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DramaRomance

Hester Street

- Goodbye O Lord, I'm Going To America!

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.

Release Date : 1975-10-19

Language :YiddishEnglish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Midwest Films

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Steven Keats

Character Name : Jake

Original Name : Steven Keats

Gender : Male

Carol Kane

Character Name : Gitl

Original Name : Carol Kane

Gender : Female

Mel Howard

Character Name : Bernstein

Original Name : Mel Howard

Gender : Male

Dorrie Kavanaugh

Character Name : Mamie

Original Name : Dorrie Kavanaugh

Gender : Female

Doris Roberts

Character Name : Mrs. Kavarsky

Original Name : Doris Roberts

Gender : Female

Stephen Strimpell

Character Name : Joe Peltner

Original Name : Stephen Strimpell

Gender : Male

Lauren Friedman

Character Name : Fanny

Original Name : Lauren Friedman

Gender : Female

Paul Freedman

Character Name : Joey

Original Name : Paul Freedman

Gender : Male

Martin Garner

Character Name : Boss

Original Name : Martin Garner

Gender : Male

Leib Lensky

Character Name : Peddler

Original Name : Leib Lensky

Gender : Male

Zane Lasky

Character Name : Greenhorn

Original Name : Zane Lasky

Gender : Male

Zvee Scooler

Character Name : Rabbi

Original Name : Zvee Scooler

Gender : Male

Eda Reiss Merin

Character Name : Rabbi's Wife

Original Name : Eda Reiss Merin

Gender : Female

Robert Lesser

Character Name : Lawyer

Original Name : Robert Lesser

Gender : Male

Joanna Merlin

Character Name : Jake's Landlady

Original Name : Joanna Merlin

Gender : Female

Claudia Silver

Character Name : Feigie

Original Name : Claudia Silver

Gender : Female

Ed Crowley

Character Name : Inspector

Original Name : Ed Crowley

Gender : Male

Philip Sterling

Character Name : Mr. Lipman

Original Name : Philip Sterling

Gender : Male

Sol Frieder

Character Name : Scribe

Original Name : Sol Frieder

Gender : Male

Joel Wolfe

Character Name : Kaminsky

Original Name : Joel Wolfe

Gender : Male

Mordecai Lawner

Character Name : Waiter

Original Name : Mordecai Lawner

Gender : Male

Anna Berger

Character Name : Poultry Woman

Original Name : Anna Berger

Gender : Female

Bert Salzman

Character Name : Zalman

Original Name : Bert Salzman

Gender : Male

Billy Natbony

Character Name :

Original Name : Billy Natbony

Gender : Male

Lin Shaye

Character Name : Whore

Original Name : Lin Shaye

Gender : Female

Reviews

C

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-07-28

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.