The Juggler (film)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''The Juggler'' is a 1953
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
starring
Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Do ...
as a survivor of the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
. The screenplay was adapted by
Michael Blankfort Michael Seymour Blankfort (December 10, 1907 – July 13, 1982) was an American screenwriter, writer of books and playwright. He served as a front for the blacklisted Albert Maltz on the Academy Award-nominated screenplay of '' Broken Arrow (19 ...
from his novel of the same name. It was the first American feature film that was made in Israel.


Production

The film, described as a "prestige ingathering" for Kramer, was directed by
Edward Dmytryk Edward Dmytryk (September 4, 1908 – July 1, 1999) was an American film director. He was known for his 1940s films noir, noir films and received an Academy Award for Best Director, Oscar nomination for Best Director for ''Crossfire (film), Cros ...
, who had directed ''
Crossfire A crossfire (also known as interlocking fire) is a military term for the siting of weapons (often automatic weapons such as assault rifles or sub-machine guns) so that their arcs of fire overlap. This tactic came to prominence in World War I. ...
'', a 1947 film about anti-Semitism. The musical score was by avant-garde composer
George Antheil George Johann Carl Antheil (; July 8, 1900 – February 12, 1959) was an American avant-garde composer, pianist, author, and inventor whose modernist musical compositions explored the modern sounds – musical, industrial, and mechanical – of t ...
, whose best known composition was the ''Ballet Mécanique''. Douglas had worked with Kramer in ''
Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...
'', the 1949 film that earned Douglas an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nomination. ''The Juggler'' was one of the movies that producer
Stanley Kramer Stanley Earl Kramer (September 29, 1913February 19, 2001) was an American film director and producer, responsible for making many of Hollywood's most famous "message picture, message films" (he would call his movies ''heavy dramas'') and a libera ...
made for
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
as part of a $25-million thirty-film deal in 1951. Screenwriter
Michael Blankfort Michael Seymour Blankfort (December 10, 1907 – July 13, 1982) was an American screenwriter, writer of books and playwright. He served as a front for the blacklisted Albert Maltz on the Academy Award-nominated screenplay of '' Broken Arrow (19 ...
was initially supposed to have directed the film, but was denied a passport because of his failure to exonerate himself of alleged membership in the
Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...
. His replacement, Dmytryk, ironically was a member of the
Hollywood Ten The Hollywood blacklist was an entertainment industry blacklist, broader than just Hollywood, put in effect in the mid-20th century in the United States during the early years of the Cold War. The blacklist involved the practice of denying empl ...
accused Communists. Israel was anxious for the film to be made, for financial as well as propaganda reasons, and Israelis were upset that while all but one outdoor scene was filmed in Israel, indoor scenes were shot at studios in Los Angeles for contractual reasons. The producers initially sought to hire German actress
Ursula Thiess Ursula Thiess (May 15, 1924 – June 19, 2010) was a German film actress who had a brief Hollywood career in the 1950s. Thiess began her career on the stage in her native Germany and by dubbing female voices in American films as Ursula Schmidt. ...
for the role of Ya'el, but the Israeli consul in Los Angeles protested that doing so would "create a very welcome and unnecessary controversy." Filming took place in Israel in late 1952 in
Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
, the
kibbutz A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...
Hanita Hanita ( he, חֲנִיתָה) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the western Galilee approximately 15 kilometres northeast of Nahariya, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Asher Regional Council. In it had a population of . Histo ...
on the border with
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
and other locations in the
Upper Galilee The Upper Galilee ( he, הגליל העליון, ''HaGalil Ha'Elyon''; ar, الجليل الأعلى, ''Al Jaleel Al A'alaa'') is a geographical-political term in use since the end of the Second Temple period. It originally referred to a mountai ...
. One scene was shot in a ruined house in
Iqrit Iqrit ( ar, إقرت or إقرث, ''Iqrith'') was a Palestinian Christian village, located northeast of Acre. Originally allotted to form part of an Arab state under the proposed 1947 UN Partition Plan, it was seized and depopulated by the Is ...
, a Christian Arab town whose residents were relocated by Israeli forces during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The filming took place shortly after the village was blown up by the
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
, which had caused an international controversy, on condition that its village itself not be filmed and its name not be mentioned.


