Enemies, a Love Story (film)
Encyclopedia
Enemies, a Love Story is a 1989
film directed by Paul Mazursky
, based on the novel Enemies, a Love Story
by Isaac Bashevis Singer
.
in 1949, the story follows Holocaust survivor Herman Broder. Throughout the war he survived hidden in a hayloft, taken care of by his gentile
Polish
servant, Yadwiga, whom he later takes as his wife in America
. Meanwhile, he has a passionate affair with another Holocaust survivor, Masha. To Yadwiga, he poses as a traveling book-salesman despite the fact he is a ghost writer for a corrupt rabbi. He wanders about New York with a constant paranoia and perpetual desperation, made more complicated when his first wife from Poland, Tamara, who was thought to have been killed in the Holocaust along with their two children, comes to New York.
1989 in film
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film directed by Paul Mazursky
Paul Mazursky
Paul Mazursky is an American film director, screenwriter and actor.-Personal life:He was born Irwin Mazursky in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Jean , a piano player for dance classes, and David Mazursky, a laborer. Mazursky was born to a Jewish family; his grandfather was an immigrant from...
, based on the novel Enemies, a Love Story
Enemies, a Love Story
Enemies, a Love Story is a novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer first published serially in the Jewish Daily Forward in 1966. The English translation was published in 1972.-Plot summary:...
by Isaac Bashevis Singer
Isaac Bashevis Singer
Isaac Bashevis Singer – July 24, 1991) was a Polish Jewish American author noted for his short stories. He was one of the leading figures in the Yiddish literary movement, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978...
.
Plot
Set in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1949, the story follows Holocaust survivor Herman Broder. Throughout the war he survived hidden in a hayloft, taken care of by his gentile
Gentile
The term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
servant, Yadwiga, whom he later takes as his wife in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Meanwhile, he has a passionate affair with another Holocaust survivor, Masha. To Yadwiga, he poses as a traveling book-salesman despite the fact he is a ghost writer for a corrupt rabbi. He wanders about New York with a constant paranoia and perpetual desperation, made more complicated when his first wife from Poland, Tamara, who was thought to have been killed in the Holocaust along with their two children, comes to New York.
Cast
- Ron SilverRon SilverRonald Arthur "Ron" Silver was an American actor, director, producer, radio host and political activist.-Early life:...
as Herman Broder - Anjelica HustonAnjelica HustonAnjelica Huston is an American actress. Huston became the third generation of her family to win an Academy Award, for her performance in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, joining her father, director John Huston, and grandfather, actor Walter Huston. She later was nominated in 1989 and 1990 for her acting in...
as Tamara Broder - Lena OlinLena OlinLena Maria Jonna Olin is a Swedish actress.-Early life:Olin was born the youngest of three children, in Stockholm, Sweden. She is the daughter of actress Britta Holmberg and the director Stig Olin...
as Masha - Margaret Sophie SteinMałgorzata ZajączkowskaMałgorzata Zajączkowska, aka Margaret Sophie Stein, born January 31, 1956 in Warsaw is a Polish actress and writer. In the years 1979-1981, she acted in the Teatr Narodowy before moving to the U.S. in 1981. Using the pseudonym of Margaret Sophie Stein, she continued her acting career in television...
as Yadwiga - Alan KingAlan King (comedian)Alan King was an American actor and comedian known for his biting wit and often angry humorous rants. King became well known as a Jewish comedian and satirist. He was also a serious actor who appeared in a number of movies and television shows. King wrote several books, produced films, and...
as Rabbi Lembeck - Judith MalinaJudith MalinaJudith Malina is an American theater and film actress, writer, and director, who was one of the founders of The Living Theatre.-Early life:...
as Masha's mother - Elya Baskin as Yasha Kobik
- Paul MazurskyPaul MazurskyPaul Mazursky is an American film director, screenwriter and actor.-Personal life:He was born Irwin Mazursky in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Jean , a piano player for dance classes, and David Mazursky, a laborer. Mazursky was born to a Jewish family; his grandfather was an immigrant from...
as Leon Tortshiner - Phil LeedsPhil LeedsPhil Leeds was a Jewish-American Hollywood character actor. Leeds' bulging eyes, rubbery face and wizened features made him a distinctive presence.-Biography:...
as Pesheles - Rita KarinRita KarinRita Karin was a Wilno - born American actress best known for her role as Jackie Mason's mother on the 1989 TV series Chicken Soup, which also starred Lynn Redgrave....
as Mrs. Schreier - Zypora SpaismanZypora SpaismanZypora Spaisman was a Polish-American actress and Yiddish theatre empresaria...
as Sheva Haddas
Awards
- The film was nominated for three Academy AwardsAcademy AwardsAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, including two nominations in the Best Supporting Actress category for Anjelica HustonAnjelica HustonAnjelica Huston is an American actress. Huston became the third generation of her family to win an Academy Award, for her performance in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, joining her father, director John Huston, and grandfather, actor Walter Huston. She later was nominated in 1989 and 1990 for her acting in...
and Lena OlinLena OlinLena Maria Jonna Olin is a Swedish actress.-Early life:Olin was born the youngest of three children, in Stockholm, Sweden. She is the daughter of actress Britta Holmberg and the director Stig Olin...
and a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for Roger L. SimonRoger L. SimonRoger Lichtenberg Simon is an American novelist and screenwriter. He is currently CEO of Pajamas Media. He is the author of ten novels, including the Moses Wine detective series, and six screenplays...
and Paul MazurskyPaul MazurskyPaul Mazursky is an American film director, screenwriter and actor.-Personal life:He was born Irwin Mazursky in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Jean , a piano player for dance classes, and David Mazursky, a laborer. Mazursky was born to a Jewish family; his grandfather was an immigrant from...
.