The Believer (2001)

Director:

Henry Bean

Writers:

Henry Bean (screenplay)
Henry Bean (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

23 August 2001 (Russia)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A young Jewish man develops a fiercely anti-Semitic worldview. Based on the true story of a KKK member in the 1960s who was revealed to be Jewish by a New York Times reporter.

Plot Keywords:

Reporter | Judaism | New York City | Self Loathing | New York Times

Awards:

5 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Ryan Gosling	...	Danny Balint
Peter Meadows	...	Orthodox Student
Garret Dillahunt	...	Billings
Kris Eivers	...	Carleton
Joel Garland	...	O.L.
Billy Zane	...	Curtis Zampf
Theresa Russell	...	Lina Moebius
Summer Phoenix	...	Carla Moebius
Jack Drummond	...	Old Coot
Sig Libowitz	...	Rav Zingesser
James G. McCaffrey	...	Young Avi
Jacob Green	...	Young Danny
Frank Winters	...	Young Stuart
Ronald Guttman	...	Danny's Father
Heather Goldenhersh	...	Linda
A.D. Miles	...	Guy Danielsen
Tommy Nohilly	...	Whit
Joshua Harto	...	Kyle
Chuck Ardezzone	...	Chuck
Glenn Fitzgerald	...	Drake
Ebon Moss-Bachrach	...	First Waiter
Christopher Kadish	...	Steve
David Bailey	...	Judge
Lucille Patton	...	Mrs. Frankel
John Wills Martin	...	Hate Counselor (as John Martin)
Michael Marcus	...	Polish Man
Roberto Gari	...	Ancient Jew
Sascha Knopf	...	Cindy Pomerantz
Tibor Feldman	...	Rabbi Greenwalt
Henry Bean	...	Ilio Manzetti
Dean Strober	...	Stuart
Elizabeth Reaser	...	Miriam
Jordan Lage	...	Roger Brand
Judah Lazarus	...	Avi
Samantha Brody	...	Rosh Hashana Attendee
Michael Port	...	TV Reporter
Carl Fischer	...	Guy's Photographer
Harvey Lieberman	...	Man at Yom Kippur
Eileen B. Weiss	...	Woman at Yom Kippur
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Brendan Patrick Connor	...	Skin Head (uncredited)
Tovah Feldshuh	...	Woman in Shul at Rosh Hashannah (uncredited)
Russell Gibson	...	Group Leader (uncredited)
Zoe Hunter	...	Sarah Levy (uncredited)
Natasha Leggero	...	Waitress (uncredited)
Patrick Edward White	...	Worshiper (uncredited)

Directed by
Henry Bean

Writing credits
Henry Bean		(screenplay)
Henry Bean		(story) &
Mark Jacobson		(story)

Produced by
Daniel Diamond	....	executive producer
Kimberly N. Fajen	....	line producer (as Kimberly Fajen)
Jay Firestone	....	executive producer
Adam Haight	....	executive producer
Susan Hoffman	....	producer
Christopher Roberts	....	producer
Eric Sandys	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Joel Diamond

Cinematography by
Jim Denault

Film Editing by
Mayin Lo
Lee Percy

Casting by
Adrienne Stern

Production Design by
Susan Block

Art Direction by
Lucio Seixas

Set Decoration by
Carrie Stewart

Costume Design by
Alex Alvarez
Jennifer Newman

Makeup Department
Renee Didio	....	key makeup artist (as Renee Von Maluski)
Angela Gallagher	....	assistant hair stylist
Angela Gallagher	....	assistant makeup artist
Seth Lombardi	....	assistant hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Eric Kaplan	....	post-production supervisor
Kimberly N. Fajen	....	unit production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Roger M. Bobb	....	first assistant director
Robert Dickerson Jr.	....	second second assistant director
Michael T. Meador	....	second assistant director (as Michael Meador)

Art Department
Sarah Berney	....	scenic artist
Shahen Guiragossian	....	leadman
Michael Jortner	....	assistant property master
Linda Krantz	....	property master
Beth Krause	....	properties shop: Props For Today
Frank T. Todaro	....	art production assistant (as Frank Todaro)

