Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness (2011)
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100% of critics liked it
(38 reviews) -
67% of users liked it
(609 ratings)
A riveting portrait of the great writer whose stories became the basis of the Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof. Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness tells the tale of the rebellious genius who created an entirely new literature. Plumbing the depths of a Jewish world locked in crisis and on… More A riveting portrait of the great writer whose stories became the basis of the Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof. Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness tells the tale of the rebellious genius who created an entirely new literature. Plumbing the depths of a Jewish world locked in crisis and on the cusp of profound change, he captured that world with brilliant humor. Sholem Aleichem was not just a witness to the creation of a new modern Jewish identity, but one of the very men who forged it. --(c) International Film Circuit
- Directed By
- Joseph Dorman
- Genres
- Documentary, Special Interest
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jul 8, 2011 Limited
- Studio
- International Film Circuit
Critic Reviews
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Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
Not often does a film double as a literary critic, but this is the Northrop Frye of docs. Essentially, it revises and sharpens the blunted reputation of a great writer.
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Anita Li, Toronto Star
Audiences interested in Jewish literature will find Laughing in the Darkness compelling for its deep analysis of Aleichem's works, featuring a selection of experts and the writer's granddaughter, Bel Kaufman.
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J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
[An] absorbing PBS-style documentary.
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Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic
A rich, winning documentary...
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Misha Berson, Seattle Times
The film adroitly sets the writer's works, his triumphs and tribulations, against the backdrop of a tumultuous period for European Jewry.
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Cast
- Mendy Cahan
- Bel Kaufman
- Hillel Halkin
- Sheldon Harnick
- Aaron Lansky
- Dan Miron
- Avram Nowersztern
- David Roskies
- Michael Stanislawski
- Ruth Wisse
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Alan Rosenberg
as Narrator
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Peter Riegert
as Tevye
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Rachel Dratch
as Sheyne Sheyndl/Stepmother
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Jason Kravits
as Menachem Mendl
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Daniel Lerman
as Motl the Cantor's Son
