His People

A loving, warm and humorous portrayal of a Jewish immigrant from Russia and his family. David (husband), Rose (wife), Morris (eldest son) and Sammy (second son) live in an immigrant ghetto that is populated by a mix bag of people with different country origins. The narrative revolves around two archetypal stories. First, how obeisance to traditions by elders clash with the carefree assimilation to a dominant culture by a younger generation. Second, the "good" son that turns out to be bad versus the "bad" that turns out "good".

This is a film from the closing years of the silent era. As such, the emotions are clearly laid out on the screen. Being an Hollywood product made to entertain immigrant crowds, redemptive and happy endings are expected. It is a reflection of the optimism of those who came to improve their lot in the land of opportunity.

The outside shots appear to have been filmed in New York City. The elevated subway line that shows up in a number of scenes no longer exists, so it is an interesting record of a faraway era.

The Lower East Side provided Hollywood with much fodder for its voracious cameras and "His People" is one of the silent eras high spots in this regard. The melting pot here yields a story about an Orthodox Jewish family continually trying to make ends meet in this unforgiving milieu.

Rudolph Schildkraut is Papa, the penniless head of the family consisting of Mama and their two sons. The older one is a scholar and the younger is a street-wise kid who becomes a boxer, or a 'box fighter', as his parents call him. Guess which one is the favored son.

The story is interesting and compelling with excellent performances all around. Schildkraut takes acting honors but I thought the younger son, Sammy, was a story in itself. Sammy is played by George Lewis, one of the most recognizable and enduring faces ever to come out of Hollywood - you have seen this face thousands of times but I'll bet you didn't know his name. He lasted five decades, playing all manner of movie parts and then went into TV. As the IMDb write-up states, his most famous part was probably as Don Diego De La Vega, Zorro's father in the TV series. Also in the cast is Arthur Lubin as the older brother who went on to fame as a Hollywood and TV Director.

The theme of the film has been done many times - the black sheep foots the bill and brings home the bacon and the favored son is an ingrate. It is done especially well here and bolstered immeasurably by the performance of Schildkraut. It is a story both poignant and revelant and depicts the archetypal human condition in any age or circumstance. It is a quintessentially human story.