From Shtetl to Swing
From song to song, from music to music, this documentary film, structured like a musical, takes us from the Jewish villages of Russia to the Lower East Side tenements, from the Synagogue Choruses to the Harlem Clubs, from the stages of Yiddish Theater to the lights of Broadway, from the early 1900's to the late 30's, from Klezmer to Jazz.
Type (Documentaire / Documentaire fiction / Série documentaire)DocumentaryGenre en anglaisArts & culture Directed by Fabienne Rousso-LenoirSupported by ANGOA-AGIOCA, CNC, Fondation Meyer, Fondation Rothschild, ProcirepYear2003Duration52min
Between 1880 and 1924, 2.5 million Jews fled persecution in Russia and Eastern Europe, kissed the shtetl goodbye, and migrated to America. Turning a fresh, playful eye to the cultural attitudes and musical styles that proliferated throughout this extraordinarily rich period, from Yiddish theatre to musical extravaganza, from klezmer to ragtime, from symphonic jazz to swing – all the way from the Lower East Side to Tin Pan Alley to Broadway to Hollywood – FROM SHTETL TO SWING recounts the ebullient story of a musical metamorphosis born in darkest Russia, only to blaze across the Great White Way.
This film is entirely made of exceptional archive footage filmed between 1897 and 1940, some of them unseen since their date of filming, and other very rare (yiddish films, musicals, independent art and essay cinema.) In this atypical documentary conceived as a musical, Fabienne Rousso-Lenoir gives a very personal and unusual treatment to this archive material, which makes the past powerfully alive.
Press coverage
A magnificent epic, both moving and lyrical, dedicated to tolerance.
Le Figaro
A magnificent documentary by Fabienne Rousso-Lenoir (…) accompanied by a stunning soundtrack.
Les Inrockuptibles
A great documentary doesn’t ramble; it uncovers never-before-seen images of stars you’ve always heard about.
Le Parisien
When intelligence combines with passion, and the wealth of archival material merges into a pulsating montage beautifully synchronized with the narrative, the great art of documentary reaches a triumphant lyricism, evoking jubilant emotion.
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