What Is The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz About?
The premise of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz in 362 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the bustling, snow‑kissed streets of post‑war Montreal, a tight‑knit Jewish community scrapes together hope amid the clatter of cabs and the hum of small‑business storefronts. The city itself feels both cramped and expansive, a place where opportunity can be found in a corner deli or a summer resort on the Laurentian lakes, and where prejudice lingers just beneath polite conversation. The film’s tone is a restless blend of gritty realism and wistful yearning, inviting the audience to sense the electric tension between scarcity and the lure of a bigger future.
At the heart of this world is Duddy Kravitz, a restless younger son whose sharp mind and fierce pride push him beyond the expectations of his modest upbringing. He lives under the watchful eye of his father Max, a cab driver who represents honest labor, and his uncle Benjy, whose quiet hopes for a richer legacy hang in the background. The only steady anchor in Duddy’s unsettled life is his grandfather, whose occasional attention offers a glimpse of belonging that the boy fiercely protects. From an early age Duddy is convinced that reputation can be manufactured, and he begins to map out a personal mythology that will outshine his family’s limited means.
Friendships and romances swirl around him, most notably with Yvette, a fellow employee whose pragmatism mirrors his own ambition yet hints at a softer counterbalance. Encounters with figures like Irwin and the hotel owner’s daughter Linda expose him to the subtle games of influence that circulate in the city’s social circuits. Duddy’s eye is constantly on a larger prize—a piece of land that could cement his name for generations—while the environment around him teems with the promise and peril of quick fortunes.
The story unfolds as a study of ambition’s double‑edged edge, set against a backdrop of cultural expectations, lingering anti‑semitism, and the looming responsibilities of adulthood. It asks whether a boy who dares to rewrite his destiny can do so without sacrificing the very relationships that first gave him a sense of place. The atmosphere remains charged with possibility, urging viewers to wonder how far a single man will go to turn a dream into a lasting legacy.
What Happens in The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz?
The complete story of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, from the first scene to the last, in 866 words (about 4 minutes). Spoilers throughout.
Spoilers ahead
Duddy Kravitz is a brash young Jewish man growing up in poverty in Montreal, where his father, the Max he idolizes, drives cabs, and his uncle, Benjy, quietly shoulders the family’s hopes for a bigger future. Only his grandfather ever seems to give the motherless boy any steady attention, anchoring him in a world where ambition fights to outpace scarcity. The story tracks a quick ascent built on a mix of hustle, charm, and a stubborn belief that luck can be bent to one’s will.
Duddy’s summer job as a waiter at a kosher resort hotel in the Laurentian Mountains introduces a harsh classroom of real-world schemes. His rough edges irritate a fellow waiter, Irwin, who uses his influence over the hotel’s owner’s daughter, Linda, to push Duddy into staging a clandestine roulette game. The wheel is crooked, and the young man ends up losing his $300 earnings to Irwin and some guests. Yet the hotel crowd, seeing Duddy’s misstep, persuades Irwin to return the money, and the guests even add another $500 as a sort of pity fund. What starts as a careless gamble becomes a narrow escape that tightens Duddy’s sense that life’s odds can be gamed if you know the right people and the right moment.
A romance soon blossoms with Yvette, a hotel employee who shares Duddy’s eyes on the prize but brings a counterweight of care and realism to his plans. On a lakeside picnic, Duddy conceives a grand scheme: to buy up all the land around the lake and develop it into something lasting and influential. Because he is under 21 and worry about cross-cultural resistance looms over the sale, he enlists Yvette to front the purchase, trusting that love will disguise a gambit that could define his name in the community.
To gather the needed capital, Duddy ventures into a gray, cinematic world of film and fables. He hires Friar, a blacklisted alcoholic director, to shoot weddings and bar mitzvahs in a bid to create a money stream that can finance the dream. The first film proves surprisingly successful, and demand grows quickly as more orders roll in, feeding Duddy’s conviction that the lakefront project could be more than a fantasy.
