Humoresque

Humoresque is a 1920 American silent drama film produced by Cosmopolitan Productions, released by Famous Players–Lasky and Paramount Pictures, and was directed by Frank Borzage from a 1919 short story by Fannie Hurst and script or scenario by Frances Marion. This film was the first film to win the Photoplay Medal of Honor, a precursor of the Academy Award for Best Picture. In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Plot As described in a film magazine, Leon Kantor, born in the “Ghetto” of New York City, exhibits an exquisite, inherent musical ability that culminates in him becoming a famous violinist. He is born into a Jewish family with many siblings, a loving mother (Sarah Kantor), and a stingy father (Abrahm Kantor). Early scenes in the film depict their family's poor living conditions as well as Leon's childhood in the squalor of New York, including interactions with grimy playmates and his female friend, Gina Ginsberg, who later becomes his romantic interest.