Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas

Nov 18 2018 N/A 0h 51m
Drama, History, Music

An offbeat, irreverent musical documentary that tells the story of a group of Jewish songwriters, including Irving Berlin, Mel Tormé, Jay Livingston, Ray Evans, Gloria Shayne Baker and Johnny Marks, who wrote the soundtrack to Christianity’s most musical holiday. It’s an amazing tale of immigrant outsiders who became irreplaceable players in pop culture’s mainstream – a generation of songwriters who found in Christmas the perfect holiday in which to imagine a better world, and for at least one day a year, make us believe.

Plot

"White Christmas," "Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer," and "Do you Hear What I Hear?" These popular holiday songs and many others have created the essential music to modern Christmas. Many of them were also created by predominately Jewish composers like Irving Berlin, cultural outsiders in a Western culture who sought to make a living by writing to appeal to the majority audience that too often rejected them. This film explores the lives of these creative masters, their creations, and the culture they shared, with dramatized musical performances at a Chinese restaurant with a Jewish clientele on Christmas Day. Thus illustrated, a story is told of how these musical outsiders created in song a secular conception of a Christian holiday that could welcome all peoples by celebrating values and hope far beyond religious differences.

Written by

Jason Charters

Directed by

Larry Weinstein

Production Countries

Canada

Production Companies

Riddle Films Inc.

Languages

English

Awards

2 wins & 4 nominations

Scores
# of Votes
144
Average Rating
7.4 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA