31:
308:, who established the studio Judea Film and was keen on reaching the large Yiddish-speaking immigrant public. The pair produced eight short (one or two reel) sound pictures within just a year, each within a $ 3,000 budget and a single day of principal photography. The artistic quality of these films was deemed so low that the Yiddish Actors' Union prohibited its members from appearing in them, lest they damage the union's reputation.
543:
With the extermination of
Eastern Europe's Jews, Yiddish culture lost the bulk of its audience. In the US, the Americanization of the immigrants' children and their exodus from the East Coast's crowded neighbourhoods to suburbia signaled its demise, as well. In the Soviet Union, most Jews voluntarily
598:
Joseph Seiden recalled that the few remaining filmmakers had high hopes about a market in the newly independent Israel, but the state, and more so society, enforced a Hebrew-only approach. While official censorship was mild, Yiddish culture was still severely frowned upon and sometimes even legally
249:
and other countries for local Jewish audiences. Forbert's productions represented the pinnacle of
Yiddish cinema up to that time, and were of relatively high artistic quality. However, they were the last for several years. New York had a thriving Yiddish cultural scene, and in 1926 Maurice Schwartz
392:
band became a worldwide hit among Jewish audiences. Expenses were covered even before its
American premiere. The film was exported to Australia, South Africa, and Western Europe, where it was greeted by local Jewish immigrants. While no detailed records were kept, hundreds of thousands of tickets
323:, for one, created eight Yiddish films in America during the 1930s. New York, with its bustling ethnic cinema industry which aimed to satisfy the immigrants' demand for films in their native languages (from Spanish to Ukrainian), now surpassed Eastern Europe in producing Yiddish-language films.
357:. A violent disturbance erupted and the screen was pelted with ink-filled eggs. The distributors backed down and agreed to release the film in a silent format. Ya'akov Davidon dubbed Yiddish films into Hebrew for the next few years, the only way they were allowed under what
599:
persecuted; Dzigan and
Shumacher had to introduce Hebrew parts into their shows to avoid complications. Ironically, at the very same time, the Israeli government produced two Yiddish short films, though not for internal consumption.
319:"), the first full-length sound feature film in the language. Goldin continued to direct, and though leading as the most prolific Yiddish film director in history with 29 titles, he was joined by a few others in the field.
377:
was dissatisfied with the low artistic merit of
American Yiddish film. He concluded that in Poland he would be able to minimize production costs and yet have access to first-rate actors and equipment. After enlisting
496:
In addition to these four major pieces, more than 20 Yiddish motion pictures were directed in the United States and Poland until 1940. Most were lighthearted comedies or emotional family dramas, like
144:. Another series of shorts based on plays were directed by a Warsaw studio Kosmofilm, founded by Shmuel Ginzberg and Henryk Finkelstein. Both companies employed the prominent actors of the city's
516:
At the very moment the industry seemed to be gaining momentum, the outbreak of World War II brought it to a complete halt. Six months before the war, Poland's last
Yiddish film
481:, starring Schwartz as Sholem Aleichem's milkman, had a particularly high budget of $ 70,000 and a dark, contemplative plot, unlike most Yiddish productions which were popular
1225:
583:. Meanwhile, Yiddish cinema disappeared in the United States along with the other ethnic film industries. The two last commercially distributed American films,
148:
scene. In total, including several ones meted out in Russia, some 20 silent court métrage pictures with
Yiddish titles were made before the end of World War I.
326:
In the Soviet Union, while Jewish-themed film was not uncommon, only a single
Yiddish sound motion picture was ever produced. This was Boris Shpis' 1932
346:
431:(student) who leaves the study hall to meet "real Jews" and falls in love with a peasant's daughter whom he secretly tutors in Hebrew. Ulmer's
410:
commercial success inaugurated a short boom of
Yiddish cinema. Convinced there was a large enough market, producer Roman Rebush hired director
72:
which produced some 130 full-length motion pictures and 30 shorts during its heyday from 1911 and 1940. Yiddish film almost disappeared after
311:
Goldin chose to attempt a more serious – and expensive – approach. He found new investors and, in 1931, spent $ 20,000 on making the musical
96:(Letter to Mother). This was one of the first documented instances of Yiddish cinema. At the very same time, short silent films with Yiddish
472:, it is considered by most critics as the highest quality and most artistically accomplished production in the history of Yiddish cinema.
