Hester Street Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Hester Street Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 4, 2015

“Hester Street” is certainly a rarity, arriving in 1975 as a tale of traditional Jewish values colliding with American permissiveness around the turn of the century. And the picture was written and directed by Joan Micklin Silver, making her the rare female helmer in a largely male-driven industry. Its specialty is its saving grace, stepping forward as a rare film of distinct perspective and religious discussion, while maintaining a comfortable focus on domestic unrest, permitting simplistic but valued drama to carry the viewing experience. Evocative on a modest budget, Silver pulls off something of a miracle with “Hester Street,” managing to capture a time and place without the benefit of a budget or major stars, putting her faith in the power of the conflicts provided here, adapting a 1895 book by Abraham Cahan with a distinctly ‘70s headspace of grit, empowerment, and heartache.

The year is 1896, and in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Jewish immigrants have transformed a neighborhood into a tight-knit society. Jake (Steven Keats) is one of Hester Street’s most charismatic residents, out to woo Mamie (Dorrie Kavanaugh), a tempting young woman hoping to land a significant husband. Toiling away at a tailor shop for a meager wage, Jake isn’t rich, but his passion sweeps up Mamie, with pair figuring out a way to court. Complications arrive for Jake when wife Gitl (Carol Kane) arrives from Russia with son Joey (Paul Freedman), ready to reunite as a family in an overwhelming new country. Firmly affixed in her old world ways, Gitl is a dedicated homemaker, but she’s painfully aware that Jake wants nothing to do with her, doting on his son instead. Confused and frightened, Gitl attempts to conform to life in America, while Jake is confronted with monetary trouble when Mamie comes to collect on a loan her lover requested to help fund a larger apartment space, realizing that Jake has been living a double life.

Immediately striking about “Hester Street” are its period details. There is no widescreen expanse, no surplus of extras, and no time to correct a few cinematographic mistakes. What Silver’s effort lacks in polish it makes up for in texture, taking viewers into a private world of Jewish society, where old world customs are gradually being replaced by Americanized bravado, detailed here in contrasting costumes and brief visits to the outside world, where Jake takes in the bustle of merchants and pedestrians. It’s not much, but it’s effective, selling the era in small bites, allowing the picture to become a time machine of sorts, especially for those with an interest in Jewish and immigration history.

Ego is crisply articulated in Silver’s screenplay, along with heavy dollops of shame. Jake’s a freewheeler on a hall pass, having grown accustomed to life without his spouse and son, eagerly working to sample American wealth and permissiveness by dating Mamie, an equally energetic soul ready to be wooed by a man with a future. When that runaway train of love is blocked by the arrival of Gitl and her naiveté , the resulting explosion of emotions is exceptionally managed by Silver, who takes time to communicate every character’s delicate perspective, extending to Jake’s fellow boarder, Bernstein (Mel Howard), a devout man and Jewish scholar who understands Gitl’s anxieties as she’s confronted with demands to shed her wig and traditions to service the freedoms of America, providing her with a beacon of hope that not all immigrants have stripped themselves of modesty and reason.

Scenes of culture shock are riveting, captured beautifully by the gifted cast (Kane would go on to receive an Academy Award nomination for her work). The talent communicates a full sense of embarrassment and hesitation vital to all characterizations, with Silver using a basic plot of romantic and marital tension to explore internalized concerns. Gitl is perhaps the most sophisticated of the group, trying to manage her old world ways of superstition (e.g. placing salt in Joey’s jacket pockets to ward away evil spirits) and shame while confronted with the brazen attitudes of her neighbors (Doris Roberts appears as an unlikely confidant), struggling to accept her new reality without the proper training, making her more confused when Jake continues to reject her, unable to accept her monumental effort to live up to expectations with his mind on Mamie. Silver isolates subtle shifts in power and domestic consideration, refusing to condemn as she inspects how these people live in a heightened, dramatic way that somehow feels completely natural. It’s a wonderfully directed and scripted film.

Hester Street Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Lacking a true restoration, the AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation is a little rough around the edges. Judder is prominent during a few sequences, while scratches and debris are detected throughout. The effort's low-budget nature is captured in focus problems and an obvious boom mic dip around the 37:00 mark -- all inherent to the original cinematography. While source materials aren't pristine, the viewing experience remains inviting, showing adequate black and white balance -- shadow detail remains open for inspection. Facial textures are satisfactory, bringing out emotion in close-up, while period costuming and busy street life is alive with nuance available for HD study. Again, the "Hester Street" transfer hasn't been exhaustively worked over for its BD debut, but criticisms are few, with deficiencies rarely causing distraction.

Hester Street Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix does carry a pronounced hiss throughout the listening experience. Dialogue exchanges do slip into fuzziness every now and then, but dramatics are appreciable, preserving difficult dialects. Scoring is supportive, with a distinct piano-led music carrying moments comfortably, never slipping into distortion. Crowd activity is blunt but easy on the ears.

Hester Street Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material on this disc.

Hester Street Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Hester Street" eventually works its way to a heartbreaking finale, though one with a sure sense of hope. However, the end of the tale is hardly the defining moment of the movie, with its human journey of growth and connection more important to Silver and the viewer. Perhaps other filmmakers would've spent their time on the streets soaking up atmosphere, trying to squeeze as much production value out of the effort as possible. Silver does highlight the commotion of social encounters and leisurely walks, but she's most invested in emotional textures, attempting to create an understanding of behavior that transcends religious and historical perspective.