A Cantor's Tale

A Cantor's Tale
(Chazz'n)

A Cantor's Tale Promotional Image
Directed by Erik Greenberg Anjou
Produced by Erik Greenberg Anjou
Starring Jacob Mendelson
Jackie Mason
Alan Dershowitz
Music by Frank London
Cinematography Sam Henriques
Edited by Karlyn Michelson
Distributed by Ergo Media Inc.
Release dates
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
July 25, 2005
Running time
95 minutes
Country United States
Language English

A Cantor's Tale is a 2005 documentary by Erik Greenberg Anjou. The film profiles Jacob Mendelson, a practitioner of Jewish liturgical music who has dedicated his life to preserving the form's traditional vocal stylings.[1]

Anjou follows Mendelson around Borough Park, his old neighborhood in Brooklyn. Mendelson, who carries a tuning fork with him at all times, is prone to burst into song. During their journey through Borough Park, Anjou finds that the neighborhood has a fair number of bakers with vocal talents as good as their knishes.[1]

Mendelson also recalls when cantors were as popular as baseball players. "They had groupies," he tells Anjou, a strong incentive for a chubby teenager in high school.[1]

Mendelson's mother, who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, was almost obsessed that her son become a cantor. The film reveals an interesting link to celebrity on the part of Mendelson's father: the older Mendelson once co-owned a truck with the father of Steven Spielberg.[1]

The movie's original title was Chazz'n, after the profiled cantor's sobriquet "Chazzan Jack Mendelson." It has also been titled A Cantor's Story.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Catsoulis, Jeannette (2006-09-06). "A Cantor's Tale - Movies - Review". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2015-12-13. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
  2. "A Cantor's Tale - Alternate Titles". IMDB. Retrieved 12 Dec 2015.

External links


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