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Hester Street

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6.2/10 • 27

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

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  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

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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 backdrop
  • Hester Street backdrop
  • Hester Street backdrop

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