Hester Street

Hester Street

19/3/1975 1h 30m 6.2/10

Overview

A Russian emigre prides himself on the way he's molded himself into a real Yankee in the USA, though the world he lives in, New York's Lower East Side in the late 19th century, is almost exclusively populated by other Jewish immigrants. When his wife finally arrives in the New World, however, she has a lot of assimilating to do.

Director

Mik Cribben

Top Billed Cast

Carol Kane

Carol Kane

Gitl

Doris Roberts

Doris Roberts

Mrs. Kavarsky

Steven Keats

Steven Keats

Jake

Stephen Strimpell

Stephen Strimpell

Joe Peltner

Dorrie Kavanaugh

Mamie

Mel Howard

Bernstein

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

7/28/2024

7/10

There are a couple of really quite poignant performances here from "Jake" (Steven Keats) and his wife "Gitl" (Carol Kane) as together with their young son they try to make a new life in New York after fleeing from Russia. He had arrived some time earlier and had already become exposed to some of the more libertarian aspects of American society by the time his family arrived and though he manages to adopt the ways of their new society more readily, she does not. Indeed, his enthusiasm to fit in, and to have his son - now called "Joey" to do likewise begins to pit him against his strongly Jewish community and against a wife with whom he no longer connects. It's essentially a film about integration and of profound clashes of culture. The old having to give way to the new. Sometimes subtly, sometimes more brutally - and with "Gitl" being a woman, this struggle was only exacerbated by her social position as someone largely dependant on his husband for support. As this position becomes increasingly untenable for all, the story becomes alive with a tension that's born out of something nobody had had much of previously - opportunity. The drama is well delivered by both Keats and Kane illustrating just how easily the glue of something strong can dissolve when something intangibly tantalising comes along. In this case, "Mamie" (Dorrie Kavanaugh) epitomises the lively and bright alternative to the dreariness of his daily life. It's an observation, really - an episode in their lives that at times hits home but at others is akin to a Chaplin film mixed with a few episodes of "Upstairs Downstairs" - only with out the riches or glamour. It's hard to see it working as a film for the cinema, but it is a characterful study worth a watch.

Similar Movies

The Elephant Man

8.0

The Elephant Man

1980

Children of a Lesser God

6.9

Children of a Lesser God

1986

Marie Antoinette

6.7

Marie Antoinette

2006

Sleepless in Seattle

6.7

Sleepless in Seattle

1993

Anatomy of Hell

4.8

Anatomy of Hell

2004

Liberty Stands Still

5.4

Liberty Stands Still

2002

The Mourning Forest

6.8

The Mourning Forest

2007

Swept from the Sea

6.4

Swept from the Sea

1998

2 Days in Paris

6.2

2 Days in Paris

2007

Or (My Treasure)

7.0

Or (My Treasure)

2004

A Piece of Sky

4.2

A Piece of Sky

2002

The Newest City in the World

0.0

The Newest City in the World

1974

Let's Ruin It with Babies

5.5

Let's Ruin It with Babies

2013