Product Review

THE SINGING BLACKSMITH (Yankl Der Schmid)
USA, 1938, 105 minutes, B&W, Yiddish with new English subtitles, preserved, digitally restored and re-mastered
Directed by: Edgar G. Ulmer
Written by: David Pinski
Music by: Jacob Weinberg
Cinematography by: William Miller
Edited by: Jack Kemp
Produced by: Ludwig Landy, Roman Rebush
Starring: Moishe Oysher, Miriam Riselle, Florence Weiss, Anna Appel,Herschel Bernardi, Michael Goldstein and Max Vodnoy

Moishe Oysher, the renowned cantor and star of Yiddish radio, stars in Edgar G. Ulmer€s musical version of David Pinski€s play Yankl der shmid. Singing, dancing, and flashing his eyes, Oysher gives his most robust performance as a passionate shtetl blacksmith who must struggle against temptation to become a mensch. Recently rediscovered footage makes this the most complete extant version of Ulmer€s lively folk operetta, replete with an example of Yiddish swing.