X
  • 2011
  • Unrated
  • International Film Circuit
  • 1 h 33 m
  • 2011
  • Unrated
  • International Film Circuit
  • 1 h 33 m

Summary A riveting portrait of the great writer whose stories became the basis of the Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof. Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness tells the tale of the rebellious genius who created an entirely new literature. Plumbing the depths of a Jewish world locked in crisis and on the cusp of profound change, he capture...

  • 2011
  • Unrated
  • International Film Circuit
  • 1 h 33 m
  • 2011
  • Unrated
  • International Film Circuit
  • 1 h 33 m

Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 15 Critic Reviews
77
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Summary A riveting portrait of the great writer whose stories became the basis of the Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof. Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness tells the tale of the rebellious genius who created an entirely new literature. Plumbing the depths of a Jewish world locked in crisis and on the cusp of profound change, he capture...

Where to Watch

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 15 Critic Reviews
77
93% Positive
14 Reviews
7% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 15 Critic Reviews
77
93% Positive
14 Reviews
7% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
Jul 7, 2011
It is a rich, beautifully organized and illustrated modern history of Eastern European Jewry examined through the life and work of the author, born Sholem Rabinovich in Pereyaslav (near Kiev) in 1859.
By Stephen Holden FULL REVIEW
80
Oct 13, 2011
He's often called the Yiddish Mark Twain; supposedly Twain, upon hearing this, said to tell Aleichem that Twain was the American Sholem Aleichem.
By Bill Goodykoontz FULL REVIEW
75
Oct 28, 2011
In recording the timeless traditions of Jewry, he created a new one: the identity crisis that rides on the back of laughter.
By Joe Williams FULL REVIEW
75
Aug 25, 2011
This is a person you'd enjoy spending time with and learning from. That's certainly the case with Dorman's film.
By Mark Feeney FULL REVIEW
75
Aug 18, 2011
What makes the movie succeed is that Dorman doesn't only focus on the life of Aleichem (who had a tendency to build fortunes and then lose them), but a look at a society long gone and the legacy and traditions they and Aleichem left to Jews around the world today.
FULL REVIEW
70
Jul 5, 2011
Additional substance comes from Dorman's ongoing use of period photos and newsreel footage. In the spirit of the Sholem Aleichem oeuvre, Laughing in the Darkness is a collective family album.
By J. Hoberman FULL REVIEW
60
Jul 18, 2011
The author's texts are used as biographical inventory, and they're not simply read, they're performed, sometimes to the detriment of the prose.
FULL REVIEW

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Details

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Release Date Jul 6, 2011
Duration 1 h 33 m
Rating Unrated
Genres
Tagline Before there was Fiddler, there was Tevye... and the man who created him.
Website http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sholem-Aleichem-Laughing-in-the-Darkness/229271837090256?ref=hnav
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