A charming Israeli classic finds a new audience at 50

This classic 1971 Israeli feature celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and it's aged beautifully. Written and directed by Ephraim Kishon, HaShoter Azoulai, aka The Policeman, took home numerous awards in 1972, including Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes, plus a nomination for the same award at the Oscars.

It is a light-hearted comedy set in the district of Jaffa, where Avraham Azoulay (Shaike Ophir) is a cop so inept that in his 20 years on the Israeli police force, he’s never been promoted beyond patrolman. But Avraham has no idea he's bad at his job. He thinks Jaffa is a quiet, sleepy neighbourhood. In the pre-credit sequence, an entire robbery takes place behind his back. His fellow officers arrive, arrest the burglars and he’s none the wiser.

Avraham, though, has other qualities. He's a real mensch with a big heart. He pacifies a group of protesting Haredim, who are throwing stones at cars on Shabbat, by discussing Torah with them, and he wins over a visiting delegation of French police because he can translate for them.

But these qualities aren't enough and Avraham's bosses don’t want to renew his contract much to the consternation of Jaffa’s criminal fraternity. “That's a cop who's been cooperating with us for years, without knowing,” they explain. To keep him in his job, they stage a farcical robbery and, despite his best efforts, Avraham catches the culprit.

The Policeman is a charming film with an excellent performance by Ophir and some lovely touches that stand up with the best of the police-related comedies of the 1960s.

By Nathan Abrams

The Policeman is available to stream online until Thursday 18 November. £13.50. ukjewishfilm.eventive.org