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Harmonists
Germany, English and German w/English subtitles. Color. 126min, 1998 Based on a true story, The Harmonists relates the trials of a late 1920s pop music sextet as they struggle to achieve recognition in their beloved Germany and later fall prey to the increasing machinations of the emerging Nazi party.. Berlin after the Great War (WWI) was a hotbed of artistic and creative endeavors, giving rise to many new and contemporary styles of music. The sextet leader, Harry Frommermann,
was inspired by an American group, The Revelers. |
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Jewboy Levi
Germany, German w/English subtitles, color, 97min, 1999
It is 1935 and the Nazis' rise to power has yet to make itself
felt in Germany?s rural regions, far from Berlin. But it is only
a matter of time before it does and Levi, a highly assimilated Jewish cattle salesman,
will be one of the first to feel its anti-Semitic effects. Based on Thomas Strittmatter's
acclaimed theater production. Jew-Boy Levi is a disquieting and subtle examination
of prejudice and how it subtly manifests itself. Audience Award, Potsdam Film Festival,
1999 |
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Man Is Woman
France, French w/English subtitles, color, 96min, 1997
This offbeat romantic comedy and Yiddish musical was a surprise
blockbuster in France, at point beating Titanic's spectacular box office success.
Simon, portrayed by handsome, intense French theater and film star Antoine de
Chanunes, is a cynical Parisian jazz musician, who happens to be gay. Rosalie,
played by beautiful, charming Elsa Zylberstein, is an extroverted Yiddish folk
singer, and observant Jewish girl who is keeping herself pure for the man of her
dreams. After hearing Simon play klezmer clarinet music at his cousin's wedding,
she decides that he is the one. Simon, who is not interested in Jewish girls--or
any girls--accepts a marriage of convenience. As might be expected, their marriage
is a disaster. They remain poles apart, yet their lives are transformed in unexpected
ways. Set in New York and Paris. |
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The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg
USA, English, color and B/W, 90 min, 1998
As Hitler was invading Europe, a handsome young Jewish baseball
player was challenging Babe Ruth's home run record. Aviva
Kempner's award-winning documentary reveals how Detroit Tiger
Hank Greenberg transcended American religious prejudice,
shattered stereotypes, and became an American hero. Part
social history, part humorous Americana, this compelling and entertaining film
cross-cuts thoughtful and sentimental interviews with family, friends and celebrity
fans including Alan Dershowitz and the late Walter Matthau. Twelve years in the
making, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HANK GREENBERG delivers thrills and chills, edge-of-your-seat
scenes of Hammerin? Hank in action. Includes the only rendition of "Take Me Out
to the Ball Game" –in
Yiddish—sung by Mandy Patinkin!
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Out for Love - Be Back Shortly
Israel, Hebrew w/English subtitles, color 55 min, 1997
Dan Katzir's documentary reveals what it is like to pursue love
as a young Israeli amid frequent terrorist attacks and internal
divisions. Katzir chronicles his own pursuit of love as he follows his girlfriend
Iris with a camera, documenting their rocky road to love as Iris is recruited
into the Israeli military alongside Noa Ben Artzi, Itzhak Rabin's granddaughter. |
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Giraffe
Germany, English and German w/English subtitles, color 107min, 1998
When an elderly Jewish woman is found dead in the corridor of
an elegant New York hotel, a mysterious web of circumstances catches Israelis,
Orthodox Jewish New Yorkers, and Germans in its intricate design. This taut new
action-packed thriller, about two families and their shared past, spans events
that happened 50 years ago in Nazi Germany. The film moves from those dark days
to modern New York, and back to Germany. Charismatic director, scriptwriter and
actor Dani Levy and renowned German actress and co-scriptwriter Maria Schrader
absolutely ignite the screen. You won't want to blink, for fear of missing even
a moment of the action. Language, nudity. |
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God@Heaven
USA and Israel, English, 21 min, 1998
A young Jewish boy in L.A. tries to reach God by computer. Faith
has a way of reaching God through celestial happenings in Jerusalem, brining
joy and a message on ethics to the little boy in this delightful short. |
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The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob
France, French with English subtitles, color, 96 min, 1974
A New York rabbi travels to Paris and gets mixed up in a comedy
of errors. This is complicated by a broad slapstick farce about a hot-headed,
bigoted businessman (Louis de Funes as Victor Pivert) who is forced to disguise
himself as a rabbi. With echoes of silent-screen humor, this film is regarded
in some circles as one of the funniest films ever made. A wild and crazy French
classic comedy. Nominated for the 1974 Golden Globe Awards. A film for the
entire family. |
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Yidle in the Middle
Growing up Jewish in Iowa
USA, English, 57 min, color 1998
Filmmaker Mariene Booth, born and raised Jewish in Iowa, thought
she had the best life of all. As an adult, she realized it wasn?t so simple. Through
interviews with friends, relatives and Jewish community leaders, she examines forging
an identity from conflicting aspects. A proud, practicing Jew at home and an all-American
girl at school, she negotiates between being different and still fitting in. This
film speaks to all of us who struggle to find our identities in American?s complex
landscape. |
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Greenfields
USA Yiddish, 100 min, B/W, 1937
Peretz Hirschbein's semi-autobiographical tale of a young, orphaned
Hasidic scholar who leaves his studies to search the countryside for "true
Jews" and a meaningful existence close to the land. He happens upon a family
of simple Jewish peasants who take him in as a boarder and tutor for their children,
one of whom is an attractive young woman. One review reads, "The cast is
brilliant with...famous players from the Yiddish Art Theater and Artef Theater...The
direction of Jacob Ben-Arni and Edgar G. Ulmer has caught the beauty and poetry
of the classic work and transferred it to the screen in a masterful manner."
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