Movie Description
Arnon Goldfinger's THE KOMEDIANT is a fond and fascinating documentary about the lost world of the Yiddish theater. It traces the career of the late Pesach'ke Burstein, who ran away from his home in Poland at the age of fifteen to join a theater troupe. The film blends old footage of Pesach'ke performing and present-day interviews with Lillian Lux, his wife and stage partner, and their twins, Mike and Susan, who performed with them as children under the stage names Motele and Sisele. Susan, the former ventriloquist, is reunited with her dummy. There are also interviews with former stars like Fyvush Finkel and Shifra Lerer, who tell amusing tales about the old Yiddish theater scene on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Goldfinger also uncovers some unexpected drama when Susan talks about the normal life she missed out on, growing up in a traveling show business family, and when Mike describes his painful decision to leave his parents' act and strike out on his own. The footage of young Mike starring in TWO KUNI LEMLS, the Yiddish film comedy that made him a household name in Israel, is priceless. Singing, dancing, laughter, tears, and ventriloquism--THE KOMEDIANT has it all.
| Credits | | Producer: | Arnon Goldfinger, Oshra Schwartz |
Notes
DVD Features:
Region (Unknown)
Keep Case
Single Side - Single Layer
Full Frame - 1.33
Additional Release Material:
Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Features:
Scene Access
Editorial Reviews
"...Arnon Goldfinger's emotion-charged documentary THE KOMEDIANT manages to be succinct yet comprehensive....The range of its unique film clips is astonishing..."
Los Angeles Times - Kevin Thomas (05/24/2002)
"...A sharp and funny documentary that is funny and pithy, while illuminating an era of theatrical comedy that, while past, really isn't..."
Box Office - Tim Cogshell (07/01/2002)
| See an error? Submit a change request |
All rights reserved.
