The Light Ahead Film Analysis

Produced in 1939 by Edgar G. Ulmer, The Light Ahead highlights a transition away from past superstitious beliefs toward Jewish Enlightenment thinking. The film is set in a small village of Glupsk, which serves to portray Jewish shtetl life as a juxtaposition to big city life. In his film, Ulmer pushes for the furtherance of Jewish Enlightenment through underlining stark contrasts in opinion between religious leaders of the village and Mendele, a book peddler and Jewish Enlightenment thinker. Mendele is a highly influential character throughout the film, altering the storyline through his asides with Fishke, a cripple, and Hodel, a blind woman, at pivotal scenes at the beginning and end of the film. Mendele's character is further used to champion Jewish Enlightenment values …show more content…
Ulmer's portrayal of such a largely superstitious village counteracts against the more logical and scientific reasoning that Mendele displays to the audience, highlighting Ulmer's goal of furthering the ideas of the Hashkalah movement. Mendele's presence and action throughout the film has significant impact on the furtherance of Jewish Enlightenment ideas and on the storyline of the film as a whole. The character Mendele is central to the action in The Light Ahead through his influence over the development of the film's narrative and his role in advocating for the adoption of Jewish Enlightenment ideas. In the beginning scenes of the film, Mendele convinces Fishke to stay in his shtetl for Hodel rather than leave for Odessa in pursuit of more beggar money (The Light Ahead). His aside with Fishke fundamentally changes the storyline of the film, as the film is built upon Fishke and Hodel's relationship. In order for the pivotal conflict of the Gitel's death to arise, Fishke has to stay in his shtetl until he leaves with Hodel after their marriage. Following Gitel's death from cholera, Mendele then pushes for allocating funds for the sanitation of the