My People's Dream
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
A. J. Bloome
Joseph Rosenblatt
Daniel Auster
J. Bendov
A. J. Bloome
Sam Citron
Film Details
Synopsis
This film documents Jewish life in contemporary Palestine and includes extensive footage of various cities and countryside in the region. The film opens with scenes of the Jewish sector of Jerusalem, which features the National Library and Hebrew University, then travels to the Hadera River region, where young farmers are seen harvesting oranges. An Arabian village and a Jewish wine press are shown and are followed by more shots of Jerusalem, includings glimpses of the tombstone of Zachariah the Profit and the Wailing Wall. From Jerusalem the film moves to Bethlehem. Arabian camel drivers, the Well of Jacob, Solomon's Pools and a Jewish colony are then seen. Shots of a flour mill in Haifa, the Theater of the Federation of Labor, and a girls' farming school are included. The Balfour Forest, which was planted by British Jews in 1928, as well as Washington Forest, planted by American Jews, are featured. Seen next are Mount Tabor, the cities of Hebron and Tiberias, and a settlement built on swampland that has been proposed for German refugees. Other landmarks featured are the ancient city of Jericho, the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. During filming, Cantor Joseph Rosenblatt, whose Omed singing is heard throughout the picture, dies, and his funeral in Jerusalem is photographed. In Tel Aviv, a synagogue, opera house, hospital and city hall are shown. After shots of the Tel Aviv beach, the film concludes on scenes showing youths marching to a nearby stadium during a patriotic parade.
Film Details
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Although the title on the viewed print was My People's Dream, the film was frequently reviewed as Dream of My People. In February 1934, the film was submitted to the New York State Censor Board as My People's Dream. It was approved with eliminations by the Board and was listed as 5,955 feet. In the opening screen credits, Joseph Rosenblatt, who died shortly before the film's completion on June 19, 1933, is described as "the greatest Omed singer in his last song." Ads touted the film as "the first talking and singing moving picture of Erez Israel." The same ads note that the Tel-Aviv City Orchestra can be heard in the film. According to modern sources, the picture was banned in Palestine by the British censors, who feared the portrayal of Jews and Arabs would be seen as negative. After World War I, Palestine was administered by Great Britain under a mandate from the League of Nations. The Balfour Declaration of 1917 stated that British policy would favor the establishment of a Jewish national home. The film was listed in a 1935 Motion Picture Herald release chart as a DuWorld Pictures, Inc. release starting June 1, 1935. Modern sources add Y. Huber as conductor and credit M. Natanson as a choir member with credited supervisor Joseph Fox.
