Hester Street main backdrop
Hester Street main poster

Hester Street

Visit website

6.2/10 • 28

1975-10-191h 30m

DramaRomance

Goodbye O Lord, I'm Going To America!

A Russian emigre prides himself on the way he's molded himself into a real Yankee in the USA, though the world he lives in, New York's Lower East Side in the late 19th century, is almost exclusively populated by other Jewish immigrants. When his wife finally arrives in the New World, however, she has a lot of assimilating to do.

Directors
Joan Micklin Silver
Writters
Abraham Cahan
Editors
Abraham Cahan, Katherine Wenning

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Steven Keats

    Steven Keats

    Jake

  2. Carol Kane

    Carol Kane

    Gitl

  3. Mel Howard

    Mel Howard

    Bernstein

  4. Dorrie Kavanaugh

    Dorrie Kavanaugh

    Mamie

  5. Doris Roberts

    Doris Roberts

    Mrs. Kavarsky

  6. Stephen Strimpell

    Stephen Strimpell

    Joe Peltner

  7. Lauren Friedman

    Lauren Friedman

    Fanny

  8. Paul Freedman

    Paul Freedman

    Joey

  9. Martin Garner

    Martin Garner

    Boss

Reviews1

View Reviews
CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jul 28, 2024

7/10

There are a couple of really quite poignant performances here from "Jake" (Steven Keats) and his wife "Gitl" (Carol Kane) as together with their young son they try to make a new life in New York after fleeing from Russia. He had arrived some time earlier and had already become exposed to some of the more libertarian aspects of American society by the time his family arrived and though he manages to adopt the ways of their new society more readily, she does not. Indeed, his enthusiasm to fit in, and to have his son - now called "Joey" to do likewise begins to pit him against his strongly Jewish community and against a wife with whom he no longer connects. It's essentially a film about integration and of profound clashes of culture. The old having to give way to the new. Sometimes subtly, sometimes more brutally - and with "Gitl" being a woman, this struggle was only exacerbated by her social position as someone largely dependant on his husband for support. As this position becomes increasingly untenable for all, the story becomes alive with a tension that's born out of something nobody had had much of previously - opportunity. The drama is well delivered by both Keats and Kane illustrating just how easily the glue of something strong can dissolve when something intangibly tantalising comes along. In this case, "Mamie" (Dorrie Kavanaugh) epitomises the lively and bright alternative to the dreariness of his daily life. It's an observation, really - an episode in their lives that at times hits home but at others is akin to a Chaplin film mixed with a few episodes of "Upstairs Downstairs" - only with out the riches or glamour. It's hard to see it working as a film for the cinema, but it is a characterful study worth a watch.

Media

  • Hester Street poster
  • Hester Street poster
  • Hester Street poster
  • Hester Street poster

Recommendations

  • Night of the Creeps main backdrop

    Night of the Creeps

    6.7

  • A Sacrifice main backdrop

    A Sacrifice

    5.5

  • Citizen X main backdrop

    Citizen X

    7.2

  • Trust main backdrop

    Trust

    6.8

  • My Man Godfrey main backdrop

    My Man Godfrey

    6.3

  • Bernice Bobs Her Hair main backdrop

    Bernice Bobs Her Hair

    5.6

  • The Super Mario Bros. Movie main backdrop

    The Super Mario Bros. Movie

    7.6

  • The Lion King main backdrop

    The Lion King

    7.1

  • The Shawshank Redemption main backdrop

    The Shawshank Redemption

    8.7

  • Joker main backdrop

    Joker

    8.1

  • Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse main backdrop

    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

    8.3

  • The Autopsy of Jane Doe main backdrop

    The Autopsy of Jane Doe

    6.8

  • Wonder Woman main backdrop

    Wonder Woman

    7.2

  • My Fake Fiance main backdrop

    My Fake Fiance

    6.5

  • Bad Sister main backdrop

    Bad Sister

    6.6

  • Hacksaw Ridge main backdrop

    Hacksaw Ridge

    8.2

  • Elle main backdrop

    Elle

    6.7

  • The Founder main backdrop

    The Founder

    7.1

  • Parasite main backdrop

    Parasite

    8.5

  • Arrival main backdrop

    Arrival

    7.6

Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
manhattan, new york citywoman directorrussian emigre19th century