The Jewish Soul: Ten Classics of Yiddish Cinema

Five-disc set includes: The Yiddish King Lear (1935)Prosperous Russian merchant David Moishele (Maurice Krohner) was ready for a retirement pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and to divide his worldly goods amongst his three daughters and their husbands-but his chosen disposition of his empire would generate nothing but heartache. Screen take on Jacob Gordin's Shakespeare transposition/Yiddish Theater staple also stars Fannie Levenstein, Jacob Bergreen, Miriam Grossman. 84 min. BW/Rtg: NR The Dybbuk (1937)Noted as one of the greatest Yiddish films ever made, this story of unfulfilled love and broken promises tells of how the spirit of a dead young man (Leon Liebgold) enters the body of his beloved (Lili Liliana) after the couple are kept apart by her stern rabbi father (Mojzesz Lipman). Spellbinding Polish adaptation of the S. Ansky play co-stars Avrom Morevski, Ajzyk Samberg. 123 min. BW/Rtg: NR Mir Kumen On (Children Must Laugh) (1938)Offering a rare glimpse into Polish-Jewish life prior to World War II-and sobering in retrospect-this fundraising documentary celebrated the activities of the Vladimir Medem Sanatorium, a rural Warsaw-region retreat for tubercular urban children maintained by the Labor Bund. Aleksander Ford directs. 61 min. BW/Rtg: NR Tevya (1939)A generation before "Fiddler on the Roof," Yiddish Theater impresario Maurice Schwartz directed, scripted and starred as Sholom Aleichem's ever-challenged milkman of Tsarist Russia. Troubled when his daughter Chava (Miriam Riselle) accepted the proposal of her gentile suitor Fedye (Leon Liebgold), he and his clan will face difficult choices when forced to flee a pogrom. Adaptation of Aleichem's stage play co-stars Rebecca Weintraub, Paula Lubelski. 92 min. BW/Rtg: NR Overture To Glory (1940)The heralded voice of Vilnius cantor Yoel Strashunsky (Moyshe Oysher) attracted the notice of the Warsaw Opera, who wasted no time in tendering him a contract... and, to the shock and dismay of his family and commnunity, he accepted. Although he basks in the newfound fame and success, will personal tragedy bring down the curtain? Showcase vehicle for the legendary chazzan/entertainer co-stars Florence Weiss, Maurice Krohner, John Mylong; Max Nosseck directs. 82 min. BW/Rtg: NR American Matchmaker (1940)After eight broken engagements, well-off Nat Silver (Leo Fuchs) decided he had enough practical experience to go into the matchmaking business himself. Pretty soon, he's the most successful schadchen in New York-but what's his play when an attractive new client (Judith Abarbanel) would rather have him than his recommendation? Engaging charmer co-stars Judel Dubinsky, Anna Guskin; Edgar Ulmer directs. 85 min. BW/Rtg: NR Eli Eli (1940)Unable to make the mortgage payment, elderly New Jersey farm couple Hannah (Esther Field) and Mendel (Lazar Freed) hoped they could count on their adult son in New York and daughter in Philly for a bailout. Instead, they were told they had to sell off-and split up, with each being taken in by one of the kids' households. Will fate provide an out for the loneliness and despair that follows? Vehicle for radio's "Yiddishe Mama" Field co-stars Max Badin, Izidor Frankel. 88 min. BW/Rtg: NR Her Second Mother (1940)Adopted secretary Surele Polakoff (Esta Salzman) knew that company bookkeeper Ben Grossman (Dave Lubritsky) was no good, and wanted him to break off his relationship with her kid sister Bella (Margaret Schoenfeld). Days, later of course, he offers to whisk Bella away to South America on a $25,000 inheritance... which just happens to be how much is missing from the office safe! Joseph Seiden's "shund" musical-comedy with a Sholom Secunda score co-stars Max Badin, Rose Greenfield. 84 min. BW/Rtg: NR Motel The Operator (1940)Impoverished coat-sewer and new father Motel Friedman (Chaim Tauber) just wanted a better life for his family, and thought it would follow after he joined a labor stoppage. However, all he earned was a crippling beating by strikebreakers-and his wife (Malvina Rappel) would seek a tragic release from the destitution that followed. Melodrama adapted from Tauber's stage play also stars Seymour Rechzeit, Yetta Zwerling, Jacob Zanger, Maurice Krohner. 87 min. BW/Rtg: NR Three Daughters (1949)Acknowledged as the last American Yiddish-language feature film, this effort starred Michael Rosebaum as a put-upon suburban patriarch fighting a losing battle over assimilation with his progressive progeny. Charlotte Goldstein, Esta Salzman, Sacha Shaw, Rebecca Weintraub co-star; Joseph Seiden directs. 87 min. BW/Rtg: NR Standard; Soundtrack: Yiddish; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; "The Dybbuk" 99 min. Alternate cut; theatrical trailer. In Yiddish with English subtitles.