Yet the path to ownership requires a larger push, one that leads Duddy to seek out Dingleman, a businessman with a shadowy edge who has his own reasons for backing such schemes. On a train to New York, Dingleman’s invitation doubles as a test: he wants Duddy to act as a drug mule rather than invest outright. On that journey, Duddy crosses paths with Virgil, a young man whose pinball business Duddy wants to buy. Lacking funds of his own, Duddy hires Virgil as a driver, despite Virgil’s epilepsy, a decision that will ultimately have painful consequences.
A fateful accident on the road—Virgil’s seizure—leaves him partially paralyzed and forever alters the trust Duddy believes he is building with Yvette. The strain sinks their relationship; Yvette leaves Duddy to shoulder the care of Virgil, who blames Duddy for the turn of events. The tension between Duddy’s expanding ambitions and the human costs of his choices comes to a head just as he reaches the moment when the final land price could seal his future.
When the last plot goes up for sale, Duddy does not have the funds, and Dingleman reappears with a financing offer that could make the lakefront dream a reality. In a desperate bid, Duddy forges Virgil’s signature on a cheque to purchase the land, a betrayal that fractures the fragile bridges to both Yvette and Virgil. The consequences ripple through the family and the circle around him, forcing Duddy to confront the moral cost of his ascent.
With the land in sight but the personal price mounting, Duddy returns to the diner that has become his barometer of success. He manages to run a tab and savor a moment that feels like vindication even as his father, and the people who have watched him rise, reflect on what he has chosen to become. The film closes on a note that is as much a cautionary emblem as a triumph—a young man who has climbed high, yet at a serious cost to those who mattered most.
Across this arc, the world Duddy navigates is populated by a cast of vivid figures. The story brushes against the sharp edges of ambition, family loyalty, and the sometimes brutal math of making a dream come true in a city where opportunity and danger share the same street. In the end, listeners are left with a layered portrait of a young man who believes in his own myth, even as the bill for that myth comes due in the choices he makes and the relationships he learns to live with. The closing image lingers: a boy who has risen enough to command a dinner tab, and a father who can claim pride even as the costs echo in the echoes of the journey.
Archive moments flicker into view with brief credits to the historical silhouette of figures such as Adolf Hitler and Neville Chamberlain, reminding viewers that the world beyond Duddy’s plans hums with forces larger than any single dream.
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Duddy’s rough Montreal upbringing” to “Final scene: a successful, hollow ascent”. 12 events name a place, across 12 locations.
- 1
Duddy’s rough Montreal upbringing
Duddy Kravitz grows up in poverty in Montreal, with his motherless status and scarce parental attention. His father Max and his uncle Benjy admire his older brother Lenny, who is being groomed for medical school. This family dynamic fuels Duddy’s hunger to prove himself and climb out of poverty.
When:Childhood Where:Montreal, Quebec
- 2
Summer job begins at a Laurentian resort
Duddy takes a summer job as a waiter at a kosher resort hotel in the Laurentian Mountains. His brash hustling and coarse manners irritate colleagues, especially Irwin. The gig sets him on a path toward bigger schemes to raise money.
When:Summer Where:Laurentian Mountains, Quebec (kosher resort hotel)
- 3
Roulette scheme and its first loss
Irwin manipulates Duddy into staging a clandestine roulette game for Linda, the owner’s daughter. Duddy loses $300 of his earnings because the wheel is crooked. The other waiters force Irwin to refund the money, and hotel guests later add another $500 to Duddy’s total.
When:Summer Where:Kosher resort hotel, Laurentian Mountains
- 4
Duddy falls for Yvette and dreams lakefront property
Duddy begins a romance with Yvette, a hotel worker. They picnic by a lake, and he decides he will buy all the land around the lake to develop it. Because he is under 21, he arranges for Yvette to front the purchase for him.
When:Summer Where:Lake near the Laurentians
- 5
Friar the director and the film-finance plan
To raise money, Duddy hires the blacklisted alcoholic film director Friar to shoot weddings and bar mitzvahs. The first film proves successful, and orders multiply, giving Duddy a viable route to fund his lakefront project. This marks his entry into film as a financing mechanism.
