Repost: Hava Nagila (The Movie) (October 9th at the Chagrin Documentary FIlm Festival)

[HAVA NAGILA (THE MOVIE) screens Thursday October 9th at 7:30 pm at the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival.]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

There are a precious handful of documentary features devoted to the history of a single song (not "Cleveland Rocks," sorry). One concerns the blues dirge about American lynching, "Strange Fruit." Another focuses on the widespread left-wing revolutionary anthem "The Internationale." And now comes the motion-picture version of "Hava Nagila," the stereotypical Jewish wedding/celebration music. You don't have to be Jewish (but it helps) to enjoy filmmaker Roberta Grossman's dissertation. And I dare say, it's more entertaining than hearing about lynching and communism over the long haul.

"Hava Nagila" is so thoroughly associated with Jewish culture and identity that some believe it dates back to Old Testament times. But this is false. The tune is actually a Ukrainian Hasidic melody from the 1800s, to which lyrics were put in 20th-century Palestine by Zionist composer A.Z. Idelsohn - or, possibly, his adolescent prot‚g‚ Moshe Nathanson. There has actually been a lawsuit and royalties controversy and bad blood between two prominent Jewish families over this, oy veh! Palestinians, you may now chortle smugly.

Hava Nagila (The Movie) (July 14 at 1:30 and July 17 at 7 p.m. at the Cleveland Museum of Art Morley Lecture Hall)

[HAVA NAGILA (THE MOVIE) screens Sunday July 14th at 1:30 pm and Wednesday July 17th at 7:00 pm at the Cleveland Museum of Art Morley Lecture Hall.]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

There are a precious handful of documentary features devoted to the history of a single song (not "Cleveland Rocks," sorry). One concerns the blues dirge about American lynching, "Strange Fruit." Another focuses on the widespread left-wing revolutionary anthem "The Internationale." And now comes the motion-picture version of "Hava Nagila," the stereotypical Jewish wedding/celebration music. You don't have to be Jewish (but it helps) to enjoy filmmaker Roberta Grossman's dissertation. And I dare say, it's more entertaining than hearing about lynching and communism over the long haul.

"Hava Nagila" is so thoroughly associated with Jewish culture and identity that some believe it dates back to Old Testament times. But this is false. The tune is actually a Ukrainian Hasidic melody from the 1800s, to which lyrics were put in 20th-century Palestine by Zionist composer A.Z. Idelsohn - or, possibly, his adolescent prot‚g‚ Moshe Nathanson. There has actually been a lawsuit and royalties controversy and bad blood between two prominent Jewish families over this, oy veh! Palestinians, you may now chortle smugly.

The Possession

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

The forgettable PG-13 horror movie du jour THE POSSESSION claims, like THE APPARITION, A HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT, EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE etc. to be “inspired by a true story.” Maybe no viewers except stupid small children (some in their 20s to 40s) are suckered in anymore by that TEXAS CHAINSAW –esque come-on. But I had aspirations to be a journalist, and I’ve actually written about real-life paranormal accounts extensively. So the perversion of “truth” still grates. Yes, “inspired by a true story.” You know, like Saddam’s WMDs were. Or the Obama/Romney economic-recovery plan. When the new JUDGE DREDD reboot in 3D opens, what are chances that one will be “inspired by a true story?”