The Bris 

Elaine and Jerry are nervous about the religious duties they must do when they agree to become godparents to a couple's newborn; George nabs great parking spot.

Director:

Tom Cherones

Writers:

Larry David (created by), Jerry Seinfeld (created by)

Stars:

Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Jerry Seinfeld	...	Jerry Seinfeld
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	...	Elaine Benes
Michael Richards	...	Kramer
Jason Alexander	...	George Costanza
Charles Levin	...	Mohel
Debra Mooney	...	Mrs. Sweedler
Tom Alan Robbins	...	Stan
Jeannie Elias	...	Myra
John Gegenhuber	...	Resident
Tia Riebling	...	Woman
Frank Noon	...	Patient

Storyline

Jerry and Elaine get asked to be the godparents for their friend's newborn baby. But unfortunately the position doesn't last very long when Elaine hires a drunken rabbi to perform the Bris. While at the hospital, Kramer thinks he found a pig-man while a mental patient jumps to his death and lands on George's car.

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Plot Keywords:

hospital | mohel | fainting | bandage on finger | conspiracy theory | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1993 (USA)

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shapiro/West Productions, Castle Rock Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

22 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) does two imitations of Marlon Brando in The Godfather (1972), however while he imitates Brando, the lines are actually spoken by Al Pacino in the film.

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Goofs

When Stan (Tom Alan Robbins) & Myra (Jeannie Elias) explain to Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) & Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) what would be expected of them in regard to the bris and refer to the baby by name. According to Jewish law however, a baby is named at his bris, after being circumcised.

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Quotes

Jerry Seinfeld: I don't see any pig-men I see human, human, human... Wait a second.
Cosmo Kramer: What?
Jerry Seinfeld: Oh, it's George.

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Connections

Referenced in Pastor Mike Online: Man of Steel Coming to a Church Near You! (2013)

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Soundtracks

Seinfeld Theme Song
Written by Jonathan Wolff

User Reviews

An Under-appreciated (And Seemingly) Misunderstood Episode

When people discuss the great episodes of this series, many (if not most) sound like dilettantes. Sure, they mention "The Soup Nazi", "The Contest",etc.Yet it always sounds like they know less about the series than they are willing to admit. It's like asking them what their favorite "Twilight Zone" is, and they say "the one where Burgess Meredith drops his reading glasses" or when it turns out that "To Serve Man" is actually a cookbook. When you get answers like this, you know that the people haven't seen terribly acquainted with much of the show, and are unfamiliar with a lot of entries that aren't shown as often. It's too bad because, for instance, some of my favorite "Twilight Zones" are ones that are either rarely shown or--if I'm lucky--an episode that some have seen and dislike."What's In The Box", for instance (how the censors let that one pass in 1964 is beyond me), together with the gorgeous music composed for its final episode "Come Wander With Me." In the case of "The Bris" what's fascinating about the episode is that, upon repeat viewings, you may come away with a different take than you had the first time you watched it.Its subtleties are myriad.

Right off, George demands that the hospital pay for the damage to his car.At first ,you may regard him as a callous jerk, but the more you think about it, the guy's got a point.Guaranteed, that if he took it to court, he would win. Or, it would be settled before that--again, in his favor. Secondly, Jerry and Elaine are uncomfortable being the Godparents, and rightfully so.The mother and father--besides not being the best looking couple I've ever seen- are indeed boundless, "level jumping" on the friendship.

Finally, some reviewers have stated their belief that the Mohel was drunk. Wrong.He is a hopelessly neurotic sociopath--played in sterling fashion by Charles Levin- who clearly is not very good at what he does for a living.

So make sure you mention this episode instead of the one where everyone is terrified of this four foot, 13 inch guy behind the soup counter,or how long any of the four principals can go without an exercise in onanism.