“Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness,” a film by Joseph Dorman, opens Friday, August 5 at Laemmle’s Town Center 5 in Encino. The film tells the story of the monumental literary figure, who not only left behind a body of work that includes “Fiddler on the Roof” and other riveting classics, he also helped shape a modern Jewish identity in the face of crisis.
Aleichem, who was born Solomon Rabinowitz in 1859, sparked a renaissance in Yiddish literature, memorialized shtetl life right before it vanished, and lived a colorful life himself.
Peter Riegert, Rachel Dratch and Jason Kravits read selections from Aleichem’s writings, and Alan Rosenberg narrates. The film is in English and Yiddish with English subtitles.
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