Tkies khaf

In this Graphic Pictures Corporation film, shown in the U.S. with Yiddish dialogue and English titles, fathers-to-be Mendl Feld (Kurt Hatch) and Chaim Kornblit (Moyshe Lipman)make a pledge to each other that the unborn children will wed each other when they come of age.

Rachel Kornblit (Dina Halpern), the pledged girl, and Jacob Feld (Iskhok Grudberg), the pledged boy grow up...and Rachel has plans to marry a wealthy man, many years her senior.

There are some comedy sequences but most of the film unfolds against a background of legendary and religious significance, and a reviewer wrote that the film would only appeal to people who understand the religion and legends of the race.

I found this film to be a very competent rendition of a compelling story. It is basically a tale of two individuals destined by an oath taken by two friends in their youth to a marriage between their respective children should they be blessed by a son and daughter. The unseen presence of the prophet Elija as the third party in the handshake rather insures that the hoped for children will be born. The remainder of the film is a moving melodrama which, with many complications, devolves to an happy ending again, in large measure, to Elija's intercession at key moments.

I feel the film would appeal to a large audience since the appeal is universal and from a practical standpoint the subtitles are well done. One charming aspect regards those subtitles is that the style of script changes from standard type to Gothic when scripture is being quoted. I would give the film a rating of 8/10 and I personally found it a superior film to the new " Day The Earth Stood Still" which I had just seen two days before. Newer is not always better and a good yarn well told is always worth seeking out.