina Marsillach, and Benedict Taylor.

This is quite unremarkable, mildly interesting, with little to offer in the way of amusement, entertainment, or enjoyment. Frankly, I can't imagine why anyone would sit all the way through it unless they are an avid Hanks fan, a film student, or writing a review for it.

It's not horrible, the performances are great, but the story itself is quite boring. There are one or two nice vista shots, and Hanks gives a sterling performance, and I had to dig deep to find those two compliments. Otherwise, do yourself a favor, and find something else to do.

It rates a 4.5/10 from...

the Fiend :.

The huge divide of. Reviewers of this film certainly does fluctuate vfrom 1 to about 7 ? That means all future viewers will also react similarly!

From walking out of the cinema, to lapping up a sweet gentle romance?

Tom Hanks became as we all now know a brilliant actor and the darling of Hollywoods hard bitten cigar chomping moguls. This film seems to have taught him quite a lot about the actors craft ? He even managed some ad libbed humor ! Moshe Mizrachi , similar to most Iisraeli directors in their earlier years of film production , a little wobbly and experimental ? I could, but will not bore anyone about the very unique way of their attitudes towards film production ? Suffice to say, negotiation is unacceptable , full stop ,!

The narrative here was simple and to the point . The atmosphere of the early years pre. State of Israel was believable and interestingly well thought out by the art director . All in consideration, i felt the narrative progressed as slowly as to be accurate for the decade and brought back many. Memories for me. To sum up, i agree, this is not going to satify all viewers, so do not expect any earth shattering philosophies or cultural fireworks, this was really how things and people behaved, or misbehaved in those long ago far off days in pre state Israel.....

I caught this one while surfing channels so I missed the opening scenes.

This film was done early in Hank's career when he was doing a lot of comedy and seems to foreshadow his future success with drama.

It is interesting that a big effort was made to faithfully use an arcane dialect, that shows attention to detail which I usually enjoy. The clothing and aircraft were superb, almost makes the film. I was a bit put off that the Jewish family was described as being fiercely religious but there was no depiction of any religious practices going on (one mention of Purim in what seemed an inappropriate reference).

I was enjoying the film until Hanks takes the girl for a car ride. They put him in a 1950's MG TD for god's sake. Why make technical efforts in one area and then totally screw up in others? The effect that gave was just like the one Christopher Reeves got in "Somewhere In Time" when he looks at a modern penny and is jerked back to the present. You might just as well have used a 1965 Ford Mustang or 2005 BMW! Didn't they even have a technical editor?

If you like love stories - I usually don't care for them - you should enjoy this one. This is my all-time favorite movie. Marsillach is the most darling young woman I've ever seen. You might fall in love as I did.

David falls in love with a girl he meets in Isreal. She's a Jew and he's not, so her family does everything they can to keep them apart. It's a simple movie with no real plot. It doesn't need one. This may be the only time I can say a movie doesn't need a plot.

A really interesting side note is that the girl and her family speak Ladino. It is the Spanish spoken in Spain around 1492, when Ferdinand and Isabel expelled the Jews from Spain. That makes the film a bit of a time capsule, as the language remains unchanged. That made the film infinitely more interesting for me than it might have otherwise been.

Great period piece! Great love story!

I saw "Everytime We Say Goodbye" in 1986 at a small local theater in Miami. It is the only movie I've ever walked out of. And that's saying something.

The film begins promisingly with a unique setting: it's one of the few movies I've ever heard of that take place in Palestine during the Mandate period. Unfortunately it quickly turns into a hack-eyed love story. The last part of the plot with has developments that are so unbelievable they would make "Sunset Beach" blush. I walked out before they got worse.

Tom Hanks and the leading lady perform well with what they are given. It's a shame that great locations and good actors are let down so badly by somebody's notion of a heart rending love story. Mind rending is what it becomes to the audience.

I ran across this film late at night and found it fascinating. The location shots are beautiful and the acting wonderful.

Set during WW2, the real war is between Hanks, his Jewish lover and her extremely bigoted family.

The scene where the Jewish girl's father calmly tells his daughter that if she marries the Gentile Hanks she will be "dead" to him is chilling. He speaks the words softly like a father telling his daughter a bedtime story and this coldheartedness is what makes the scene so unforgetable.

Great film!

A thoroughly irritating, circular drudge of a romance flick. Tom Hanks leads as an injured soldier in the heat of WWII, recuperating in a cushy Jerusalem apartment, who finds/forces love in a barely-legal, deeply religious young woman. The two don't seem to have much in common apart from being particularly good-looking, and though we aren't shown any compelling reason for their love to blossom (there's very little chemistry on-screen), such flowering proceeds regardless. It doesn't take long for the plot to settle into an easy cycle of "our love is great" > "my family will keep us apart" > "I push you away" > "our love is great," which then spins out, sans-flavor, for the duration. At this point in his career, Hanks still had a ways to go as a serious actor, and his co-star most definitely wasn't recruited for her theatrical chops. At least it's nice to look at, with gorgeous locations and a beautiful young lady sharing a majority of the screen time.

I first saw this movie in 1986 when I was 28 years old. I'm a big fan of Tom Hanks, and at the time, this was really an off-beat role for him. I enjoyed this movie for a number of reasons. It was like the love stories of the 1940s. There is really no action at all in this film, just the central theme that "True Love Conquers All". This story takes place during World war II, and I disagree with some others here who find the relationship pure fantasy. In a time of war, when human life is so fragile, normal thought processes cease. Let's live for the moment becomes the central theme of things. For a soldier or for one who loves him/her, the only thing that is important is the now. Tom Hanks gives his typical outstanding performance. Spanish actress Cristina Marsillach is stunningly attractive. Being a romantic at heart, I like happy endings. Every Time We Say Good-Bye is a sentimental and moving love story.