552:
already in the 1930s; their children were raised speaking
Russian, and state-led purges destroyed the remaining Yiddishist institutions.
30:
92:
Electric Theatre, a Jewish troupe led by A.M. Smolarsky accompanied a short projection of silent motion pictures with the Yiddish song
1193:
1128:
1109:
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274:, where he formed a partnership with producer Max Cohen. They decided to use popularized sound technology. In May 1929 they completed
520:("Homeless") was released on 21 February 1939. 1940 still saw the completion of six pictures in the United States, including Ulmer's
334:"), about a Soviet-Jewish worker who travels to America only to be disillusioned with capitalism. In Poland, Alexander Marten's 1935
1037:
614:
The language did not disappear from the screen. Apart from select lines in many Jewishly-themed pictures, much of the 1975 film
444:
Green and Ulmer both remained in the Yiddish cinema and each directed several other films until the end of the decade. In 1937,
1247:
205:
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1151:
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632:, about an elderly Yiddish actress dying from cancer, was distributed in 1990. In 2005, the emerging home video industry in
607:(1957) were both produced for the purposes of propaganda and fund-raising among American Jews. Only in the 1960s did the
331:
647:
338:("For the Sin") had synchronized sound and was also the country's first Yiddish film after an eight-year hiatus.
464:
was targeted also at non-Jewish viewers, the only Yiddish film conceived so. While not paralleling the sales of
388:
in 1936. At a total budget of $ 50,000, the story of a young woman who dresses as a man and joins her father's
172:
316:
575:
398:
216:, executive Leo Forbert was responsible for three silent Yiddish features which did well at the box office:
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cultural climate sufficiently relax to allow the projection of Yiddish films with their original dialogue.
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and the linguistic acculturation of Jewish immigrants, though new pictures are still made sporadically.
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was an independent production which employed formerly ultra-Orthodox nonprofessional actors. The 2014
349:, who led a vigorous campaign to suppress the language in the country. On 27 September 1930, Goldin's
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374:
301:
591:, were released just a week apart on 21 and 27 January 1950. In 1957, a short documentary about the
545:
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187:, two silent Yiddish films were released during the decade. These were Alexander Granovsky's 1925
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112:-based Mordka Towbin, whose studio Siła released four short features adapted from the plays of
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from 1948, the only Yiddish film to be made in Germany, was screened for the audiences at the
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39:
441:, again with hundreds of thousands (even a million, according to one reporter) of viewers.
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cooperative in Poland, producing newsreels and documentaries in Yiddish. In 1947 and 1948
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in the early 1920s and trying his luck with Yiddish. He produced two films: the 1923
69:
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noted that in fact, it "contained scarcely more Yiddish than the few words heard in
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477:
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The fourth great Yiddish film of the era was directed by Maurice Schwartz in 1939.
394:
184:
140:
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at a relatively astronomical fee of $ 10,000, he travelled to Warsaw and directed
1121:
Hollywood on the Hudson: Film and Television in New York from Griffith to Sarnoff
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486:
379:
358:
279:
255:
171:
in a comedy of errors about a young American visiting her traditional family in
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97:
714:
Das Jiddische Kino: Aufstiegsinszenierungen zwischen Schtetl und American Dream
540:, an edited compilation of musical numbers, was the last, distributed in 1941.
226:
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341:
The move to sound was also accompanied by an attempt to reach the market in
233:
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as Shmuel Goldstein, directed several films in America before moving to
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was the first real Yiddish talkie. Goldin then allied with executive
160:
156:
109:
628:("When They Give – Take"), directed by Alfred Steinhardt. A second,
624:. In 1983 the first Israeli full-length Yiddish film was released,
896:
Cf. also the List of Yiddish Films at the external links' section.
297:
89:
29:
696:
694:
183:
as a Jewish guardsman who rebuffs a Christian noblewoman. In the
1083:
Becoming Israeli: National Ideals and Everyday Life in the 1950s
151:
The postwar years saw the production of full-length features.
