The Chosen is a 1981 American drama film directed by Jeremy Kagan, based on the best-selling book of the same name by Chaim Potok, published in 1967. It stars Robby Benson, Barry Miller, Maximilian Schell and Rod Steiger. At the 1981 Montreal World Film Festival, the film won Grand Prix of the Americas, and Steiger won best actor. Analysis Film Releasing Corp and 20th Century Fox released it in the US in April 1982.
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Plot
The film is set in Brooklyn. The story begins during the latter part of the Second World War. Reuven Malter is a middle-class Modern Orthodox Jewish teenager and son of David Malter, a college professor and a dedicated Zionist. At a baseball game between their schools, Reuven meets Danny Saunders, another Jewish teenage boy. This initial meeting is acrimonious: Danny accidentally injures Reuven's eye during the game, resulting in Reuven wearing an eye patch for much of the movie. When Danny goes to visit Reuven at the hospital to apologize, Reuven refuses his apology and asks him to leave. Later, Danny comes to Reuven's house to again apologize. This time, Reuven accepts his apology and the boys become friends despite their different backgrounds. Danny is the eldest son of a Hasidic Rebbe, the dynastic leader of the Hasidic Jews in that neighborhood, but is not close to his father. Danny has been going to the nearby public library and reading psychology books. He amazes Reuven with his ability to remember word-for-word what he has read. It turns out that David Malter has been showing him these books. Reuven and Danny go to a Sabbath service in Danny's Hasidic community as Danny is eager for Reuven to meet his father. Danny's father, Rebbe Saunders, approves of their friendship, but disapproves of Professor Malter's writings. Rebbe Saunders wants Danny to follow family tradition and eventually succeed him as the community's leading Rabbi, but Danny seems reluctant to pursue this.
