Books in French are on www.livres-cinema.info
The American Jewish Story Through Cinema
(0 vote)Average rating:
| 0 | rating |  = We can do without |
| 0 | rating |  = Good book |
| 0 | rating |  = Excellent book |
| 0 | rating |  = Unique / a reference |
Your rating: -
Book Presentation:
Like the haggadah, the traditional “telling” of the story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt that is read at the Passover seder, cinema offers a valuable text from which to gain an understanding of the social, political, and cultural realities of Jews in America. In an industry strongly influenced by Jewish filmmakers who made and continue to make the decisions as to which films are produced, the complex and evolving nature of the American Jewish condition has had considerable impact on American cinema and, in particular, on how Jews are reflected on the screen. This groundbreaking study analyzes select mainstream films from the beginning of the sound era to today to provide an understanding of the American Jewish experience over the last century.
In the first half of the twentieth century, Hollywood’s movie moguls, most of whom were Jewish, shied away from asserting a Jewish image on the screen for fear that they might be too closely identified with that representation. Over the next two decades, Jewish moviemakers became more comfortable with the concept of a Jewish hero and with an overpowered, yet heroic, Israel. In time, the Holocaust assumed center stage as the single event with the greatest effect on American Jewish identity. Recently, as American Jewish screenwriters, directors, and producers have become increasingly comfortable with their heritage, we are seeing an unprecedented number of movies that spotlight Jewish protagonists, experiences, and challenges.
See the publisher website: University of Texas Press
> From the same author:
> On a related topic:
Jews in Contemporary Visual Entertainment (2022)
Raced, Sexed, and Erased
by Carol Siegel
Subject: Sociology
The "Jew" in Cinema (2005)
From The Golem to Don't Touch My Holocaust
by Omer Bartov
Subject: Sociology
Holocaust Cinema in the Twenty-First Century (2015)
Images, Memory, and the Ethics of Representation, revised edition
Dir. Gerd Bayer and Oleksandr Kobrynskyy
Subject: Genre > Historical films
Film, Hot War Traces and Cold War Spaces (2024)
Subject: Genre > Historical films
Approaching Recent World History Through Film (2021)
Context, Analysis, and Research
Subject: Genre > Historical films
Reframing the Past (2016)
History, Film and Television
by Mia Treacey
Subject: Genre > Historical films
Back