Sound Department
Kevin Bowe	....	additional boom operator
Damian Canelos	....	sound mixer (as Damian Elias Canelos)
Scott Cannizzaro	....	adr engineer
Ted Clark	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ryan Collison	....	foley engineer
Peter Fonda	....	boom operator
Dan Fulton	....	sound intern
Malaika Langa	....	audio post coordinator
Brian Langman	....	sound effects editor
Brian Langman	....	supervising sound editor
Lisa J. Levine	....	adr editor
Angela Organ	....	assistant sound editor
Dan Paikin	....	boom operator (as Danny Paikin)
David Raphael	....	sound mixer (as Dave Raphael)
Doug Roberts	....	adr engineer
Paul P. Soucek	....	sound effects editor
Eric Strausser	....	audio post technical support
Bill Sweeney	....	dialogue editor (as William Sweeney)
Brian Vancho	....	foley artist
Daniel Ward	....	assistant sound editor (as Dan Ward)
John Werner	....	foley editor (as John M. Werner)
Stephen Fitzmaurice	....	adr mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Drew Jiritano	....	special effects coordinator
Thomas Viviano	....	special effects assistant (as Tom Viviano)
Andrew Mortelliti	....	special effects (uncredited)
Andrea Swistak	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Steven Meyer	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Peter Bucossi	....	stunt coordinator
Roy Farfel	....	stunts
Don Hewitt	....	stunts
Michael Russo	....	stunts (as Mike Russo)
David Shumbris	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Matt Blades	....	best boy grip
Eric Boncher	....	gaffer: additional photography
Steve Briante	....	first assistant camera: additional photography
Claire F. Cario	....	first assistant camera
Ryan Cooke	....	additional grip
Johnny Erbes-Chan	....	key grip
Andrew Fishman	....	company grip
Joe Foley	....	gaffer: additional photography
Matthew Ford	....	additional electric
David Gorn	....	key grip: additional photography (as Dave Gorn)
Phil Gries	....	camera operator: additional photography
Elizabeth Hedges	....	still photographer
Scott Miller	....	gaffer
Steven C. O'Neill	....	additional electrician (as Steven O'Neill)
Adam Silver	....	additional electric
Joia Speciale	....	second camera
Victor Spinelli Jr.	....	camera production assistant: additional photography
Craig Striano	....	key grip: additional photography
Niknaz Tavakolian	....	second assistant camera (as Niknaz)
Joshua Van Praag	....	best boy electric
Bryan Wachtel	....	additional electric (as Brian Wachtel)
Justin Whitaker	....	additional electric (as Justin Whittaker)
Ben Wolf	....	director of photography: additional photography
Hashim Al-Mashat	....	additional electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Charles Kaplan	....	extras casting: Grant Wilfley Casting Inc.
Eric Scott	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jill Newell	....	assistant costume designer
Celine Pascot	....	wardrobe production assistant

Editorial Department
Julie Carr	....	first assistant editor
Michelle Harrison	....	assistant editor
Robert Leaton	....	colorist: high definition (as Robert K. Leaton)
Noëlle Penraat	....	negative cutter (as Noelle Penräat)
Roman Rossell	....	editing room technician
Eric Singer	....	editor: HD
Melissa Wegman	....	Bond Co. Post Superviser
Laura Weinberg	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Nancy Allen	....	assistant music editor
Joel Diamond	....	score performer
Leigh Dorset	....	vocalist
Evan Eisenberg	....	vocalist: Rosh Hashanah Davener (Genesis )
Jonathan Glass	....	musician: shofar (as Rabbi Jonathan Glass)
Maria Nieves	....	vocalist
Suzana Peric	....	music editor
Sasha Weiss	....	vocalist: Yom Kippur Davener (Jonah )

Transportation Department
Robert Johnson	....	driver (as Robert Lee Johnson)
Tommy Kearns	....	driver
Jose Solis	....	parking coordinator
Paul Wiener	....	driver