I just happened to be channel surfing when I ran across this lost gem of Tom Hanks. He plays an American (David Bradford) in The British RAF during world war 2. The reason is the US hasn't entered the war yet. He is stationed in Jerusalem and while attending a celebration of sorts meets the love of his life played by Christina Marsillach (Sarah Perrara). It's an incredibly dramatic, romantic, touching, and realistic story of young love in the 1940s. The film focuses in on their forbidden love affair, and Hanks and Marsillach have amazing on-screen chemistry. The characters are remarkably real and raw, as is the storyline. There is no sugar-coated perfect ending, but it's not depressing either. This is one of those rare films that is able to capture at once both the dispair of human prejudices and the optimism of human determination. I highly recommend it even if it is one of Tom Hanks lessor known films.

I really enjoyed the movie when I first saw it years ago, and when I saw it was available on DVD, I had to buy it. Second watching was not as enjoyable as I noticed a few glaring historical flaws. On the DVD cover there is a picture of a B17 alongside Hanks in his RAF uniform. The B17 does not appear in the movie, neither did the RAF use them in the North African desert. The plane Hanks actually flies is a 1944, Rolls-Royce Merlin powered P51 Mustang, complete with bubble canopy (The movie is set in 1942, just before El Alamein) However, apart from that, a great movie to watch - Jerusalem looks fantastic. Its good to see a movie about Sephardic Jews (I get so sick of always seeing Jewish people portrayed as Ashkenazi - You know "Oy Vay, my life already!) Buy it, watch it, enjoy (Oy Vay!)

I had not heard of this film before, but just happened to watch it on TV in the afternoon, at the suggestion of my girlfriend. She did not know it either, but it starred Tom Hanks, and she likes him as an actor, so we watched it. We were not disappointed.

The film was made in Israel, and I loved seeing some shots of Jerusalem (which I have visited twice), and the acting was great. The storyline was good and very interesting, even unusual.

The two leads, Tom Hanks (when he was quite young) and Cristina Marsillach (who I never heard of before) both were believable in their roles and made us believe that their characters were well suited.

If this ever comes out on DVD, go rent it or buy it.

If it is on TV, record it.

This is a film I liked very much.

David (Tom Hanks) is an American who joined the British forces during World War II. He is sent to Palestine and finds a nice apartment with a doting landlady, although his time in the area may be brief. A close British comrade asks him to come and meet his fiancé at a local outdoor dance. The fiancé turns out to be part of Jerusalem's Jewish community and she has brought a lovely friend with her as well, named Sara. David and Sara each like what they see in the other but Sara is hesitant to get involved with a gentile and a Yankee at that. Besides, she's "sort-of" engaged. Nevertheless, through a series of meetings throughout the city, they grow closer at each tete-a-tete. Will Sara defy her family to realize her great love for David? This lovely story tells of a wartime romance made even more tenuous by a difference in faith. Hanks and his beautiful co-star, Marsilach, bring genuine pathos as well as humor to their roles. The setting is exotic and so is the costuming and Jewish customs and practices of the time. Do you like to smile through your tears when you sit down to experience a movie? This movie holds many treasures for you and your partner to discover.

This film is about a soldier who falls in love with a Jewish girl while on a mission in Jerusalem.

"Every Time We Say Goodbye" is a love story between two vastly different individuals. Unfortunately it is not as interesting as it could have been. I find the love story very contrived. I could not believe how they could have fallen for each other. In fact, I find Sara very frigid, totally without any love or passion. The actress playing her is totally devoid of any facial expressions. It is so unbelievable that Sara and David are in love. I find "Every Time We Say Goodbye" slow, boring and unbelievable.

This is a gem that was obviously made on a low budget, nothing spent on anything, no well-known actors, at the time, yet the story is of such a special nature with a magic of inexplicable charm that I can say it is one of my favorite little movies of all time. You don't know me. My reviews hold no unusual weight. My opinions garner no undue attention, but if you trust anything I ever say then get this one and to any age group, personality type, or of any type of relationship to you, show it to them. They will smile the rest of the day at the thought of the movie and that you were so perceptive in offering it to them. Few people can agree on the type of movie they like. This one is universally accepted as a little known pearl of great value.

I just finished watching this movie from start to finish, and wondered weather i could by it on DVD, thats how much i liked it...but unfortunately its not available on DVD. while i was watching it - i kept laughing at some parts of the movie cause the portrayal of the Jewish family reminded me of how true some middle eastern families are...i enjoyed this movie - it had many good points but it wasn't anything wow or spectacular - cause it was rather weak in some areas thats why its understandable why its not that well known or everyones favourite love movie...there isn't much to the plot - thats why i don't feel i can talk about it without feeling I'm giving to much away...and the direction isn't strong and it leaves something to be desired and not to mention the acting at some points feel rather fake or maybe fake is too a strong a word to use and the right word to use would be weak. I'm sad to say that because there was so much potential to this film to have become something really really special - but its let down in so many areas that its not just one thing that can make it better...but saying all that it still has some parts that are really wonderful and moments that just might melt your heart if even they are only but for a few seconds - they are wonderful moments...i think if it didn't feel so dated maybe it would have felt more real and there for more believable...i really enjoyed it and for those of you that like Tom Hanks maybe you should try and get a hold of a copy to view... but over all its a great film - really worth watching - mind you - its not for everyone - but then again what film is?