Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness 2011

Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness

Critics Consensus

Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness serves as an effective primer on its subject, as well as an evocative portrait of the era in which he lived.

100%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 43

68%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 689

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Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness Photos

Sholem Al Eichem as seen in "Sholem Al Eichem: Laughing in the Darkness."

Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness (2011)

View All Photos (12)

Movie Info

Filmmaker Joseph Dorman presents the life, work and legacy of the Yiddish writer who used the vernacular of the common man.

Genre:

documentary
Original Language:

English
Director:

Joseph Dorman
Release Date (Theaters):

Jul 8, 2011 limited
Release Date (Streaming):

Mar 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA):

$906.7K
Runtime:

1h 33m

Cast & Crew

Alan Rosenberg
Narrator

Rachel Dratch
Shayne Sheyndl
Voice

Joseph Dorman
Director

Joseph Dorman
Writer

News & Interviews for Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness

Critics Consensus: Horrible Bosses is Certified Fresh

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Critic Reviews for Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness

All Critics (43) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (43)

The result is more than an examination of the contradictory life of the celebrated humorist and storyteller, it's a compelling cinematic look at the complex world of Eastern European Jews.

September 23, 2020 | Full Review…

Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Not often does a film double as a literary critic, but this is the Northrop Frye of docs. Essentially, it revises and sharpens the blunted reputation of a great writer.

February 24, 2012 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
Audiences interested in Jewish literature will find Laughing in the Darkness compelling for its deep analysis of Aleichem's works, featuring a selection of experts and the writer's granddaughter, Bel Kaufman.

February 23, 2012 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

Anita Li
Toronto Star
[An] absorbing PBS-style documentary.

December 7, 2011 | Full Review…

J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
Throughout the film, Dorman uses ethnographic and silent-cinema footage, along with ubiquitous klezmer music, to paint a picture of the era.

October 28, 2011 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
A rich, winning documentary...

October 13, 2011 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Bill Goodykoontz
Arizona Republic
An important doc for anyone who cares about literature.

September 23, 2020 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Susan G. Cole
NOW Toronto
Dorman's well-researched documentary is aided by numerous archival photographs, both of 19th-century Jewish life and of Sholem Aleichem himself.

September 23, 2020 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Chris Knight
National Post
Dorman's documentary reveals how one man's prolific writings could have such a profound effect on both assessing and advancing a language and a culture.

September 23, 2020 | Rating: A | Full Review…

Clint O'Connor
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Dorman strikes the perfect balance between the work and the man.

July 11, 2013 | Rating: 8/10 | Full Review…

Christopher Long
Movie Metropolis
In the end, you're certainly inspired to read Aleichem, but not necessarily to watch Dorman's film again.

December 15, 2011 | Rating: B- | Full Review…

Shawn Levy
Oregonian
.... a thoughtful, if also conventional, overview of Aleichem's life and work, mixing straight history and biography with quotations from his writings...

October 27, 2011 | Rating: 7/10 | Full Review…

Sarah Boslaugh
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