Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem

Showings

Castro Theatre Thu, Jul 31, 2014 6:15 PM
Film Info
Director(s):John Lollos
Country:USA
Year of Production:2014
Running Time:90
Language(s):English
Categories:Big Nights
Premiere Status:World
Genre-Subject:Theatre
Music
yiddishkeit

Description

Freedom of Expression

The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival is proud to give our annual Freedom of Expression Award to Theodore Bikel. In addition to his storied career as an actor and folk singer, Theodore Bikel has a long history as an activist. In the 1950’s he spoke out against McCarthyism and the blacklist. Writing on behalf of the arts chapter of the American Jewish Congress, Bikel claimed: “We, as artists, must protest an act that seeks to compel the performer to bargain for his livelihood with other values than his talent.” Bikel, served as president of Actors’ Equity Association from 1973-82 and has devoted much of his long life to helping actors and actors unions. On the national scene, Theodore Bikel was a delegate to the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement participating in marches and voter registration drives in the south and playing concerts throughout the country – concerts whose content was the message of equality for all people. He was jailed for his witness to these principles and for his work on behalf of Soviet Jewry. In 1977, he was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve a five-year term on the National Council for the Arts. He currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Partners for Progressive Israel.

Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem

The stories of two beloved Jewish icons are woven together in this enchanting documentary: Sholom Aleichem, the great Jewish storyteller, and this year’s SFJFF Freedom of Expression award recipient, Theodore Bikel- troubadour, actor and one of the most popular stage interpreters of Aleichem’s work. The prose of Aleichem (1859–1916) portrays like no one else the true soul of the tragicomic Jewish shtetl life. Fiddler on the Roof, the Broadway and Hollywood musical adaptation of Aleichem’s Tevye the Milkman short stories, has immortalized him. Theodore Bikel, now 90, has portrayed Tevye on the American stage countless times. Vienna-born Bikel’s family escaped Austria after the Nazi occupation and migrated to Palestine before settling in the United States. He originated the role of Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music, played Zoltan Karpathy in the film version of My Fair Lady, guest-starred in numerous TV series from The Twilight Zone to Law & Order and has served as the president of Actors’ Equity. Bikel has performed and recorded collections of folk songs in 23 languages, including Yiddish. The film’s highlights include interviews with Alan Alda, Fyvush Finkel and Sholom Aleichem’s 102-year-old granddaughter Bel Kaufman. This is an enchanting film filled with laughter, tears and tunes about Aleichem and one of his best Tevyes (Bikel). Screening followed by award ceremony, a brief performance and Q&A with Theodore Bikel.Donny Inbar

World Premiere

Sponsored by Moses and Susan Libitzky

This year’s award is an original framed watercolor by acclaimed Broadway, Hollywood and Television actor Nehemiah Persoff. The artwork generously donated by Krevsky Fine Art is entitled Oh Jerusalem.