Bravo! offers viewers an original and compelling glimpse into the life and character of Mordecai Richler, one of Canada’s most controversial literary geniuses. Commissioned by Bravo!, MORDECAI RICHLER: THE LAST OF THE WILD JEWS receives its world premiere on Sunday, December 19 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Scheduled to air just days before the release of Barney’s Version, the film adaptation of Richler’s beloved final novel, and on the heels of Charlie Foran’s biography, Mordecai: The Life and Times, this Original Bravo! documentary sheds new light on Richler’s persona as the bad boy of Canadian literature.
Following Richler’s unique ascent through the ranks of Canadian culture, this documentary captures stolen moments in time as Richler takes his place among the “Wild Jews”. A cohort of great Jewish writers and intellectuals, the “Wild Jews”, famous for their cutting wit and affinity for troublemaking, would go on to become the most important writers of their generation by reshaping North American literature. Revealing the stories behind the men, Bravo! explores the making of Mordecai Richler and this generation of Jewish visionaries such as Saul Bellow (Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Humboldt’s Gift), Philip Roth (Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Pastoral) , Norman Mailer (two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Armies of the Night and The Executioner’s Song), Lenny Bruce (comedian and satirist) and more.
MORDECAI RICHLER: THE LAST OF THE WILD JEWS is packed full of candid conversations with famous Richler comrades like Margaret Atwood, Rex Murphy (Canadian commentator and author), Adam Gopnick (essayist and staff writer,The New Yorker), Louise Dennys (Executive Vice-President, Random House of Canada) and more. In conjunction with archival footage and lost photographs, including the private chronicles of wife Florence Richler, this visual portrait digs deep into the vault of Richler’s life to thoroughly profile his Jewish upbringing in Quebec and the undeniable impact of the “Wild Jews” on North American culture.
Directed by award-winning Quebec filmmaker Francine Pelletier, MORDECAI RICHLER: THE LAST OF THE WILD JEWS was produced and developed by Motsjo Inc. in association with Bravo!, a division of CTV Limited.
MORDECAI RICHLER: THE LAST OF THE WILD JEWS repeats on Saturday, December 25 at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.
