By Robert Shay, other
I recently received an e-mail asking me if a certain series of older Jewish children’s videos were available on DVD, because as the sender wrote , “…I no long own a VCR.”
I counseled the e-mailer that the $50 to $100 investment in a new VCR would be well worth it, if only to make the wealth of Jewish educational videos available to his family. In the past year, I have had many people ask me how long the VHS format will last with the onslaught of DVD. My answer is quite simple, and I use my video collection as an example: our collection consists of more than 1,500 tapes, of which there are at least 1,200 different titles. The oldest titles in our collection were produced in the late 1970s and many are out of print. Compare that to our budding DVD collection which today totals about 198 and that includes titles we have on order but not yet received.
So how long will it be before the other 1,000-plus titles become available on DVD. It will take, in my “guesstimation,” from five to ten years for 75 percent of the collection, and in too many cases, the films will never be put on DVD because the rights holders do not see a market for them.
The same situation exists for VHS. For eight years, I have waited for MCA/Universal to release Sword In The Desert on VHS without success. The studio or rights holder probably does not see a market for this 1949 Jeff Chandler fiction film about Israel’s war for independence. Many good films never made it to video (VHS), and many films that made it to video that will never be released on DVD.
So if you want to enjoy the tens of thousands of films that have been released on home video in the past 25 years, reinvest in the VCR, and, if you are a true film fanatic, the DVD player gives you your favorite current films with director’s comments, outtakes and many other great features.
This month I will resume the list of films newly arrived Israeli films, documentaries, television shows, along with newly released American documentaries, films and television plays.
Tonight With Shimon Dzigan
60 minutes, B&W Israeli TV Comedy
Yiddish with English subtitles
The S. Dzigan Show
60 minutes, B&W Israeli TV Comedy
Yiddish with English subtitles
What makes a Jew laugh? What makes a Jew cry? A Jew laughs at himself, others, his own weakness, and from other’s strength. Jewish humor is most probably the source of strength it took Jews to overcome hardships. As a great Jew once said, “the strength of a man is indicated by his sense of humor.”
Humor therefore is a serious matter. These tapes contain programming from 1970s
Israeli television talent Shimon Dzigan, as both comedian and actor. Shimon Dzigan was born in Balut, a place of poverty, filled with colorful characters. Dzigan with his outstanding talent, knew how to express their unique humor. He was one of the first young actors in the Klein Kunst Theater established by poet Moshe Broderzon. Later he joined the Ararat Yiddish Theater. After it closed, Dzigan teamed up with Israel Shumacher to form the most famous Yiddish comic duo “Dzigan & Shumacher.” They made several films and performed at countless stage shows in Poland. Their collaboration continued even after they made aliyah. Following Shumacher’s death, Dzigan performed until his own passing in 1980.
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Arthur Miller’s Incident At Vichy
80 minutes, 1973 Hollywood Theater Production Drama
In a detention room in Nazi-occupied France, eight men suspected of being Jewish await interrogation before either being released or sent to concentration camps; most are Jews with false papers that will not stand up to close scrutiny. Events soon focus on a Jewish psychiatrist (Harris Yulin) and on an Austrian Prince (Richard Jordan), who recognizes his guilt of silent complicity and his failure to act responsibly while the Germans rose to power. With unrelenting honesty and conviction, Arthur Miller raises many theoretical and ideological questions about the nature of personal sacrifice and moral accountability.
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Fighter
86 minutes, 2001, Award-winning Documentary
Hailed as “One of the great documentaries of this year or any other!” by Peter Travers of Rolling Stone, this critically acclaimed film by Amir Bar-Lev is a unique adventure that unfolds as two friends take a risky road trip into their past. Together, Jan Wiener and Arnost Lustig — both survivors of Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia and now living in America — revisit scenes of romance and humor and narrow escapes from life-or-death confrontations. But their journey home becomes a clash of personalities that takes their friendship to the brink. Winner, “Best Documentary” in the Galway and Newport International Film Festivals, “Special Jury Prize” in the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and “Audience Award” at Hampton’s International Film Festival.
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Late Marriage
100 minutes, 2001
Georgian and Hebrew with English subtitles
In the tradition of such recent comedic hits as My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Monsoon Wedding, comes this sexy, funny and revealing critically acclaimed satire. Unmarried at 31, Zaza is a disgrace to his family. They trot him out before one potential bride after another, yet he never manages to tie the knot.
His family investigates and soon discovers the reason for his reluctance: a secret relationship with divorcée Judith. The entire family decides to intervene, which culminates in a hair-raising showdown in which Zaza’s relatives burst into Judith’s home and confront Zaza in front of Judith and her six-year-old daughter Madonna. Powered by the erotic chemistry between Zaza and Judith, this film is both provocative and heartrending — a hilarious and unblinkingly honest film which reflects the complications of sex, love and the family’s role in the rocky road to marriage.
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The Films Of Yaacov Ben-Dov: Father Of Hebrew Cinema
1993, 30 minutes, B&W, Documentary
A veritable treasure trove of Jewish life in Palestine from 1917–1933. Yaacov Ben Dov shot more than 30 films encompassing the Zionist vision of the land of Israel.
General Allenby, Chaim Weizmann, Sir Herbert Samuel, Zeev Yabotinsky, Rabbi Kook, Sir Winston Churchill, Abdullah of Transjordan, Lord Balfour, Eliezer Ben Yehudah, Albert Einstein and Cantor Yossie Rosenblatt are but a few of the historic figures captured through the lens of his camera. Still, it is the Jewish soldiers, workers, farmers, schoolchildren and policemen who were the true stars of his films. Ben Dov’s unique talent and vision laid the foundation for future creators of Hebrew-language film. This magnificent compilation is made possible through the painstaking restoration efforts of the Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive in Jerusalem.
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Reaching For The Skies: Fighters
1989, 56 minutes, Documentary
Narrated by Robert Vaughn, this documentary examines the sleek, nimble machines that carry the most advanced — and the most secretive — technology. Pilots with an uncommon mix of courage, skill, and lightning-quick reflexes compose the world of the Jet Fighters. In the second of three segments on this tape, you will revisit the tactical and technical genius that made possible the 1967 Israeli air strike — one of the most impressive aerial victories in military history. Fighters captures the daring free-spirit and frightening excitement that sets these pilots and aircraft apart.
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Tales Of The Gun: Guns Of Israel
1996, 50 minutes, History Channel Documentary
It is a small nation in an unforgiving land, surrounded by enemies. It has fought three large-scale wars between 1948 and 1980, and countless smaller engagements during and since that time.
Not surprisingly, Israeli experts have designed and developed some extremely effective weapons for their never-ending battle in defending their homeland.
Tales of the Gun puts these firearms in the crosshairs, telling the stories behind such well-known weapons as the Uzi submachine gun, which set the standard for more than 50 years.
Battlefield footage shows the Galil assault rifle in action. Designed to perform in the harsh desert environment, it has repeatedly proven its worth. Finally, we see a prime example of the latest generation of Israeli weaponry, the Tavor 21, a lightweight 21st-century assault rifle. No nation has had to fight as frequently, and as a result, the Guns of Israel are combat-proven many times over.
Robert Shay is the Administrator of the Sylvia Suckerman Jewish Video Collection at Temple De Hirsch Sinai’s Seattle facility and can be reached at (206) 903-9010 or via e-mail: rshay@qwest.net