Other crew
Stephanie Angel	....	intern
John Bonaparte	....	assistant chef
Robert Bordiga	....	completion bond services: The Motion Picture Bond Company
Frank M. Calo	....	production executive
Patrick Campbell	....	production assistant
Chester Coleman	....	set medic
Tori Crotts	....	assistant: Peter Hoffman
Albert T. Dickerson III	....	bond company executive
Albert T. Dickerson III	....	completion bond services: The Motion Picture Bond Company (as Al Dickerson III)
Andrew Egendorf	....	executive: Fuller Films
Maggie Engelhardt	....	production coordinator (as Maggie G. Engelhardt)
David Fischer	....	production assistant (as David Fisher)
Kelly Glover	....	accounting assistant (as Kelly D. Glover)
Steven J. Goldfisher	....	legal services: Emerson Bruns, Rudoph & Beer (as Steven Goldfisher)
Joe Hobel	....	completion bond services: The Motion Picture Bond Company
Kate Hoffman	....	assistant: Peter Hoffman
Vanessa Hoffman	....	production assistant
Ben Hurwitz	....	office production assistant (as Benjamin Hurwitz)
Ben Hurwitz	....	office production assistant
Jason Ivey	....	production assistant
Tom Chacko Joseph	....	intern
Jeff Kaplan	....	project manager: DuArt
Louis Katz	....	physician (as Dr. Louis Katz)
Steve Malone	....	title designer
Matthew Manson	....	location assistant
Décio Matos Júnior	....	intern (as Decio Mates Jr.)
Peter Meadows	....	production assistant
Stacey Menegay	....	production assistant
Ross Miller	....	insurance: D.R. Reiff & Associates
Lisa Molinaro	....	script supervisor
Henry Previl	....	chef
Jennifer Quesenbery	....	assistant location manager
Andrea Rittigstein	....	assistant: Eric Sandys
Tracy Sanford	....	intern
William W. Sheets II	....	craft service
Erik William Smith	....	production executive
Lila Solomon	....	office production assistant
Katie Stern	....	intern
Victor Teran	....	assistant: Susan Hoffman
Thomas G. Wallin	....	post-production accountant (as Thomas Wallin)
Rick Washburn	....	weapons: Weapons Specialists Ltd.
Andrew Yeo	....	location manager
Lisa Yesko	....	completion bond services: The Motion Picture Bond Company
Derek Yip	....	production accountant
Jordan Brendan Finnegan	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Calo Frank	....	production executive (uncredited)
Diane Hounsell	....	additional script supervisor (uncredited)
Donna 'Chipmunk' McCusker	....	assistant: Adam Haight (uncredited)

Thanks
Leora Barish	....	thanks above all to
Eliza Bean	....	special thanks
Richard Brick	....	special thanks
Jonathan Buchsbaum	....	thanks above all to
Gerry Byrne	....	special thanks
Matthew Chapman	....	special thanks
Michael Fields	....	special thanks
Carl Fisher	....	special thanks
Larry Gross	....	special thanks
Paul Hond	....	special thanks
Nick Kazan	....	special thanks
Judah Lazarus	....	thanks above all to
Barbara Leppler	....	special thanks
Meyer Levine	....	special thanks
Jonathan Mednick	....	special thanks
Christiane Neaman	....	special thanks
Dan Partland	....	special thanks
Alexis Roberts	....	special thanks
Ted Skillman	....	special thanks
Peter Trias	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Fuller Films
• Seven Arts Pictures

