2012 Charlotte Jewish Film Festival

Saturday, March 3

$10

Film: Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness

Venue: Temple Israel

Time: 7:30PM

Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness

Sponsored by Temple Israel and the Charlotte Yiddish Institute

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"Let my name be remembered with laughter - or not at all!"
- Sholem Aleichem

Before there was "Fiddler," there was Tevye...and the man who created him. "Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness" tells the story of the rebellious genius who became the world's best known Yiddish writer and playwright. Aleichem's life was just as rich and colorful as some of the characters he created. His most enduring character, Tevye the Milkman, was popularized on stage and screen in "Fiddler on the Roof." Besides his prolific writing - he turned out a story a week for more than 25 years - Sholem Aleichem helped shape a modern Jewish identity.

Once called the "Jewish Mark Twain," he countered, "Mark Twain is the American Sholem Aleichem."

Reviews:

"The movie's old photographs conjure the look and vitality of shtetl life so vividly you can almost feel yourself jostled in the crowded and dusty streets, hear the cries of peddlers and smell the pungent aromas of the cooking." -NY Times

"Dorman makes the case that Aleichem is the source from whence flows modern Jewish humor. The rhythms of his language ... You can hear it in the work of Mel Brooks, Albert Brooks, and the Coen Brothers." -Philadelphia Inquirer

"'Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness' captures the spirit of a man and his times. Dorman's touch is sure, his pacing fleet and his chorus of voices marvelous." -Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

"Brilliantly absorbing. Dorman does a magnificent job of explaining the historical context in which Sholem Aleichem worked. Plus the still photography is to die for." -Judith Gelman Myers, Hadassah Magazine

"An invigorating and fascinating biographical documentary that should be required viewing for anyone with a love for the written word." -Phil Hall, FilmThreat.com

"Count me as one goy happy to get to know the story, and stories, of Sholem Aleichem better. -Chicago Tribune

Bonus program: Pianist Ethan Uslan will perform Jewish musical selections with his special ragtime flair!