1055:
The Talkies: American Cinema's Transition to Sound, 1926–1931
1182:
Israeli Cinema: East/West and the Politics of Representation
1163:
Yiddish and the Creation of Soviet Jewish Culture: 1918–1930
203:("Through Tears"), which likewise adapted Sholem Aleichem's
964:
962:
796:
794:
1232:
List of all Yiddish-language films between 1911 and 1950
454:
in Warsaw. Investors were impressed with the success of
422:. Hirschbein's piece depicted a scholarly, melancholic
397:, where Jews were banned from Aryan movie theaters and
1030:
The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Jewish Cultures
270:
In 1929, Sydney M. Goldin returned from Vienna to the
195:'s wheeler-dealer character Menachem Mendel, starring
636:
circles also meted out an edutainment Yiddish piece,
587:(again an adaptation of Gordin's namesake play), and
423:
278:, which had a few scenes with synchronized dialogue:
250:
directed the first American picture in the language,
133:
296:). With a budget of $ 3,000, this 36-minute musical
209:
and was directed by Grigori Gritscher-Tscherikower.
1139:
361:termed "the unofficial banning of Yiddish in the
1102:Bridge of Light: Yiddish Film Between Two Worlds
620:was in Yiddish, as was the 1982 Belgian feature
1226:The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe
548:efforts in favour of cultural and linguistic
8:
700:
573:("Our Children"), directed by Nathan Gross.
345:. However, Yiddish raised the bitter ire of
646:, about two Holocaust survivors during the
595:was the last Yiddish production in Poland.
245:(1927). These films were even exported to
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254:("Broken Hearts"), based on the play by
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437:had an international acclaim rivaling
288:". Then, on 25 October, they released
1074:A World History of the Yiddish Cinema
7:
1138:Nowell-Smith, Geoffrey, ed. (1997).
108:. The most notable producer was the
100:were being directed for Jews in the
1104:. University Press of New England.
54:
1142:The Oxford History of World Cinema
1057:. University of California Press.
555:In 1946, Saul Goskind founded the
25:
666:depicted scenes from the life of
563:released two full-length films,
399:had to hold their own screenings
55:יידישע קינא, יידיש-שפראכיגע קינא
1210:National Center for Jewish Film
650:, was made in Israel. The 2010
532:("Overture to Glory") starring
393:were sold. It was even sent to
1165:. Cambridge University Press.
567:("We Who Remained Alive") and
536:. Joseph Seiden's low-quality
353:("A Jewish Mother") opened in
292:("Until When"; English title:
128:, directed by Marek Arnstein;
34:A Yiddish-language poster for
1:
1085:. Brandeis University Press.
1072:Goldman, Eric Arthur (1979).
1028:Nadia Valman, Laurence Roth.
1123:. Rutgers University Press.
642:. In 2008, the student film
630:The Last Love of Laura Adler
206:Motl, Peysi the Cantor's Son
138:("God, Man and Satan"); and
1146:. Oxford University Press.
1119:Koszarski, Richard (2008).
716:. Metropol, 2012. p. 46-48.
652:Romeo and Juliet in Yiddish
424:
332:The Return of Nathan Becker
134:
1269:
712:Chantal Catherine Michel,
589:Honeymoon in the Catskills
258:and starring Schwartz and
191:("Jewish Luck"), based on
88:In September 1911, at the
1053:Crafton, Donald (1999).
300:loosely inspired by the
237:(1925), set in the 1863
581:displaced persons camps
120:("Cruel Father"), with
1248:Yiddish-language films
1161:Shneer, David (2004).
1076:. New York University.
626:Az Men Gibt – Nemt Men
491:National Film Registry
439:Yiddle with his Fiddle
385:Yiddle with His Fiddle
347:Hebrew-only proponents
285:The Younger Generation
43:
1180:Shohat, Ella (2010).
1100:Hoberman, J. (2010).
1081:Helman, Anat (2014).
648:1948 Arab–Israeli War
593:Warsaw Jewish Theatre
328:Nosn Beker fort Aheym
313:Zayn Vayb's Liubovnik
243:In di Poylishe Velder
126:Ester Rachel Kaminska
33:
788:, pp. 193, 225.
585:Got, Mentsh un Tayvl
512:Decline and survival
317:His Own Wife's Lover
302:1929 Hebron massacre
135:Got, mentsh un tayvl
59:Idish-Sprakhige Kino
1032:. Routledge, 2014.
