Uncle Moses


Uncle Moses is a 1932 American Yiddish drama film directed by Sidney M. Goldin and Aubrey Scotto. The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Yiddish writer Sholem Asch. It was adapted by and stars Maurice Schwartz in the titular role.

Plot

Set in New York City’s Lower East Side, the film follows "Uncle" Moses Melnick, a former peddler turned wealthy garment factory owner. He employs many of his landsleit but exerts control over them in a paternalistic and domineering manner, aided by his nephew and fixer, Sam.
Uncle Moses becomes infatuated with teenaged Masha, the daughter of one of his employees, after she confronts him about her father’s mistreatment. To win her over, he lavishes Masha and her parents with expensive gifts. Though reluctant, Masha ultimately agrees to marry him.
As Moses focuses on Masha, Charlie, a young Marxist and Masha’s admirer, organizes a strike at the factory. Sam suppresses the strike violently, and a settlement is eventually reached with the workers.
After their marriage, Masha gives birth to a son but grows increasingly unhappy. Moses grants her a divorce, allowing her and the child to return to Europe. With Sam now in control of the factory, a frail and lonely Moses spends his days reminiscing and singing with the workers, echoing the life of his own father.

Cast

Production

The story originally appeared serialized in The Forward and was published as a book in 1918. It was adapted for stage by Schwartz for the Yiddish Art Theater's 1930-1931 season, and the screenplay was largely unchanged from the stage production. Some plot changes were made from the original novel: in the film Uncle Moses agrees to let Masha return to Europe, whereas the novel has her leaving without notice, but likely still in the New York area. Moses is left to contemplate his solitude at his first wife's grave.
The dialog is mostly in Yiddish, though English is used throughout, reflecting the reality of the Jewish immigrant experience in New York City. Similarly the title is a transliteration into Yiddish from English, as opposed to the translation, which would be Feter Moishe.
With the exception of the opening tracking shot down Orchard Street, the film was entirely photographed at Metropolitan Studios in Fort Lee, NJ. Rubin Goldberg, who portrays Uncle Moses's father, produced the film.

Reception & Legacy

Uncle Moses was released in three theaters in New York City in April of 1932 and was generally well received by contemporary audiences. In an original review, E. Fleishman, writing for Der Tog described it as "the first good Yiddish talkie". Praising Schwartz's performance, he described it as "So fresh, alive and effective, as he was in the same role on the stage".
Subsequent evaluations of the film note its importance as the first Yiddish sound film to deal with
contemporaneous social themes. Schwartz's acting continued to be lauded, with Janet Maslin, for the New York Times writing "Schwartz makes Uncle Moses a remarkably lifelike and immediate figure, a man whose vanity, pride and inner doubts are as believable now as they were when the film was made. The actor's authority is unmistakable, as is the humanity that keeps 'Uncle Moses' from descending into caricature."
The film was restored by the National Center for Jewish Film in 1998 and has subsequently been shown in several film festivals