Among the first releases in the new wave of independent films of the 1970s, writer/director Joan Micklin Silver's portrait of turn-of-the-century New York is also important for its unflinching portrait of women's issues. Russian Jewish immigrant Gitl (Carol Kane) joins her husband Jake (Steven Keats) in New York after he has gone ahead to establish himself. Jake has quickly assimilated many American customs, much to the dismay of Gitl, who clings to her Old World ways. Gitl's discovery of how
Jake was able to finance her trip to America leads to more tension, and Gitl is soon on her own with few resources on which to draw. Although the film performed modestly at the box office, it was a sign of changing times when Kane's quietly assured performance was nominated for an Academy award, a rare recognition by Hollywood of a film made outside the studio system. ~ Tom Wiener, Rovi
a worthy attempt and important as an example of women's efforts to finally carve their own place in the world of filmmaking, but it's just not a great movie.
Though lacking plot or in-depth characterization, Silver's ultra-modest debut is likable, in large measure due to her channeling of 1970s feminist approach to a little documented turn of the century immigreants' yarn
Worthwhile as a document of life in New York's Jewish tenements, but its miniscule budget pinches and, for this reason and others, its period detail is sometimes unconvincing.
Watch the scene where Jake tries to yank the sheitel (wig) off his wife's (Gitl's) head - and finds out, to his shock, that the frizzy hair is actually her own!
April 12, 2007
Roberta Cooper
A VERY OVERLOOKED HIDDEN TREASURE OF A FILM, NOT SEEN BY MANY, BUT IT IS AN EXCELLENT DRAMA WITH A REMARKABLE PERFORMANCE BY CAROL KANE, EASILY HER BEST PERFORMANCE EVER. THE STORY IS EXCELLENT, WONDERFULLY FILMED IN BLACK AND WHITE. IT HAS A REAL FEEL FOR THE 1890'S.
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