1007:, pp. 347–348.
956:, pp. 328–331.
920:, pp. 379–380.
908:, pp. 314–316.
887:, pp. 277–278.
839:, pp. 381–382.
827:, pp. 247–253.
815:, pp. 241–247.
776:, pp. 249–250.
764:, pp. 152–153.
752:, pp. 413–414.
703:, pp. 175–176.
565:Mir Leben Geblibene
530:Der Vilner Balabesl
526:American Matchmaker
506:Freylikhe Kabtzonim
343:Mandatory Palestine
252:Tsebrokhene Hertser
94:A Brivele der Mamen
851:, p. 279-284.
522:Amerikaner Shadkhn
485:. Photographed in
294:The Eternal Prayer
214:independent Poland
102:Pale of Settlement
44:
983:, pp. 42–43.
944:, pp. 13–14.
863:, pp. 53–54.
803:, pp. 47–48.
701:Nowell-Smith 1997
644:My Father's House
622:Bruxelles-transit
416:Peretz Hirschbein
220:(1924), based on
116:within the year:
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576:Long Is the Road
502:Israel Shumacher
446:Michał Waszyński
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369:Brief golden age
239:January Uprising
197:Solomon Mikhoels
181:Maurice Schwartz
153:Sidney M. Goldin
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132:("The Madman");
118:Der Vilder Foter
67:Yiddish language
65:) refers to the
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538:Mazel Tov, Iden
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276:East Side Sadie
272:Lower East Side
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199:, and the 1928
193:Sholem Aleichem
175:; and the 1924
146:Yiddish theater
106:Congress Poland
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873:Koszarski 2008
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293:
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275:
269:
251:
242:
234:Lamed-Wownik
231:
225:
217:
211:
204:
200:
189:Idishe Glikn
188:
185:Soviet Union
176:
164:
150:
141:Mirele Efros
139:
130:der Metoiref
129:
117:
114:Jacob Gordin
93:
87:
74:World War II
62:
58:
46:
45:
35:
18:Yiddish film
1186:I.B. Tauris
1017:Shohat 2010
981:Helman 2014
942:Shneer 2004
801:Shohat 2010
603:(1950) and
601:Dos Getzelt
487:Long Island
380:Molly Picon
359:Ella Shohat
280:J. Hoberman
256:Jacob Adler
169:Molly Picon
167:, starring
98:intertitles
63:Idishe Kino
1242:Categories
1172:0521826306
1153:0198742428
1064:0520221281
674:References
546:Yiddishist
483:melodramas
462:The Dybbuk
451:The Dybbuk
227:The Dybbuk
218:Tkies Khaf
155:, born in
84:Silent era
1040:. p. 268.
660:and 2017
639:A Gesheft
544:eschewed
518:On a Heym
493:in 1991.
448:directed
414:to adapt
373:Producer
165:Mazel Tov
78:Holocaust
57:; trans.
1212:and its
504:'s 1937
457:Le Golem
418:'s play
355:Tel Aviv
290:Ad Mosay
260:Lila Lee
224:'s play
222:S. Ansky
668:Hasidim
663:Menashe
528:") and
500:'s and
426:yeshiva
390:klezmer
336:Al Khet
266:Talkies
247:Romania
179:, with
173:Galicia
51:Yiddish
42:, 1929.
1221:Cinema
1192:
1169:
1150:
1127:
1108:
1089:
1061:
1036:
466:Yiddle
408:'s
405:Yiddle
363:Yishuv
241:, and
177:Yizkor
161:Vienna
157:Odessa
110:Warsaw
561:Kinor
557:Kinor
478:Tevya
428:bokhr
298:revue
90:Minsk
1190:ISBN
1167:ISBN
1148:ISBN
1125:ISBN
1106:ISBN
1087:ISBN
1059:ISBN
1034:ISBN
460:and
232:Der
124:and
104:and
1224:at
468:or
365:".
212:In
1244::
1188:.
1184:.
961:^
793:^
693:^
670:.
524:("
508:.
401:.
330:("
315:("
262:.
230:,
61:,
53::
1234:.
1228:.
1216:.
1198:.
1175:.
1156:.
1133:.
1114:.
1095:.
1067:.
49:(
20:)
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