Distributors

• Capelight Pictures (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
• D'Vision (France)
• Eagle Pictures
• Fireworks Pictures (2002) (USA)
• Lions Gate Films (2003) (USA) (all media) (North America)
• Manga Films (Spain)
• Palm Pictures (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2002) (Sweden) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Abel Cine Tech  camera equipment provided by (as Abel Ciné Tech)
• Axium Payroll Services  payroll services (as Axium Payroll Group)
• Camera Service Center  grip and lighting equipment
• Coast Council of I.A.T.S.E. (East)  special thanks (as The East Coast Council)
• Coast to Coast  catering
• Crannog Films  developed in association with (as Crannóg Film Partners)
• D.R. Reiff & Associates  insurance
• Duart  editing facility
• Grant Wilfley Casting  extras casting
• JP Morgan Chase Bank  bank (as Chase Bank, NY)
• Motion Picture Bond Company, The  completion bond services
• New York City Mayor's Office of Film, Theater & Broadcasting, The  special thanks (as The N.Y.C. Mayor's Office for Film, Theater and Television)
• Picture Cars East Inc.  picture cars
• Planet 10 Post  post-production services
• Props For Today  properties shop
• Screen Actors Guild (SAG)  special thanks (as The Screen Actors' Guild)
• Sound One Corporation  re-recording facility
• Soundtrack  adr recording facility
• Steven C. Beer & Emerson E. Bruns for Rudolph & Beer LLP  legal services (as Emerson Bruns, Rudoph & Beer)
• Temple Ansche Chesed of New York  special thanks
• Temple Emanu-El of North Jersey  special thanks
• The Image Group  HD video mastering
• Weapons Specialists  weapons
• Writers Guild of America (WGA)  special thanks (as The Writers' Guild)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:18 | Brazil:14 | France:U | Peru:18 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R | Australia:MA | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Fuller Films

Trivia:

Critically acclaimed, grand-jury prize winner at Sundance Festival in January 2001, then appeared on Showtime pay-cable in March 2002, before finally being released theatrically in NYC, May 2002.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the final synagogue segment, while the congregation is singing "Aveenu Malchenu," they keep changing keys from shot to shot, up a half-step and down a half-step and back up again again, indicating a string of takes edited together.

Quotes:

Guy Danielson: People hate Jews, do you agree?
Daniel Balint: The very word makes their skin crawl. They undermine traditional life, and they deracinate society. Just take a look at the greatest Jewish minds ever. Marx, Freud, Einstein. What have they given us? Communism, infantile sexuality, and the atom bomb.
Guy Danielson: Danny, this is great. But how can you believe all of this... when you're a Jew yourself?

Movie Connections:

Featured in A Conversation with... Director Henry Bean (2003) (V)

God said to Abraham:kill me a son!

Antisemitism has come a long way since "gentleman's agreement"(1947).Kazan's attempt seems rather timid and tame today."The believer " sets the record straight.It's one of the most convincing works in the field.

It's all the more disturbing as the hero is a Jew joining the neonazis.And his behavior stems from his own education,his rebellion against the Torah:Abraham did really kill his own son,the Jew was made to comply with God's commandments;the hero finds similarities between the Nazis's and the Jews's beliefs ;both are the Chosen ones .What puzzles me is the fact that he wants to annihilate the Jews ,but he stills reads (and respects) the Bible(One shall not be naked in front of it for flesh is impure).

His arguments are sometimes disquieting (hints at Marx,Freud and Einstein) but finally it boils down to "we hate the Jews because we have to".

Danny is definitely a complex character,caught in a web of contradictions.One of the strongest scenes shows former victims of the Nazis during WW2;it's of course with them that we side ,and whatever Danny says about how he despises their passivity ,his protected life makes him incapable of true grit.

Spoilers Danny's final sacrifice is revealing:if God's wrath had killed him as pharaoh's tribe drowned in the tide (eg if he had accidentally been killed during one of his terrorisma acts or sentenced to death by a human court),the movie would have been a religious one (God's victory on evil).Danny chose the other way out.They will be speaking for a long time of the final sequence :it resembles an atheist version of that of "Jacob's ladder".The stairs and the teacher's sentence have something of Borges.End of spoilers.

To say that "the believer" is unique is to state the obvious.Even more intriguing,the most celebrated names (Theresa Russel and Billy Zane) are only supporting actors.At a time when graveyards are often profaned,when the far right wing's bad moon is on the rise almost everywhere ,this kind of film has become a necessity.Henry Bean is a very clever director and I hope to see more of his films in the future.