When:Summer Where:Laurentian resort / local venues
- 6
Dingleman on the train to New York
With the lake land up for sale and funds still short, Duddy asks his father to arrange a meeting with Dingleman, a businessman with gangster roots. Dingleman invites him to discuss the scheme on a train to New York, treating Duddy as a potential asset, not a partner.
When:On the way to New York Where:Train to New York
- 7
Meeting Virgil and hired assistance
On the trip, Duddy meets Virgil, offering to buy his pinball machines which are illegal in the United States. Lacking cash, Duddy hires Virgil as a truck driver to cover costs. Virgil’s epilepsy and the arrangement foreshadow trouble ahead.
When:On the trip Where:On the train to New York (then en route)
- 8
Virgil’s crash and Yvette’s departure
Virgil suffers a seizure while driving and crashes, resulting in paralysis from the waist down. Yvette leaves Duddy to care for Virgil, straining their relationship further. The accident deepens Duddy’s personal turmoil as his schemes collide with real consequences.
When:During the trip Where:Roadside en route to New York
- 9
Dingleman returns; signature forgery looms
As the last lake land piece comes to market, Dingleman bids for financing, and Duddy forges Virgil’s signature on a cheque to buy the land. The act ruptures ties with Yvette and Virgil and reveals the growing cost of his ambitions.
When:Late Where:Montreal / lakeside property
- 10
Family visit to the site; mockery to the financier
Duddy brings Max, Lenny, and his grandfather to the property to show his ‘progress.’ When Dingleman appears to discuss financing, Duddy mocks him, signaling contempt for those who question his methods. The grandfather refuses to choose a plot after hearing about Duddy’s deceit.
When:Late Where:Lakeside property
- 11
Relationships crumble under the weight of ambition
Duddy’s schemes have left him isolated as he fails to reconcile with Yvette, who will no longer see him. The personal connections that could have supported him unravel under the pressure of deception and greed.
When:Final phase Where:Montreal / lakeside area
- 12
Final scene: a successful, hollow ascent
In the ending, Duddy has risen enough to run a tab at a local Montreal diner, and his father boasts about how far his son has come. The film closes on a note of wealth and status achieved at the cost of integrity and relationships.
When:Ending / Final scene Where:Montreal diner
Who Are the Main Characters in The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz?
14 characters, among them Duddy Kravitz, Max (Duddy's Father) and Yvette: who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
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Duddy Kravitz
Played by Richard Dreyfuss
A brash, hustling Jew from poverty in Montreal who is determined to make it big. He is resourceful and fearless, yet his willingness to bend ethical lines creates tension with those around him. His ambition drives him to risk relationships, money, and trust in pursuit of a livelihood of his own making.
- 🎯 Ambition
- 👨👦 Family
- 🧭 Identity
-
Max (Duddy's Father)
Played by Jack Warden
A cab driver whose pride is tied to his son’s image and success. He remains practical and protective, hoping Duddy finds a path that brings stability to their family. His stance frames the film's look at intergenerational expectations and pride.
- 🚗 Family
- 💼 Duty
- 🗝️ Pride
- Y
Yvette
Played by Micheline Lanctôt
A French Canadian hotel employee who becomes Duddy’s love interest and the front for his lakefront land scheme. She experiences the fragility of Duddy's plans when pressures mount and ultimately leaves him to care for others affected by his decisions.
- 💖 Relationship
- 🧭 Identity
- 🏞️ Place
- I
Irwin
Played by Allan Kolman
A fellow waiter who manipulates situations and orchestrates a clandestine roulette scheme to push Duddy toward bigger plots. He is sharp and pushy, causing friction with his peers and testing Duddy's ethics.
- 🎭 Social dynamics
- 🗝️ Influence
- 🧠 Cleverness
-
Friar
Played by Denholm Elliott
A blacklisted alcoholic film director who agrees to shoot weddings and bar mitzvahs to survive. He becomes an instrument in Duddy's rising influence and helps turn his early winnings into scalable business.
