The Rabbi's Cat (2012)
Average Rating: 7.6/10
Reviews Counted: 16
Fresh: 15 | Rotten: 1
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Critic Reviews: 7
Fresh: 6 | Rotten: 1
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 971
My Rating
Movie Info
Based on the best-selling graphic novel by Joann Sfar, The Rabbi's Cat tells the story of a rabbi and his talking cat - a sharp-tongued feline philosopher brimming with scathing humor and a less than pure love for the rabbi's voluptuous teenage daughter. Algeria in the 1930s is an intersection of Jewish, Arab and French culture. A cat belonging to a widowed rabbi and his beautiful daughter, Zlabya, eats the family parrot and miraculously gains the ability to speak. Along with the power of speech
Cast
-
François Morel
The Cat -
Maurice Bénichou
The Rabbi -
Hafsia Herzi
The Rabbi's Daughter -
François Damiens
The Reporter -
Mathieu Amalric
The Prince -
Jean-Pierre Kalfon
Malka of the Lions -
Fellag Sheik
Mohammed Sfar -
Marguerite Abouet
The African Lady -
Sava Lolov
The Russian Painter
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All Critics (16) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (15) | Rotten (1)
It's a wild and vivid ride and a spirited reminder of the kinship between Jewish and Arab cultural traditions.
Top Critic"Ambitious" isn't the word here; "random" is more like it.
The film presents an often sharp commentary on dueling beliefs and idiocies that unfolds in lush pastel hues and distinctively retro drawings.
Though we wander a bit, the trip is a delight, thanks to the witty company.
An absorbing, nuanced, and vividly animated tale of adventure, ambivalent morality, colonial injustice, talking animals, and the vagaries of religious zeal and colonialism.
It is often colorful, witty and inspired, but also too episodic, and lacks a strong ending.
Like the title character, the makers of The Rabbi's Cat follow their noses wherever a new scent leads. Their eternal curiosity buoys this Cat, then impairs it somewhat, but redeems it by the end.
Sfar's enchanting portrait of a society in which Jews and Muslims live compatibly is a lesson for our time
It's a movie that packs all its ideas in beautifully animated doses, filled with Northern African music and landscapes. It may get clunky, but it's easy to get lost in its loveliness.
One of the most grown-up animated features of the modern age.
A French animated film about the unusual quest of a rabbi, a skeikh, and a talking cat to discover the essential unity of life.
Fascinating, clever animated tale not meant for young kids.
While the scenes don't always fit together thematically or tonally, each one is its own polished gem.
Despite its flaws, the film is at least a consistent vision, attesting through both its story and animation to the rabbi's right to be different while also striving for human solidarity.
For someone as gifted as Sfar at visual storytelling, the film is very, very talky. That said, voice work in French is a delight.
Audience Reviews for The Rabbi's Cat
Only thoughts and dreams floating through the vast emptiness that was.
Until, like that of a beautiful sunrise, our glorious lord and savior, the almighty ogre, Shrek, was born of these thoughts and dreams, of those whom had not yet come to be.
Shrek is infinitely knowledgeable, and the all powerful ruler of the universe.
For several thousand years, Shrek would pleasure himself in solitude, and he would dream about what could be, and what will be.
Until, he grow so tired of masturbating, that he decided to try anal fisting.
So large was his fist, so intense was the struggle.
The shit that he shat was so glorious, that it flew across the emptiness, and so strong was his passion, that most of his shit was set aflame.
After one huge push, his stomach was empty, and the Earth was formed from the last piece of shit that came from his rectum.
And from his anus flowed blood,
like that of a forest stream on a summer day, and this blood formed the oceans on earth.
Shrek was so pleased with the outcome, that he created the Dinosaurs, with which he lived with for many years. He would pleasure himself with the large reptilian beasts, until one day he let out such a fart that he wiped them out.
For many years again, Shrek was lonely, until from the ashes of the dinosaurs came mankind, a new race of intelligent beings. Shrek now used them to please his desires, and those remained loyal to Shrek, and those who were worthy of him, would sometimes receive a visit from the burly ogre. But unfortunately from the race of mankind came the everlasting evil that is Farquaad, who despised ogres, and swore to defeat our lord. Shrek and Farquaad still clash to this day, and Shrek will forever protect us.
And from here we tell of the exciting adventures of our lord Shrek, and his sub-deities, Puss and Donkey.
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Latest News on The Rabbi's Cat
December 7, 2012:
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Foreign Titles
- Le Chat du Rabbin (DE)
- The Rabbi's Cat (Le chat du rabbin) (UK)
Technischer Firlefanz Hin oder Her, das amerikanische Popcornspektakel mit seinen farblosen Helden und immer gleichen Plots findet seinen Meister in Le Chat du Rabbin".
Ich denke, Le Chat du Rabbin" ist auch ein guter Kinderfilm, auch wenn gemordet und philosophiert wird, die rasanten Actionszenen eines Dreamworksfilms sind da auch nicht nervenschonender. Vor allem aber ist Le Chat" weitaus bekömmlicher für alle erwachsenen Kinogänger.
Ein kurzer Umriss, um was es geht. Eine Katze im Algier der 20er Jahre frisst einen Papagei und kann daraufhin sprechen. Ihr Besitzer ist Rabbi der kleinen jüdischen Gemeinde in Algier und bekommt eine Lieferung an Gebetsbüchern der verfolgten Ashkenazi aus Russland. In ihr befindet sich auch ein russisch-jüdischer Maler. Mit Hilfe eines anderen in Algier ansässigen Russen, eines zaristischen Aristokraten im Exil, machen sie sich auf eine Expedition zum sagenumwobenen Neuen Jerusalem" irgendwo in der Wüste Äthiopiens, wo alle Völker in Einklang Leben, ohne Rassismus und Diskriminierung.
In einem alten Halbkettenfahrzeug des reichen Russen, gabeln sie zunächst noch den Imam-Cousin des Rabbis und dessen Esel auf und machen sich auf den Weg. Dieser Weg bietet viele Abenteuer und gefährliche Begegnungen (u.a. mit mordslustigen Tuareg) und eine geniale Cameo von Tim und Struppi.
Eine Ansammlung so vieler Konfessionen kann aber auch nur bedeuten, dass über Gott und die Welt philosophiert wird - und das tun sie - ausgiebig.
Dass es nie langweilig wird, verdankt der Film wohl seinen wohlgezeichneten Charakteren. Viele Animationsfilme würden den Fehler begehen sich schon nach kurzer Zeit ins Abenteuer zu stürzen, wohingegen Le Chat" die erste Hälfte des Films in Algier verbringt und dort seine Charaktere entwickelt. Dabei lernen wir auch die Tochter des Rabbis und seinen Cousin Malka kennen, die leider später total irrelevant werden. Der Film schreit geradezu nach noch mehr Abenteuern und einer Fortsetzung (man darf befürchten, dass es nie soweit kommen wird).
Zuletzt, zum Animationsstil. Soweit ich das beurteilen kann, war der Film handgezeichnet. Nicht im Stile Disneys jedoch, sondern etwas eigenwillig, im Stile von Sfars Graphic Novels. Wie auch immer, eine religions- und gesellschaftskritische Satire, die mit einer Katze als Katalysator arbeitet, der fast alles erlaubt ist zu sagen kann auch ohne atemberaubende Animation auskommen.