The Return of Nathan Becker (Russian: Возвращение Нейтана Беккера, romanized: Vozvrashchenie Neytana Bekkera) is a 1932[1][2] Soviet drama film directed and written by Rachel Milman-Creamer[3] and Boris Shpis.[4][5] It is a Soviet film telling the story of a Jew who returns after 28 years in America. A bricklayer by trade, he ends up in a contest with his Soviet counterpart. Becker loses, but learns more about the “warm and welcoming” way of life in the Soviet Union. Notable mostly for the performance of Solomon Mikhoels, one of the leading lights of Moscow State Jewish Theatre, and for being the only Soviet film ever shot in both Russian and Yiddish.[6]
After 28 years in America, Nathan Becker (David Gutman) comes to his former homeland, now the U.S.S.R., not knowing what to do. He brings with him his wife (Yelena Kashnitskaya) and a black friend, Jim, (Senegalese actor Kador Ben-Salim). Becker’s father (Solomon Michoels), has become an enthusiastic supporter of the Soviet Union. Still, when he first meets Becker’s friend. The film takes place during the time of the first Five-Year Plan, which was an attempt to increase productivity in the Soviet Union. The construction of the city of Magnitogorsk is under way, and Becker gets a chance to work as a bricklayer. He scoffs at the way his Soviet counterparts lay bricks. “Soviet workers exercise before their working shifts. Bekker (sic) ridicules this idea: these are ballet dancers, not workers, he says.”[7] Becker then challenges his Soviet counterpart to a contest which sets the mechanical American way of bricklaying against the Soviet method. “…the superior care given to the individual by state triumphs over mere mechanical efficiency.”[8] Becker assumes when he loses that he will also lose his job and have to go home. But they ask him to stay, noting that they can learn “by adding his technical knowledge to their greater basic wisdom.”[9]
SignificanceEdit
The Return of Nathan Becker is “the only Soviet sound film made in Yiddish.”[10] Peter Kenez wrote that the film “deserves detailed discussion because it is the best known of the [Soviet] Jewish films.[11]
The New York Times liked the film for some of the things that were not central to the plot. “In the screen telling of this simple tale the directors have presented many highly entertaining incidents of Jewish life in the Russia of today and have refrained from dwelling too much upon the building activities. The acting of the principals is excellent. A feature of the film is the humming and singing of Yiddish folk songs, especially by Mrs. Becker, who to the very end has only a hazy conception of the new Russia.“[12]
The beginning of the film was shot in the Jewish quarter of Vinnitsya, which had a typical shtetl outlook.[13]
return, nathan, becker, russian, Возвращение, Нейтана, Беккера, romanized, vozvrashchenie, neytana, bekkera, 1932, soviet, drama, film, directed, written, rachel, milman, creamer, boris, shpis, soviet, film, telling, story, returns, after, years, america, bric. The Return of Nathan Becker Russian Vozvrashenie Nejtana Bekkera romanized Vozvrashchenie Neytana Bekkera is a 1932 1 2 Soviet drama film directed and written by Rachel Milman Creamer 3 and Boris Shpis 4 5 It is a Soviet film telling the story of a Jew who returns after 28 years in America A bricklayer by trade he ends up in a contest with his Soviet counterpart Becker loses but learns more about the warm and welcoming way of life in the Soviet Union Notable mostly for the performance of Solomon Mikhoels one of the leading lights of Moscow State Jewish Theatre and for being the only Soviet film ever shot in both Russian and Yiddish 6 The Return of Nathan BeckerRussian Vozvrashenie Nejtana BekkeraDirected byRachel Milman Creamer ru Boris ShpisWritten byRachel Milman Creamer Boris ShpisStarringDavid Gutman Solomon Mikhoels Yelena Kashnitskaya Kador Ben Salim Boris Babochkin Anna ZarzhitskayaCinematographyYevgeni MikhajlovMusic byYevgeni BrusilovskyProductioncompanyBelgoskinoRelease date1932CountrySoviet UnionLanguagesRussian Yiddish Contents 1 Plot 2 Significance 3 Cast 4 References 5 External linksPlot EditAfter 28 years in America Nathan Becker David Gutman comes to his former homeland now the U S S R not knowing what to do He brings with him his wife Yelena Kashnitskaya and a black friend Jim Senegalese actor Kador Ben Salim Becker s father Solomon Michoels has become an enthusiastic supporter of the Soviet Union Still when he first meets Becker s friend The film takes place during the time of the first Five Year Plan which was an attempt to increase productivity in the Soviet Union The construction of the city of Magnitogorsk is under way and Becker gets a chance to work as a bricklayer He scoffs at the way his Soviet counterparts lay bricks Soviet workers exercise before their working shifts Bekker sic ridicules this idea these are ballet dancers not workers he says 7 Becker then challenges his Soviet counterpart to a contest which sets the mechanical American way of bricklaying against the Soviet method the superior care given to the individual by state triumphs over mere mechanical efficiency 8 Becker assumes when he loses that he will also lose his job and have to go home But they ask him to stay noting that they can learn by adding his technical knowledge to their greater basic wisdom 9 Significance EditThe Return of Nathan Becker is the only Soviet sound film made in Yiddish 10 Peter Kenez wrote that the film deserves detailed discussion because it is the best known of the Soviet Jewish films 11 The New York Times liked the film for some of the things that were not central to the plot In the screen telling of this simple tale the directors have presented many highly entertaining incidents of Jewish life in the Russia of today and have refrained from dwelling too much upon the building activities The acting of the principals is excellent A feature of the film is the humming and singing of Yiddish folk songs especially by Mrs Becker who to the very end has only a hazy conception of the new Russia 12 The beginning of the film was shot in the Jewish quarter of Vinnitsya which had a typical shtetl outlook 13 Cast EditDavid Gutman as Neitan Bekker Solomon Mikhoels as Tsele Bekker Yelena Kashnitskaya as Majke Bekker Kador Ben Salim as Jim Boris Babochkin as Mikulich Anna Zarzhitskaya as Nata 14 References Edit Belorusskoe kino pokazyvali na Brodvee Opublikovali video otkrytiya Muzeya Kocyubinskogo 90 let nazad Rachel Milman Creamer in Russian kino teatr ru Retrieved 4 January 2019 Vystavka hudozhnikov o pervoj pyatiletke soberet gostej na Beloj bashne Vyhodnye 7 8 i 9 marta v Moskve afisha interesnyh meropriyatij World History of the Yiddish Cinema A Goldman Eric Arthur New York University Ph D 1979 p 74 Kenez Peter Jewish themes in Stalinist Films Journal of Popular Culture Spring 1988 31m 4 Research Library p 165 Gwynne Helen Hollywood Reporter Yesterday in New York with Helen Gwynne 19 April 1933 p 3 Return of Nathan Becker Review Variety 25 April 1933 p 18 Goldman ibid Kenez p 164 New York Times 15 April 1933 p 16 They showed how the Jews of Vinnytsia lived in 1932 https gazeta ua articles history pokazali yak zhili yevreyi vinnici u 1932mu 807121 Retrieved 24 December 2018 Vozvrashenie Nejtana Bekkera 1933 Full Cast amp CrewExternal links EditThe Return of Nathan Becker at IMDb New York Times Review Rachel Milman Creamer on Kino Theatre Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Return of Nathan Becker amp oldid 1127522035, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
