5th night of Shevat, 5770

 

This is an email announcement regarding the documentary film, Lonely Man of Faith: The Life and Legacy of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. 

 

 

I'm happy to finally announce that the eagerly anticipated home video version of Lonely Man of Faith will be available for purchase, starting this Sunday!

 

At first, the DVD will be available exclusively at the Yeshiva University SOY Seforim Sale, a major book sale that occurs every year in New York.  The sale runs from this Sunday through February 15. You can find out more information here.

 

But soon, you will be able to purchase the DVD online, from the Lonely Man of Faith website.  I will let you all know once the webstore is in place.

At some point, the DVD will be available at your local Jewish bookstore, as well.

 

In addition to the original 99-min feature, the disc includes the following special features:

The disc is meant for North America and the video is therefore in NTSC format.  At some point, we will be adding Spanish subtitles.  (I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there is some interest in Latin America, as I've gotten requests for screenings in Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, and Uruguay.)

 

In the meantime, we will work on a version of the DVD for Europe and Israel, in PAL format and including Hebrew subtitles.

 

Please stay tuned for more information on the DVD as it becomes available.

 

 

I've personally been working around the clock for the last six weeks or so, to make this happen (in fact, I pulled three all-nighters in the last week alone).  It was a lot more work than I anticipated, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

 

 

Also, I wanted to include a note about the Expanded Edition of the DVD.  Ever since the first screening, I've been talking about an edition of the DVD that would include a lot more material about the Rav's life and teachings, as well as other supplementary material.  I planned to cull from the many interviews that we conducted, including a few that never made it into the film, as well as the many panel discussions that have taken place after screenings, and possibly some new interviews as well.  This is not that DVD.  The plan is to first release this more basic version of the DVD and see how it does.  The more extensive version will require a whole project of its own, and will obviously require a lot more work (and funding).  

However, I do want to say that we will provide some mechanism for people who buy the Regular Edition to "upgrade" to the Expanded Edition, once it is available.  We will likely either provide a special discount, or offer the additional material as an add-on version for those who already own the DVD.  But more on that in the future.

 

 

Well, I'm glad to finally have an answer to the incessant emails I've been getting for over two years.  I'm happy to say that there is no lack of demand for the title.  And I hope that people are satisfied with what they see.

 

As usual, I will keep you updated on developments as they occur. 

Ethan Isenberg