Transcript 22 January 2014

IN YIDDISH LITERATURE AND
FILM
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Born in a small village
in Poland, near
Warsaw
Son of a rabbi
Raised in a shtetl
Journalist and writer
in Warsaw
Emigrated to the US in
1935
Switched from
Yiddish to English
Nobel prize in
literature, 1978
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Why were Berl and Berlcha surprised to see
their son?
Why did Samuel come back?
Why didn’t Berl and Berlcha use the money?
How do the dialogues characterize Samuel, his
parents and the villagers?
How is the “New World” presented?
How does the visit to Lentchin affect Samuel?
What is the implied author’s position?
Illustration: Marc
Chagall,
“Me and My Village”
 The role of the goat.
 The goat’s point of
view: defamiliarisation.
 Singer’s
vegetarianism.
 Anthropomorphic
images in Yiddish
folklore.
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First Yiddish (silent)
films produced in 1911.
Ex., The Cruel Father
(Der vilder Foter, dir.
Andrzej Marek).
About 10 films made in
1911-12.
The first sound Yiddish
film, For Sins (At Chejt,
dir. Aleksander Marten)
produced in 1936.
Themes:
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Conflict of old and new values
and/or generations;
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Life in a shtetl;
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Love; religion; traditional
beliefs.
Genres:
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Musical comedy
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Melodrama
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Tragedy
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Documentary
Aesthetic sources:
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Theatre
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Yiddish literature
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Yiddish folklore
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Klezmer music
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European culture
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Several production
companies.
Polish-American
cooperation (ex., Joseph
Green,
director/producer).
Intended for
international public
(Yiddish speakers
regardless of geographic
location).
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Ups and downs in the
1920s-early 1930s (due
to political and
technological changes).
Input by Polish and
German filmmakers.
Documentaries (ex.,
Sabra, dir. Aleksander
Ford, 1932).
“The golden age” from
1936 to 1939.
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Made in the USA.
First important Yiddish
sound film in America.
Based on a novel by a
Polish-American
Yiddish writer, starring
a Polish-American
actor.
Polish-American
Yiddish background
and themes.
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Born in Poland
Lived in the USA, France, and
Israel. Died in London.
Wrote novels, essays, and
dramas on historical and
contemporary subjects.
Prolific and popular, though
controversial.
Honorary president of the
Yiddish PEN club in the
1930s.
Widely translated into
numerous languages.
Onkl Moses (Uncle Moses,
1918).
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Born in Ukraine, died in
Israel.
American Yiddish actor,
scriptwriter, director, and
producer.
Founder of the Yiddish Art
Theatre in New York.
Played in countless
theatrical productions in
Yiddish and English, and in
over twenty films, including
Uncle Moses.
“The best of all Yiddish
actors” (in the USA).
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What meanings does the name of the title
character create in the film?
What themes does the film tackle?
How is the conflict of the “old” and the “new”
worlds is presented?
What role does the music play?