Lies My Father Told Me (1975)

A Jewish boy grows up in 1920s Montreal with a grandfather who tells stories and a father who won't work.

Director:

Ján Kadár

Writers:

Ted Allan (story), Ted Allan (screenplay)

Stars:

Yossi Yadin, Len Birman, Marilyn Lightstone

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yossi Yadin	...	Zaida
Len Birman	...	Harry Herman
Marilyn Lightstone	...	Annie Herman
Jeff Lynas	...	David Herman (as Jeffrey Lynas)
Ted Allan	...	Mr. Baumgarten
Henry Gamer	...	Uncle Benny
Barbara Chilcott	...	Mrs. Tannenbaum
Carol Lazare	...	Edna
Mignon Elkins	...	Mr. Bondy
Cleo Paskal	...	Cleo
Rolland Bédard
Raymond Benoît
Bertrand Gagnon
Guy L'Ecuyer
E.M. Margolese

Storyline

It's the 1920's. The Hermans - Harry Herman, his wife Annie Herman née Elias, their adolescent son David Herman, and Annie's father - are a Jewish family living in a small flat in the working class Jewish neighborhood of Montréal. David loves his "Zaida" (grandfather) with who he spends most Sundays driving around in their horse drawn wagon collecting junk - namely "rags, clothes, bottles" - to earn money. David also loves hearing his Zaida's stories about their Jewish culture, although most of those stories are made up and not based based on religious Jewish beliefs. Those stories are only one bone of contention between religious Zaida and secular Harry, as modern thinking Harry feels the stories are old fashioned hogwash and provide David with no grounding in what is real in life. Another issue of contention is money, as Harry is always dreaming of get rich schemes - the latest being to manufacture permanently creased and thus iron-less trousers - for which Zaida will not provide ...

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Plot Keywords:

father | family relationships | pregnant animal | historical event | independent film

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Taglines:

Children believe in miracles. Grandfathers make them come true.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English French Hebrew

Release Date:

26 September 1975 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Ahogy én láttam

Filming Locations:

Cinévision, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 1,100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC), Pentacle VIII Productions, Pentimento Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Zaida, David Herman: [in a sing-song voice] Rags! Clothes! Bottles!

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Connections

Referenced in Lies (1976)

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Soundtracks

"Rags, Clothes, Bottles"
Music and Lyrics by Sol Kaplan
Sung by Kenny Karen

User Reviews

A brilliant film of mystery and vision

Some comments have pointed out that this is a movie that takes the child's POV. Well, that's true, but many films have done that and the tale they've told is sad (Ponette) or even harrowing (À ma soeur!). What this film captures is the divine reality that children and some adults are in contact with. It also relates the many other parts of a boy's role in a struggling Jewish Canadian family of the 20's, and does that quite well.

However, the mystery at the heart of life, the divine connection, that's what this film depicts best.

Alas, it's never been released in ANY consumer format! Who do we talk to about this injustice!