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Hester Street (1974)

Director: Joan Micklin Silver

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From Time Out Film Guide

Tackling a potentially fascinating and neglected area - Jewish immigrants in end-of-last-century New York - this limits itself to an affectionate and predictable chronicle of the Americanisation of Jake and Gitl. Clarity of emotion at the expense of subtlety, larger than life performances (with the exception of Carol Kane, whose greenhorn wife ends up learning the fastest), confine the film to warmheartedness and gentle, ironic observation at the expense of any real insight. Only towards the end, as the couple split up and remarry, does the film satisfactorily come to terms with a society in a state of flux and its relation to the American Dream: the passing of old customs, self-improvement, ghetto mentality and matriarchy are all touched upon. But an unimaginative camera and misty monochromes do little beyond conveying some self-conscious period recreation.

Author: CPe 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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frank said...

Posted on Aug 27 2009 23:42 The time out reviewer Joan Silver must have been on heroine when she stupidly decided to write a negative review about Hester Street. This movie is a fantastic calm view of how it was for immigrants arriving in New York in the late 1800's. By no means should there be any pre-conceived notions that this is Gone With The Wind, but it's about the insecurities, and fears wraught with hope that immigrants immerse in when moving to unknown grounds. Please Joan get another job, because you suck at reviewing. P.S. I am not Jewish, I'm American. But, unlike you pompus, erogant Brits, we here in America have sympathy towards others plights. That's why we left England to begin with, because you Brits are to full of yourselves. You are just a bunch of Simon Cowells running around in figurative tight black t-shirts. You all should be thankful for Princess Diana, because she brought a sense of care to your looser, pre-madonna country. You still have a dumb Queen walking around doing nothing but taking your tax dollars at an excess of 25 million pounds per year, and the Brits kiss her ass like there's no tommorow. That shows where your sense of values reside. Punks!!!!!

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