Plot

After
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, German Hans Müller is one of a shipload of Jewish refugees who disembark at
Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
in 1949 and are placed in a refugee camp. Like many other
concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
survivors, Hans has psychological problems, including
survivor guilt Survivor guilt (or survivor's guilt; also called survivor syndrome or survivor's syndrome and survivor disorder or survivor's disorder) is a mental condition that occurs when a person believes they have done something wrong by surviving a traumati ...
. At one point, he mistakes a woman and some children for his murdered family. At the first opportunity, he sneaks out of the refugee camp and goes into the city. When he spots a policeman, Hans panics and reacts by fleeing. The policeman chases him down and begins questioning him. Hans becomes very agitated and attacks, leaving the man unconscious in the street. Hans flees and ends up sleeping in the countryside, where he is found by a teenage orphan
Sabra Sabra may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Sabra (comics), a fictional Israeli female superhero in the Marvel Comics universe * Sabra (magazine), a Japanese magazine for men * ''Sabra Command'' the original title of the film ''Warhead'' * "Sabr ...
, Yehoshua "Josh" Bresler. Hans pretends to be an eccentric American, out to see
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
firsthand. Josh offers to be his guide. During their journey, Hans reveals that he was a professional
juggler Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipulation of one object o ...
; Josh persuades him to pass on his knowledge. Meanwhile, police detective Karni sets out to track the fugitive down. On their journey, Josh is injured when they wander into a
minefield A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...
near the
kibbutz A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...
. He is taken to the medical centre in the
kibbutz A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...
; he has only broken his leg. While Josh recovers, Hans becomes acquainted with Ya'el, one of the residents. They are attracted to each other, but he at first strongly resists her attempt to persuade him to remain at the kibbutz. He reveals to her that he had ignored warnings from friends to flee
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
before it was too late, making the fatal mistake of counting on his fame and popularity to protect his family. Gradually, however, he begins to settle in. Karni finally tracks Hans down and tries to take him into custody. Hans panics again and barricades himself in Ya'el's room with her rifle, but Ya'el and Karni get him to admit he needs help and to give himself up.


Cast

*
Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Do ...
as Hans Muller *
Milly Vitale Camilla "Milly" Vitale (16 July 1933 – 2 November 2006) was an Italian actress. She was the daughter of Riccardo Vitale (Rome Opera House Director, deceased 1979) and choreographer Natasha Shidlowski Vitale (deceased 1994). She appeared in n ...
as Ya'el * Paul Stewart as Detective Karni *Joseph Walsh as Yehoshua Bresler *
Alf Kjellin Alf Kjellin (; 28 February 1920 – 5 April 1988) was a Swedish film actor and director, who also appeared on some television shows. Biography Kjellin underwent two changes of names in his early days in Hollywood. The first studio for which he ...
as Daniel *
Beverly Washburn Beverly Washburn (born November 25, 1943) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney drama ''Old Yeller (film), Old Yeller'' (1957) and the American General Pictures horror ''Spider Baby'' (19 ...
as Susy, a young refugee girl Hans befriends in Haifa * Charles Lane as Rosenberg *
John Banner John Banner (born Johann Banner, January 28, 1910 – January 28, 1973) was an Austrian-born American actor, best known for his role as Sergeant Schultz in the situation comedy ''Hogan's Heroes'' (1965–1971). Schultz, constantly encou ...
as Emile Halevy, the sole witness to Hans' assault on the policeman *
Richard Benedict Richard "Pepe" Benedict (born Riccardo Benedetto, January 8, 1920 – April 25, 1984) was an Italian-American television and film actor and director. He was born in Palermo, Italy. He appeared in dozens of television programs and movies from t ...
as Police Officer Kogan *
Oskar Karlweis Oskar Leopold Karlweis (often credited Oscar Karlweis; 10 July 1894 – 24 January 1956) was an Austrian-American stage and film actor, active internationally. Career Born in Hinterbrühl, Austria-Hungary, he was the son of playwright Carl Ka ...
as Willy Schmidt


Reception

''New York Times'' critic
Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...
wrote that "thanks to the conception and to the performance that Mr. Douglas gives, a strong and compelling sense of character and of human pathos does come through." He said that the film "may not be entirely consistent dramatically, but it offers a fast and fascinating journey through modern Israel, in addition to an intriguing and often touching study of a man." ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' said the film was "smartly presented without undue race or religious empasis, so the entertainment is non-sectarian."


Legacy

Writing in ''
The Forward ''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ' ...
'' after Kirk Douglas' death in 2020,
Henry Sapoznik Henry "Hank" Sapoznik ( yi, העניק סאַפאַזשניק; born 1953, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American author, record and radio producer and performer of traditional Yiddish and American music. Career With MacArthur Fellow David Isay, ...
called ''The Juggler'' the "Jewish Kirk Douglas film that everyone seems to have forgotten," and said that it was not only the first film to conflate Holocaust atrocities and the promise of Jewish healing in the newly formed state of Israel, but – thanks to Kramer’s passion for verisimilitude — also the first Hollywood film to shoot there." Sapoznik observed that the film was large forgotten because of the success of the
Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( , ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian-American theatre and film director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the theatre. He first gai ...
film ''
Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...
'' in 1960, which also was filmed in Israel and was in rich
Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...
, unlike the
black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
''Juggler''. In their book ''Hollywood and Israel: A History'', the authors note that since Iqrit has since been completely demolished, the scene shot there has "in retrospect an unexpected documentary power and symbolic significance that neither the filmmakers nor the Israeli authorities could have ever envisaged."


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Juggler, The 1953 films 1953 drama films American black-and-white films American drama films Columbia Pictures films 1950s English-language films Films based on American novels Films directed by Edward Dmytryk Films produced by Stanley Kramer Films set in 1949 Films set in Israel Films about the aftermath of the Holocaust Films scored by George Antheil 1950s American films