Lies My Father Told Me
Lies My Father Told Me | |
---|---|
Canadian Film Development Corporation | |
Distributed by | Astral Films (Canada)[1] Columbia Pictures (International) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Language | English |
Budget | C$1,100,000 |
Box office | $650,000 (Canada)[2] |
Lies My Father Told Me is a 1975 Canadian
The original story was written by Ted Allan in 1949. Allan was working at an advertising agency. David Rome, editor of the Canadian Jewish Congress Bulletin, asked him to write a story.
Allan's short story is a dramatization of his own childhood memories. Allan comes from a Jewish family who lived in Montreal's Mile End neighbourhood.[5]
Lies My Father Told Me has been through many reincarnations since its original publication, as a radio play and a Golden Globe-winning film.[6]
The original short story was picked up by producer
Plot
David is a six-year-old boy in a Jewish ghetto of Montreal in the 1920s. He lives with his parents Harry and Annie and his grandfather Zaida, a rag-and-bone man who collects rags and bottles on his horse, Ferdeleh, and wagon—while also studying the Talmud and claiming it as the only book he has read. David loves riding with his grandfather, and shares Zaida's love for his Ferdeleh, despite the horse's age and the neighbour Mrs. Tannenbaum's complaints as to the smell. Zaida jokes about covering Mrs. Tannenbaum's steps with horse excrement, an idea that delights David, who takes it seriously. While Zaida's friend Mr. Baumgarten embraces the ideas of Karl Marx to end social class injustice, Zaida replies he is instead looking to the arrival of the messiah to end all injustice.
Harry, who is not religious, designs a pair of trousers meant to be impossible to crease, and appeals to Zaida for $500 in investment, claiming he already has many orders for the product and will be able to pay back with interest in one month. When Harry demonstrates his "pressless trousers", his own business partner points out the bulges in the knees, spoiling any chance Zaida will invest. Enraged, Harry rants about marrying into an unintelligent family, condemns Zaida as a
While David hopes to ride with Zaida on another Sunday, Harry insists instead on taking David
Cast
- Yossi Yadin as Zaida
- Len Birman as Harry Herman
- Marilyn Lightstone as Annie Herman
- Jeffery Lynas as David Herman
- Ted Allan as Mr. Baumgarten
- Henry Gamer as Uncle Benny
- Barbara Chilcott as Mrs. Tannenbaum
- Carole Lazare as Edna
- Mignon Elkins as Mr. Bondy
- Cleo Paskal as Cleo
Production
Lies My Father Told Me was entirely filmed in Montreal. The Film's use of
Reception
Producer Harry Gulkin believes that the film's strong reception within the Jewish Mile Neighbourhood in Montreal is due to its considerable "local sensibility". However, he states that in addition to this evident ability in capturing local communities, the film entails very basic, universal ideas and messages that are "recognizable to audiences everywhere".[8] The film has been appreciated for providing a diverse, deep portrayal of Montreal, significantly contrasting with traditional depictions of "La Belle Ville".[3] Jeffery Lynas, who makes his film debut in Lies My Father Told Me, has been acclaimed for portraying "innocence, love, and genuine conviction".[5] The film has been described by the New York Times as not being about lies, but rather "the harsh truths the boy cannot understand or accept", in reference to Lynas' character.[citation needed]
Lies My Father Told Me has been adapted into a stage musical. The Montreal-based Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre produced the first and one of the most well-received musicals of Lies My Father Told Me. The first version of the musical was produced by Dora Wasserman at the Segal Centre [1] in 1984. The musical was then adapted by Dora's daughter, Bryna, into the production it is today.[6] The production, which made its debut in June 2005, uses a cast of just above 30 members and has been praised for "making nostalgia and sentiment work in a big way".[10] The theatre production includes the construction of over 12 original songs to portray Allan's plot.
The film was the highest-grossing Canadian film in Canada for the year, with a gross of $650,000, winning the inaugural Golden Reel Award.[2]
Awards
- Academy Awardnominee for Best Screenplay
- Canadian Film Awards – Film of the Year, Adapted Screenplay, Actress (Marilyn Lightstone), Sound
- Golden Reel Award
- Golden Globes– Best Foreign Film
References
- ^ "Lies My Father Told Me". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ a b "Canadian Films Grosses". Variety. November 24, 1976. p. 32.
- ^ The Forward. January 14, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
- The Forward. January 14, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
- ^ ProQuest 120586375.
- ^ ProQuest 864203353.
- ^ ProQuest 912631727.
- ^ a b "Lies My Father Told Me Turns 30". The Globe and Mail. January 15, 2005. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- The Forward. January 14, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
- ProQuest 434212473.