Recently, we chatted with film historian Ygal Kaufman to find out more about The Many Funny Faces of the Jewish People, a lively and fascinating film series he has put together especially for OJMCHE. The series features four mid-twentieth-century classics that highlight the artistry of Jewish directors, producers, actors, writers, and others, and prompt us to examine the nature of their many and various contributions to the evolution of comedy in film. Each feature-length movie is being accompanied by short subjects from the year of its release. Kaufman will be on hand to provide an intriguing introduction that explores the background of the film and its relation to cinematic history.
His enthusiasm for bringing “lost classic and cult films to the big screen for new audiences in new ways” is quite contagious. When asked why he selected these particular four films to include in the series, he commented that “What I was looking for was a broader influence of Jews in cinema beyond just featuring Jewish directors, players, or writers. The four films give a good mix of Jews in many different facets.” He went on to explain that when we “dust off old films and enjoy them in a cinema atmosphere,” and pair them with newsreels and cartoons from the same year, the experience is highly entertaining and also urges us to explore deeper questions about the role of these films in American culture.
At War with the Army (1950), the first of the series, which was shown October 29, stars Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin in the first of their 16 movies as a comedy pair. The second film, Nothing Sacred (1937), shown November 12, features memorable, rapid-fire dialogue written by Ben Hecht, along with contributions by Dorothy Parker (whose father was Jewish) and playwright George S. Kaufman, both of Algonquin Round Table fame. Royal Wedding (1951), scheduled for December 10, stars Fred Astaire and is directed by Stanley Donen, an important Jewish filmmaker who directed Singing in the Rain and other hits. It also features music by great Jewish composers and lyricists. “It not only makes you laugh but makes your eyes grow big,” commented Kaufman. “Astaire does superhuman things on stage, dance numbers that don’t seem possible. It required unbelievable concentration and perfection on the part of Astaire to execute these in only one or two takes, which is just not done today.” Finally, the fourth film, The Inspector General (1949), slotted for January 7, stars Danny Kaye, who was another “amazing Jewish performer, but very different from Jerry Lewis.” In this film Kaye gives a “powerhouse performance in the old vaudeville style.”
So what, if anything, is “Jewish” about these films — apart from the fact that Jewish people were involved in their creation? As Kaufman explained, performers such as Lewis and Kaye were steeped in the traditions of vaudeville, a Jewish style dominated by Jewish performers and which innovated stage comedy. They brought the elements of vaudeville with them to the big screen. Both stage and film performances were imbued with yiddishkeit, Jewish cultural references and approaches to life (think jokes about Jewish mothers, etc.), and presented a world that would have felt “very familiar to Ashkenazi immigrant Jews in the 20th century.” Major comedy stars were almost all Jews. After arriving in America and creatively striving to find new ways to survive, “they found themselves at the forefront of vaudeville. When it died, the only place they could go was the big screen.” Kaufman went on to comment that, in more recent years, performers from Woody Allen to Larry David have employed a humor that is “more cerebral, less physical,” and that when viewing these earlier movies the reasons for the shift might be contemplated. Is there a “trait that leads to funniness” that runs through the Jewish people? Are Jews naturally funny? Or is there something about their expression of humor that causes people to perceive them to be funny? According to Kaufman, looking at older films is an interesting way to help approach these and related questions.
Ygal Kaufman is a filmmaker, critic, historian, and appreciator. He received a degree in Film from Penn State University and lives in Portland. He writes for several newspapers and online outlets and is also an actor, musician, and podcaster. He currently curates and hosts several screening series in cities across Oregon, which specialize in pairing lost, classic, experimental and cult film exhibitions with live music, newsreels, archival footage, cartoons, food/drink, live cast appearances, and other experiences to elevate community movie-going to a more artful level. He also founded the Majestic Community Film Festival in Corvallis and the 48 Hour Silent Film Festival. Future events to be presented at OJMCHE may include a series of silent Jewish films accompanied by live music. To find out more about his upcoming showings around the state, go to facebook.com/cmnykcinema.