- 🎬 Creative
- 🕊️ Artifice
- 🧪 Risk
-
Virgil
Played by Randy Quaid
The epileptic truck driver Duddy hires to bankroll his land purchases. He suffers a seizure in a critical moment, leaving him paralyzed and triggering trouble for Duddy and his girlfriend.
- 💥 Risk
- 🧩 Consequences
- 🧠 Health
- D
Dingleman
Played by Henry Ramer
A businessman-gangster who promises financing on a train trip but has only one real aim: to use Duddy for a drug-smuggling plan. He embodies the criminal underbelly of the era.
- 🕵️♂️ Crime
- 💰 Power
- 🧭 Risk
- GF
Grandfather Farber
Played by Norman Taviss
A patriarch whose opinion matters deeply to Duddy; he refuses to select a plot after seeing the consequences of Duddy's actions. His quiet stubbornness anchors a turning point in the story.
- 👴 Family
- 🧭 Respect
- 🗝️ Authority
- GF
Grandfather Farber
Played by Zvee Scooler
A second portrayal of the same elder patriarch delivering an alternate perspective about the family and stewardship.
- 👴 Family
- 🗝️ Authority
- UB
Uncle Benjy
Played by Joseph Wiseman
The rich uncle figure whose status and wealth push Duddy toward opportunities, even as he is wary of the risks involved. He embodies the tension between old world wealth and the new world Duddy seeks.
- 💰 Family
- 🗺️ Opportunity
- L
Linda
Played by Susan Friedman
The daughter of the hotel's owner who becomes part of the social circle around the resort. She is drawn to Duddy’s ambitious energy but ultimately serves as a reminder of the personal costs of his fast track.
- 💬 Relationship
- 🏨 Social scene
- C
Calder
Played by Robert Goodier
A business contact who represents the kinds of deals and power Duddy encounters on his ascent. His presence marks another rung in the ladder of success and the dangers of cutting corners.
- 💼 Power
- 🧠 Strategy
- C
Cuckoo
Played by Mickey Eichen
A recurring minor character connected to the hotel's social circle; serves as a reflection of the world the protagonists inhabit.
- 🎭 Social Scene
- TW
Tarty Woman
Played by Judith Gault
A minor presence in the social world of the resort; her presence punctuates the film's social fabric.
- 💬 Social World
Where and When Is The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz Set?
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz is set in Montreal and Laurentian Mountains. Here is why the place matters to the story.
Where
Montreal, Laurentian Mountains
The narrative shifts between Montreal's poverty-stricken Jewish community and a kosher resort hotel in the Laurentian Mountains. The resort serves as a backdrop for Duddy's schemes and social climbing. The urban edge and mountain retreat contrast highlight the film's themes of ambition and belonging.
- 🗺️ Montreal
- 🗺️ Canada
- 🏔️ Laurentian Mountains
What Are the Themes of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Ambition, Identity & Family and Morality & Consequences.
-
01
Ambition
A driven young man from poverty uses cunning and manipulation to carve a path into the world of wealth and status. His hustle pushes him to bend rules and chase recognition, often at moral cost. The pursuit of success drives the plot and tests his integrity.
-
02
Identity & Family
Family expectations shape Duddy's decisions as he navigates the pressures from his father, grandfather, and uncle. Loyalty and ambition pull him between affection for kin and the lure of social advancement. The story probes how belonging and status influence personal choices.
-
03
Morality & Consequences
Duddy's schemes bring real consequences—deception, forged signatures, and strained relationships. The film questions whether success earned through unethical acts is worth the price. The ending implies that genuine achievement requires integrity as well as ambition.
What Kind of Film Is The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz?
Bittersweet in tone, with fast pacing and a moderate story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Bittersweet
- Pacing
- Fast
- Story
- Moderate
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Bittersweet
A fast-paced, anxious character study of a young man's relentless and morally questionable climb from poverty to influence, with the bittersweet sting of success coming at a high personal cost.
- ambitious
- anxious
- gritty
- morally complex
- regretful
- driven
- coming of age
- ambition and greed
- family loyalty
- moral compromise
Content notes: ableism, exploitation of disability, financial betrayal, emotional manipulation.
Quiz
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