Green Fields (1937)

Ulmer's soulful, open-air adaptation of Peretz Hirshbein's classic play heralded the Golden Age of Yiddish cinema. When an ascetic young scholar ventures into the countryside, searching for... See full summary »

Directors:

Jacob Ben-Ami, Edgar G. Ulmer

Writers:

Peretz Hirschbein (play), Peretz Hirschbein (adaptation),

Stars:

Michael Gorrin, Helen Beverly, Isidore Cashier

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Michael Gorrin	...	Levy Yitzchok - 'Levi Yitskhok' (as Michael Goldstein)
Helen Beverly	...	Tzineh - 'Tsine' (as Helen Beverley)
Isidore Cashier	...	Duvid Noiach - 'Dovid-Noich' (as Izidor Casher)
Anna Appel	...	Rochel - 'Rokhl'
Max Vodnoy	...	Alkuneh - 'Elkone'
Lea Noemi	...	Gittel - 'Gitl'
Dena Drute	...	Stera
Saul Levine	...	Hersh-Ber
Herschel Bernardi	...	Avram-Yankov - 'Avrom-Yankov' (as Hershel Bernardi)
Aron Ben-Ami	...	A Yeshive Bocher

Storyline

Ulmer's soulful, open-air adaptation of Peretz Hirshbein's classic play heralded the Golden Age of Yiddish cinema. When an ascetic young scholar ventures into the countryside, searching for the city of "true Jews," he learns some unexpected lessons from the Jewish peasants who take him in as a tutor for their children.

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Plot Keywords:

jewish | farmer | rabbi | class distinction | synagogue | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

Yiddish Hebrew

Release Date:

11 October 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Grine Felder

Filming Locations:

Newton, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$80,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Collective Film Producers Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min 99 min (1981 restoration) 106 min (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Variray Blue Seal Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film debut of Herschel Bernardi.

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Connections

Featured in Almonds and Raisins (1984)

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Soundtracks

"Meid Lech"
Composer unknown
Sung by an off-screen chorus

User Reviews

A lovely, gentle film....

After reading comments on Green Fields by other users, I'm afraid a lot of people won't bother with it, and that would be a shame. It's been a few years since I saw it, but I recall it as being a lovely, gentle film, and one of Edgar Ulmer's best. It's probably not for the average viewer. It is slow moving. Also, describing it as a comedy might not help, since the humor is very low key. I don't recall laughing out loud. The play is old fashioned, but it has a lot of warmth and tenderness. And it's interesting to see Ulmer tackle something like this, since he's better known for intense, expressionistic films like Detour and The Black Cat. Here the shots aren't as obviously "designed". Instead the camera lingers on the sleepy beauty of the little village. The pace is leisurely, and I thought that was the right choice to capture the lives of these country dwellers. This film isn't for everybody, but Ulmer fans should check it out. While he directed a few other movies in Yiddish, I think this is by far the best of the ones I've seen. And I think it stands on its own as a first rate piece of film-making.