Celia Gurevitch Jewish Community Library

I selected Esther Kahn for our filmclub unseen, based on the reviews only and for the hope the Summer Phoenix, the lead actress would provide a great performance. We’ve seen her a few weeks ago in Believer (as Carla). I just watched the movie and can honestly recommend that indeed, she is a phenomenal actress in a fascinating role. The other name from the cast you might recognize is Ian Holm’s, who besides playing Bilbo in The Lord of the Rings series played in indie movies like Garden State and blockbusters like The Day after Tomorrow. I also liked him The Fifth Element and Brazil.

The reviews ensured me that the movie has enough Jewish content to grant a showing in our program. Having watched the movie last night though I have to admit that the Jewish aspects are prevalent in the first half hour, but then they virtually disappear. The rest of the movie is a visual essay on stage acting in 19th century London. The main theme of the movie is how Esther Kahn struggles with obstacles to become good at acting. If you are interested in theater it is a great analysis. If you are not interested in it, you may enjoy less the story. But the cinematography is still beautiful and enchanting. For that itself I think it is worth your time.

The movie is not rated in the US, but I suspect that because of brief frontal female nudity and one violent scene it would get a PG 17 rating. For comparison I can share that in Switzerland it got a 14 and up rating, while in Portugal a 12 and up. It is 2 hours and 20 minutes long, so bring pillows to make your chair more comfortable.

You can watch the three-minute preview below: