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DEALERS AMONG DEALERS |
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USA, 1995, video, 72 min., color, English.
Gaylen Ross's accomplished, affectionate documentary takes a sparkling look at the close-knit world of New York City's diamond industry, a trade that working class Orthodox Jews have plied for over seventy years. On West 47th Street million dollar gems change hands among traders with nothing more than a "mazel" and a "brocha" (a handshake and a promise) -- the dealers trust each other implicitly. They, their sons, grandsons and the occasional granddaughter abide by ethics and practices established centuries ago by their European ancestors.
The filmmaker follows a multi-generational cast of hilarious
characters from the business's booming late 1980s through the sluggish
early nineties. She captures "kippah"-clad gem cutters singing Hebrew songs
as they work and dealers who buy, sell, schmooze and proffer occasional
baubles of wisdom. High spirits prevail in this high-risk business, but the
stress is apparent on the faces of those who risked too much and lost the
gamble. For working class men who remember the pogroms and the
Holocaust, however, a few diamonds in the pocket have deeper meaning --
if you're forced to move, you can always stay in business. DEALERS
AMONG DEALERS is a funny and fast-paced peek into a world where
diamonds are a Jewish guy's best friend.
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CASTRO, WEDNESDAY JULY 24
2:00PM- No ticket code - FREE MATINEE FREE MATINEES UNDERWRITTEN BY THE BERNARD OSHER JEWISH PHILANTHROPIES FUND |
 
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Castro, San Francisco |
