thumb|Herman Ross, Jacob Ben-Ami, and George Roland signing a contract to film "The Wandering Jew" 1933 '''George Roland''' (1881-1961) was a Yiddish language film director and editor of the 1930s.

==Biography== ===Early life=== George was born in the Russian Empire on June 30, 1881.<ref name="WWI draft reg">{{cite web |title=Draft Registration, George Kohn Rolands |url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-G16R-WH1?i=4496&cc=1968530 |website=FamilySearch |access-date=30 January 2021}}</ref><ref name="1920 census">{{cite web |title=George Rolands. United States Census, 1920 |url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJPW-N5K |website=FamilySearch |access-date=30 January 2021}}</ref><ref name="1915 NY census" /><ref name="1940 census">{{cite web |title=George Roland. United States Census, 1940. |url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9MB-M6NC?i=30 |website=FamilySearch |access-date=30 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=George Roland. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 |url=https://www.ancestrylibrary.ca/ |website=Ancestry Library |access-date=30 January 2021}}</ref> His exact birthplace, education or early life are poorly documented. Earlier in his life he sometimes went by the name '''George Kohn Roland''' or '''George Rolands'''.<ref>{{cite web |title=George Kohn Roland |url=https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/M3DP-78V/george-kohn-roland-1881-1961 |website=FamilySearch |access-date=30 January 2021}}</ref>

===Film career=== According to various government documents, George was already working as a director in the film industry during the First World War.<ref name="1915 NY census">{{cite web |title=New York, U.S., State Census, 1915 for George K Roland |url=https://www.ancestrylibrary.ca/ |website=Ancestry Library |access-date=30 January 2021}}</ref><ref name="WWI draft reg" /><ref name="1920 census" /> However, there is little documentation of what he was directing until the early 1930s.

Roland used innovative techniques of re-cutting and re-editing existing films for many of his 1930s works. His first film, 1932's ''Joseph in the Land of Egypt'', was created by careful re-editing of a 1914 Italian film ''Joseph in Egypt'', with a new beginning and ending filmed by Roland.<ref name="Goldman 67-71">{{cite book |last1=Goldman |first1=Eric A. (Eric Arthur) |title=Visions, images, and dreams : Yiddish film past and present |date=1983 |publisher=UMI Research Press |location=Ann Arbor, Mich. |isbn=978-0-8357-1515-7 |pages=67–71 |url=https://archive.org/details/visionsimagesdre00gold/page/70/mode/2up?q=Roland}}</ref> He followed the film with another re-cut work, ''Yidishe Tokhter'', which involved new narration and scenes filmed around a 1921 German film, ''Judith Trachtenberg''.<ref name="Goldman 67-71" /> And then, in 1933's ''Avrom Ovino'' (Abraham our Patriarch AKA The Wandering Jew), he cut together various short Bible films with new narrations and scenes set in Nazi Germany, and then re-edited a 1924 Polish film ''Tkies Kaf'' by Zygmunt Turkow and released it as ''Dem Rebins Koyekh'' and ''A Vilna Legend''.<ref name="Goldman 67-71" /> Despite the derivative nature of these films, The Wandering Jew in particular received positive coverage and praise for the quality of Jacob Ben-Ami's acting.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jacob Ben-Ami in "THE WANDERING JEW." |url=https://archive.org/stream/filmdaily64wids#page/n163/mode/2up |work=The Film Daily |date=1933-10-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title="Wandering Jew" Powerful Film at the California |url=https://www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/bbh/1934/02/16/01/article/56/?srpos=5&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI-%22George+Roland%22-------------1 |work=B'nai B'rith Messenger |date=1934-02-16}}</ref>

In 1936, Yiddish film pioneer Joseph Seiden hired Roland to join him to create a new round of films. Their first collaboration was ''Libe un Laydnshaft'' (Love and Passion or Love and Sacrifice).<ref name="Goldman 79">{{cite book |last1=Goldman |first1=Eric A. (Eric Arthur) |title=Visions, images, and dreams : Yiddish film past and present |date=1983 |publisher=UMI Research Press |location=Ann Arbor, Mich. |isbn=978-0-8357-1515-7 |page=79 |url=https://archive.org/details/visionsimagesdre00gold/page/70/mode/2up?q=Roland}}</ref>

However, it is unclear how long their collaboration lasted or how many more films Roland directed. In the 1940 census he listed his occupation as film editor.<ref name="1940 census" />

Roland died in 1961.

