Rise and Fall of the Borscht Belt (1986) [N/A]

Release Date:
September 14, 1986

Original Title:
Rise and Fall of the Borscht Belt

Genres:
Documentary

Production Companies:
Villon Films

Production Countries:
United States of America

Ratings / Certifications:
 N/A

Runtime: 81

At its peak, one million New York Jews spent their summers in the Borscht Belt, the birthplace of Jewish-American iconoclastic humor. This film shows how these Catskills communities were run by women, and how class divisions were reflected in the resort hotels: upwardly-mobile hotel guests were entertained by a who's-who of talent, while in the bungalows, do-it-yourself burlesque and vaudeville reigned among the blue-collar families. This film is happy, humane, ironic, and, finally, bittersweet, as we see that today's Jews no longer share the tastes or aspirations of their parents.

Additional information:

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Director:
Peter Davis

Music:
Steven Murray

Producer:
Peter Davis

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