Review: Hava Nagila (The Movie) (2013)

[Mark Leeper]

HAVA NAGILA (THE MOVIE)
(a film review by Mark R. Leeper)

CAPSULE: To Jews the song "Hava Nagila" is more than
just a melody. It is a celebration of Jewish joyfulness.
It has uplifted Jews of three different centuries and in
later years has become a sort of musical ambassador to
other well-meaning people around the world. The song is
the Jewish "Ode to Joy". But most Jews do not know its
origins and history. Roberta Grossman's documentary
traces its past and its culture and about two hundred
years of Jewish history. included are several
celebrities, some Jewish, some not, many of whom
performed the song on stage, record, and YouTube.
Rating: low +2 (-4 to +4) or 7/10

It happens at a Jewish celebration and gathering--a bar mitzvah, a
marriage, a party, a circumcision. If there is happiness there is
a band. If there is a band, sooner or later it may play "Hava
Nagila". Suddenly there is dancing. But it is not partner dancing
like a waltz. People form a circle holding hands to the right and
the left forming a forming a rung, or multiple rings, and singing
"Hava Nagila". As they dance around some people will drop from the
chain and lift a chair with someone seated in the chair being held
aloft like a king or a rock star. This too is part of the "Hava
Nagila" dance. And the people will sing the song. Here in the
United States most may not know what the words mean, they are in
Hebrew. But they will sing them phonetically as they have heard
the song so many times. ""Hava Nagila". "Hava Nagila"!! "HAVA
NAGILA"!!!! Ve-nismeha." In the United States most will just know
the Hebrew words phonetically. What does it mean? "Let's rejoice.
Let's rejoice. Let's rejoice and be happy."

Director Roberta Grossman inquires into the origins and meaning of
"Hava Nagila" in Israel and the United States in a new 75-minute
documentary written by Sophie Sartain. With it she tells with a
little bit of humor the story of the song and the Jews as they move
from the Shtetls of Eastern Europe to Western Europe to America, to
the suburbs, and to the Internet. As one interviewee says, "It's
been a long, strange journey from Ukraine to YouTube." And, of
course, the real origins of the song are shrouded in a controversy
over who actually wrote it. But in spite of that Grossman is able
to trace the origins to a single Ukrainian synagogue.

The film uses a mass of recordings of the song being performed by
both Jews and non-Jews and in many different styles. The song was
popularized by singers like Harry Belafonte, Connie Francis, and
Glen Campbell, each of whom is interviewed. For a short film the
"HAVA NAGILA" (THE MOVIE) ranges from tragedy to comedy and farce
with a decent amount of kidding. And through it all we hear a
multitude of different versions from all around the world. We hear
it from the above singers, but also variations from Lena Horne, Bob
Dylan, Elvis Presley, a Bollywood production number, and many more.
The film combines documentary footage of Eastern European Jewish
life, with footage of Jews in Palestine and Israel, in New York and
right out into the suburbs. Some of this goes on a little long.
Several pieces are taken from one event because we keep seeing a
man who looks like a Jewish James Gandolfini. The editing could
have been edited a little tighter and briefer, but perhaps it all
adds to the party feel of the proceedings.

The singing of "Hava Nagila" by non-Jews carries a deeper meaning
than just that it is a pleasant melody. It is a statement of
tolerance and even welcome to a people who have known so much pain
over the centuries and into the present. This is a Jewish song
that becomes even more joyful when sung by non-Jews.

Occasionally the editing creates some intriguing cuts. We form
pictures of Jews in the suburbs we are suddenly looking at a piece
of the film TRUE GRIT (1969). What is that doing there? Glen
Campbell put his recording of "Hava Nagila" on the flip side of his
popular 45-RPM record with the popular song "True Grit". I didn't
see that one coming. I guess I never noticed the Jewishness of
TRUE GRIT. As one interviewee says the song "is a melody that
evokes new life, hope, and joy." The song does that and so does
HAVA NAGILA (THE MOVIE). I rate it a low +2 on the -4 to +4 scale
or 7/10. Grossman never explains the meaning of the chair in the
dance. It just seems to be a tribute to the guest(s) of honor at
the party.

Film Credits: <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2244856/combined>

What others are saying:
<http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hava_nagila_the_movie/>


Mark R. Leeper
mle...@optonline.net
Copyright 2013 Mark R. Leeper