Lies My Father Told Me

Lies My Father Told Me is a 1975 Canadian film made in Montreal, Quebec. It was directed by Ján Kadár and stars Jeffrey Lynas as an orthodox Jewish boy growing up in 1920s Montreal. The film received the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film in 1975. The original story was written by Ted Allan in 1949. Allan was working at an advertising agency. David Rome, editor of the Canadian Jewish Congress Bulletin, asked him to write a story. Allan's short story is as a dramatization of his own childhood memories. Allan comes from a Jewish family who lived in Montreal's Mile End neighbourhood. Lies My Father Told Me has been through many reincarnations since its original publication, as a radio play and a Golden Globe winning film. The original short story was picked up by producer Harry Gulkin. Gulkin candidly told the Montreal Gazette, "I really didn't know what I was doing, but then nobody knew I didn't know what I was doing". The film has become celebrated for its message that relationships can deeply transcend generations through the connection between its two main characters. Marilyn Lightstone, who portrays a leading character, also comments on the film's ability to engage with a mass audience. Lightstone told the Montreal Gazette in 2011 that she is unsurprised that Lies still widely resonates with viewers nearly 45 years after its debut. Lightstone states, "it is essentially a family story with the most primal set of conflicts you can come upon. It's why Oedipus and Hamlet still resonate. It's a universal theme".