The Frisco Kid

In 1850, Avram Belinski (Gene Wilder) is sent from Poland to San Francisco to become the rabbi of the local Jewish community. But upon his arrival in Philadelphia, he finds himself forced to cross the continent, a journey that leads to a series of picaresque adventures in which the trusting immigrant can only survive thanks to the support of a good-natured bandit (Harrison Ford). Aldrich stepped in at the last minute to direct this Western comedy, and its tone is unusually optimistic. Yet beneath the amusing surface lies another ambivalent meditation on democracy and civilization, both of which are threatened by corruption. Wilder, as a typical Aldrich outsider who remains true to his principles—no matter how absurd—delivers one of his best performances, and the result is an unorthodox mini-classic of Jewish cinema. (C.H.)