Listen No. 30 - Exodus by Ernest Gold

Record number 30: Exodus by Ernest Gold

Genre: soundtrack of the 1960 film Exodus 

Context: When asked what motivated him to write a novel on the founding of the state of Israel, Leon Uris said - 

‘There is a whole school of American Jewish writers who spend their time damning their fathers, hating their mothers, wringing their hands and wondering why they were born. This isn't art or literature. It's psychiatry. These writers are professional apologists. Every year you find one of their works on the best-seller list. Their work is obnoxious and makes me sick to my stomach. I wrote Exodus because I was just sick of apologising—or feeling that it was necessary to apologise.’ 

Some readers viewed the book simply as propaganda for Israel. For a more recent look back at this debate, there’s a fine article by Linda Grant. 

Notable facts: Dalton Trumbo (blacklisted, Communist) was hired by Otto Preminger to write the screenplay. Trumbo’s work here, and for Spartcus, helped to end blacklisting in America. For more on Trumbo, and this period in history, watch the 2015 filmTrumbo. When researching Ernest Gold, I found out that one of his sons is the singer Andrew Gold (Lonely Boy, Never Let Her Slip Away). 

My favourite track: It’s all very rousing. 

What critics made of it: The New York Times called the score ‘colourful.’ The full review of the film is here. 

Listening to this inspired me to: watch the film, finally. And read the book.