Hester Street (BLU-RAY)

US Import

Among the great cinematic portraits of Jewish life in America, Joan Micklin Silver's debut feature is anchored by her own screenplay (adapted from Abraham Cahan's 1896 novella Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto) and an unforgettable, Oscar-nominated performance by Carol Kane.

Kane stars as Gitl, one half of an Eastern European Jewish couple alongside Yankel (Steven Keats). Upon arriving in New York's Lower East Side in the late 19th century, Gitl finds that her husband, who'd come to America before her with their young son, has acclimated to their new country fairly well—but he has also begun an affair with a dancer, and Gitl finds herself in an unenviable situation in a strange new place. Hester Street meticulously reconstructs this bygone haven for Jewish immigrants to masterfully paint one woman's journey to assimilation and her arrival at the crossroads of tradition and modernity. (Synopsis courtesy of the New York Film Festival).

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• NEW interviews with director Joan Micklin Silver by Shonni Enelow
• Archival audio commentary track with director Joan Micklin Silver and producer Raphael Silver
• Archival interviews with key cast and crew members
• Original opening title sequence and outtakes with audio commentary by Daniel Kremer, author of an upcoming book about Joan Micklin Silver
• Restoration Trailer
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature