Sholem Aleichem: Laughing In The Darkness (2012)

Captivating movie !

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

This biography and discussion of the work of Sholom Aleichem is very well made. However, you can tell that the filmmaker assumed that only Jewish people would want to watch the documentary, as MANY of the folks being interviewed talk about Jewish traditions or use Yiddish words that a non-Jewish audience would very possibly not understand. I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood and so I know about sitting shiva, shabbat and words like goyim and shtetl. But it seemed very strange that the film did not explain these things (and much more). In fact, there are probably many Jewish people who have lost contact with their Jewishness who don't understand everything these experts say. It's a shame, as Gentile audiences would benefit from learning about Sholem Aleichem as well--especially since "Fiddler on the Roof" (made up of various stories by Aleichem and starring his character 'Tevya') was a hugely popular film embraced by a wide audience, not just Jews. It's really a shame, as the documentary was otherwise exceptionally well made and interesting. Because of this, I give it a qualified recommendation.

I first became acquainted - I don't know how - with the stories of Sholem Aleichem 50 years ago, when I was a teenager growing up in Milwaukee. After this movie got a great review in the Cleveland Plain Dealer - I wasn't able to drive up to see it - I tried to get it on DVD, which has taken almost two years. Worth the wait. A very well-done documentary about the life of this author of short stories and, evidently, novels.The one thing I wish it had explored in greater detail was the nature of Yiddish literature before SA starts to write in that vernacular. Yes, Eastern European Jews all spoke Yiddish. But how many of them could read it? Of course, young Jewish boys learned to read enough Hebrew to go through their barmitzvah, but did that familiarity with the Hebrew alphabet plus a familiarity with spoken Yiddish enable them to read Yiddish? How much of a written language had Yiddish been before SA started to write in it? That is not a fault with the movie, which I strongly recommend, just a question that struck me.

Have you ever wondered if anyone will remember J.K. Rowling in the next century? Hard to believe that Harry Potter could ever fade from the popular consciousness and require a promulgating documentary. Case in point, Sholem Aleichem, the pen name of Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich, a renowned Yiddish author and playwright. His chosen name is a Yiddish variation the expression shalom aleichem, meaning "hello", or "peace be with you" in Hebrew.The musical Fiddler on the Roof was based on one of his many stories about Tevye the Milkman. This was the first commercially successful English-language play about Jewish life in the shtetls of Eastern Europe. Born in 1859 in the Russia Empire, Solomon Rabinovich's father was a rich merchant with a penchant for gambling. This led to the family's economic downfall. Solomon grew up to mirror his father's foibles and bring his own family to financial ruins several times. What he had going for him is his vast intelligence and passion to keep the Yiddish language alive. He used his insight into his own psychology to create characters that served as metaphors for larger Jewish cultural issues of assimilation and identity.Rabinovich's granddaughter Bel Kaufman was the author of "Up the Down Staircase", made into a popular film. Fleeing the Russian pograms and debtors his family finally settled in New York in 1914. An estimated 100,000 mourners turned out for his New York funeral in 1916.

Greetings again from the darkness. Typically a documentary on an individual is either presented as a look back at their life or an observation of their lasting impact. Director Joseph Dorman provides both of these PLUS critical reviews and analysis of the writings of Sholem Aleichem, the writer whose work inspired Fiddler on the Roof. It is an absorbing look at who most would consider to be the most famous Yiddish writer and humorist. His work really bridged the gap between the old world Jews and the rapidly changing and evolving modernists from the turn of the 20th century.At times the film plays like a classroom presentation for 8th graders in World History, but look closer and you'll see many fascinating, rare photographs and video. There is even one bit of audio featuring Aleichem himself reading his own words. Mostly we get Alan Rosenberg as the narrator and Peter Riegert as the voice of the readings.What makes this enthralling, interesting and educational are the terrific interviews with Yiddish experts, and the on camera presence of author Bel Kaufman, Aleichem's granddaughter. There is no fluff or filler here. These people provide real insight and analysis and perspective on his life and writings. The photo montage of the funeral procession with 200,000 New Yorkers is a sight to behold.Maybe you have read the original literary work "Tevye the Dairyman". Perhaps you have seen the 1939 film Tevye. Maybe you were fortunate enough to have seen the original Broadway run of "Fiddler on the Roof". Most likely you have seen the 1971 film musical with the great Topol as Tevye. This film points out that the words and message of Aleichem have been twisted and shifted over the years, but there is no questioning the lasting impact and his determination to document ... Tradition!