Since his death, some of his films have been restored and re-released by the National Center for Jewish Film, including The Wandering Jew in 1999,<ref>{{cite web |title=The Wandering Jew |url=https://jewishfilm.org/Catalogue/films/wand.html |website=National Center for Jewish Film |access-date=31 January 2021}}</ref> A Vilna Legend in 1980 and again in 2002,<ref>{{cite web |title=A Vilna Legend |url=https://jewishfilm.org/Catalogue/films/avilnalegend.htm |website=National Center for Jewish Film |access-date=31 January 2021}}</ref> and Love and Sacrifice in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |title=Love and Sacrifice |url=https://jewishfilm.org/Catalogue/films/loveand.html |website=National Center for Jewish Film |access-date=31 January 2021}}</ref>

==Filmography== * ''Joseph in the Land of Egypt'' (in English, 1932), with music by Israel J. Hochman<ref name="Fox 250">{{cite book |last1=Fox |first1=Stuart |title=Jewish films in the United States : a comprehensive survey and descriptive filmography |date=1976 |publisher=G.K. Hall |location=Boston |isbn=0816178933 |page=250 |url=https://archive.org/details/jewishfilmsinuni0000foxs/page/250/mode/2up?q=Roland}}</ref> * ''Yidishe Tokhter'' (Jewish Daughter) (in Yiddish, 1933)<ref name="Goldman 67-71" /> * ''Avrom Ovino'' (also released as ''The Wandering Jew'' and ''The Eternal Jew'') (in Yiddish, 1933), starring Leibele Waldman<ref name="Goldman 67-71" /><ref name="Fox 62">{{cite book |last1=Fox |first1=Stuart |title=Jewish films in the United States : a comprehensive survey and descriptive filmography |date=1976 |publisher=G.K. Hall |location=Boston |isbn=0816178933 |page=62 |url=https://archive.org/details/jewishfilmsinuni0000foxs/page/62/mode/2up?q=Roland}}</ref> * ''Dem Rebins Koyekh'' AKA ''A Vilna Legend'' (in Yiddish, 1933)<ref name="Goldman 67-71" /> * ''Liebe und Liegemshaft'' (Love and Sacrifice) (in Yiddish, 1936), starring Leibele Waldman, with music by Abe Schwartz<ref name="Fox 64-5">{{cite book |last1=Fox |first1=Stuart |title=Jewish films in the United States : a comprehensive survey and descriptive filmography |date=1976 |publisher=G.K. Hall |location=Boston |isbn=0816178933 |pages=64–5 |url=https://archive.org/details/jewishfilmsinuni0000foxs/page/64/mode/2up?q=Roland}}</ref> * ''Ikh vil zayn a Pansyoner'' (I want to be a Boarder) (short in Yiddish, 1936)<ref name="Goldman 79" /> * ''Ikh vil zayn a Mame'' (I want to be a mother) (short in Yiddish, 1936)<ref name="Goldman 79" /> * ''The Dybbuk'' (1938, in Yiddish) as editor, directed by Michael Waszynski<ref>{{cite news |title="The Dybbuk" (Irving Geist) |url=https://archive.org/stream/motionpictureher1301unse#page/n272/mode/2up |work=Motion Picture Herald |date=1938-03-19}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0738039/ IMDB page for George Roland]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roland, George}} Category:Film directors from New York City Category:Jews from the Russian Empire Category:Yiddish-language film directors Category:1881 births

Category:1961 deaths Category:Russian emigrants to the United States Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent