Green Fields (film)
Green Fields | |
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Directed by | Jacob Ben-Ami Edgar G. Ulmer |
Written by | Peretz Hirschbein |
Produced by | Roman Rebush Ludwig Landy |
Starring | Michael Gorrin Helen Beverley Herschel Bernardi |
Cinematography | J. Burgi Contner |
Edited by | Jack Kemp |
Music by | Vladimir Heifetz |
Production company | Collective Film Producers |
Distributed by | New Star Film Company |
Release dates |
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Running time | 99 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | Yiddish |
Green Fields (
Plot
Levy Yitzchok is an orphaned yeshiva student. Restless and distressed, he leaves his study hall in search of "real Jews" and wanders through the Belorussian countryside. He eventually settles in a small village, where the only Jews are two peasant families: Dovid-Noich, his wife Rochel, their two sons, Hersh Ber and Avraham Yankov, and daughter Tsine; and Elkone, his wife Gittel and their daughter Stera. Dovid is flattered by the presence of a scholar among the poor unlearned peasants, and invites Levy Yitzchok to stay as a boarder and tutor his two sons in religious studies. The phlegmatic, unworldly Levy is himself fascinated by the farmers' lives and their vitality. He is ashamed by his lack of physical prowess, which is demonstrated when he attempts to aid in field work. Levy secretly develops feelings for the youthful and vivacious Tsine, who is impressed with him and begins to spy on her brothers' lessons; she herself is restricted from attending, but manages to learn to write her own name. Dovid quarrels with his neighbor, and the enraged Elkone cancels his daughter's match with Hersh. He offers Stera's hand to Levy. Elkone brings his daughter to Dovid's house, to annul her relations with the latter's son. She begins crying and Hersh is obviously depressed. The fathers are softened and agree to forget about their clash and allow them to marry. Levy Yitzchok and Tsine reveal their desires to one another, and announce they want their own wedding. The film closes with an ending title stating that from Palestine to Birobidzhan, the Jewish masses are no longer superstitious and subservient before Talmud scholars and that in the fusion of the learned Levy and strong-willed Tsine, "a new Jew is born."
Cast
- Michael Gorrin (Goldstein), as Levy Yitzchok
- Helen Beverley, as Tsine
- Izidor Casher, as Dovid
- Anna Appel, as Rochel
- Max Vodnoy, as Elkone
- Lea Noemi, as Gittel
- Dena Drute, as Stera
- Gonzalo Meroño, as Richard Steward
- Saul Levine, as Hersh
- Herschel Bernardi, as Avraham
Production
On 31 December 1936,
The director later claimed that his budget was no more than $8,000, though at the time of release the figure $30,000 was given. While film scholar G. Hoberman judged his accounts to be somewhat unreliable, he did not contest that Green Fields was made under harsh conditions. Principal photography was performed at
Reception
Collective Film was offered $25,000 by
While exact sale records are unknown, Green Fields is probably the most commercially successful Yiddish film ever, rivaled only by Yiddle, and unquestionably the most popular American one. Its immediate effect was to have Collective Film determine to make another picture in the language, and the trio produced three further: The Singing Blacksmith (1938), The Light Ahead (1939) and Americaner Shadchen (1940). Along with Yiddle, The Dybbuk, Tevya and several others, it is one of the hallmarks of the brief golden age enjoyed by Yiddish cinema on the eve of World War II.[1] Ulmer stated Green Fields won a prize in a French festival, but film scholar Chantal Michel could not verify it.[7]
The picture had been shown at a number of film festivals and screenings. In 2004, it was reeled at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, Museum of Jewish Heritage. In 2005, it was screened at the Haifa Jewish Film Festival and Toronto Jewish Film Festival.[8]
References
- ^ a b c d Jim Hoberman, Bridge of Light: Yiddish Film Between Two Worlds, UPNE, 2010. p. 247-253.
- ^ a b Bernd Herzogenrath, Edgar G. Ulmer: Essays on the King of the B's, McFarland, 2009. p. 110, 264. Stefan Grissemann, Mann im Schatten: der Filmemacher Edgar G. Ulmer, Zsolnay, 2003. p. 106, 128.
- ^ Richard Koszarski, Hollywood on the Hudson: Film and Television in New York from Griffith to Sarnoff, Rutgers University Press, 2008. p. 381-382.
- ^ Nugent, Frank S. (1937-10-12). "The Screen; The Squire Theatre Jots a Pastoral Note in Yiddish With 'Green Fields,' Directed by Jacob Ben-Ami". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
- ^ Die Grine Felder, Haynt, 8 April 1938, p. 9; Grine Felder, Haynt, 15 April 1938, p. 1.
- Al Hamishmar, 30 November 1945, p. 7.
- ^ Chantal Nicole Catherine Michel, CINÉMA YIDDISH : CINÉMA IDENTITAIRE OU MIROIR DU REGARD D’AUTRUI?, Mémoire présenté et soutenu pour l’obtention de la Maîtrise d’Etudes Cinématographiques et Audiovisuelles , 1998. p. 39.
- ^ "Green Fields". National Center for Jewish Film. Archived from the original on 2011-08-30. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
External links
- Green Fields at IMDb
- Green Fields at AllMovie
- A clip from Green Fields on YouTube, courtesy of the National Center for Jewish Film.
- Green Fields on the American Film Institute's website
- An overview of Green Fields[Berlinale.
- An overview of Green Fields[permanent dead link] for the Toronto Jewish Film Festival.