Marjorie Morningstar (1958)

Directed by

Irving Rapper

Genre

drama film, romantic comedy, romance film

Country

United States

Runtime

2h 08m

Rated

NR

Rating

6.3 of 10 from 21 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A young Jewish woman in 1950s New York tries to pursue her artistic dreams against the expectations of her traditional family. She falls for a charming but unreliable actor and playwright while navigating her own path between convention and independence.

ambitiousromanticbittersweetthoughtfulmildly dramaticnostalgichopefulreflective

What happens

Marjorie Morningstar is a 1958 American drama film directed by Irving Rapper from a screenplay by Everett Freeman, based on the 1955 novel of the same name by Herman Wouk. The film tells a fictional coming-of-age story about a Jewish girl named Marjorie Morgenstern in New York City in the 1950s, chronicling her attempts to become an artist—exemplified through her relationship with the actor and playwright Noel Airman. The film stars Gene Kelly and Natalie Wood, with Claire Trevor, Ed Wynn, Everett Sloane, Martin Milner, and Carolyn Jones. The central conflict in the film revolves around the traditional models of social behavior and religious behavior expected by New York Jewish families in the 1950s, and Marjorie's desire to follow an unconventional path. The film is notable for its inclusion of Jewish religious scenes—including a Passover meal, a synagogue sequence, and Jewish icons in the Morgenstern house. These depictions were one of the first times Jewish religion was portrayed overtly in film since The Jazz Singer (1927). The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song ("A Very Precious Love"), sung by Kelly. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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