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Back in mid-December, I wrote this in my post Oscar Campaign Badmouthing Has Begun! “This year, the always delicate Jewish issue in Hollywood has taken a new and unexpected turn. Producers, agents, executives, and other major players will complain (privately, of course) that the movies An Education and A Serious Man depict Jews in a contemptible way. A recent article in The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles lashed into An Education saying the film’s depiction of its Jewish character is reminiscent of the parasitical Jew in the infamous Nazi anti-semitic propaganda film of the 1930’s, Der Ewige Juden (The Eternal Jew). Similarly, Hollywood is incensed privately by the Coen brothers’ A Serious Man and its Jewish stereotypes. Trust me, this will bubble up to the surface before too long if either film looks to be in serious contention for Best Picture.” Well, I was right. Now the Jewish Journal has another expanded look at the controversy surrounding these two pics under the headline: “Realism Or Anti-Semitism?”. Worth reading.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Haven’t seen ‘An Education’ but I did catch ‘A Serious Man’ and given that it’s written and directed by two Jewish brothers about their real life experiences growing up in a Jewish community, I find it hard to cry anti-semitism.
The real controversy should be that such a mediocre movie could be in contention for a Best Picture Oscar in the first place.
“Realism Or Anti-Semitism” – that’s all there is? You’re with us or against us?
Wow!
I have to apologize – i just red the article and it is open minded and informative. The headline is just that, a headline, no agenda.
Oy vey! Can we not get past screaming “anti-Semitism” at every less-than-angelic depiction of a Jewish character on film? I think the Coen brothers deserve a hearty mazel tov for the fresh splash of realism they gave to the various players in “A Serious Man.” Simply the revival of Yiddish for the opening vignette is a mitzvah. And if the rabbis in “A Serious Man” are anti-Semitic stereotypes, what are we to make of the vapid song-writing minister and his gassy little-old-lady assistant in Blake Edwards’ “10?” Or is it that only Jews should be immune from lampoon? As for Peter Sarsgaard’s David in “An Education,” the Jewish Journal article rightly points out that the character is based on a real person and real experiences. Should they have ‘sanitized’ him to avoid controversy? Speaking of Davids, Jewish characters doing bad things in literature is as old as the bible. How about that David sending the husband to be captured in battle so the king could shtupp Bathsheba? Talk about your negative stereotype. I’m shocked, shocked.
So are you saying there is a legitimate complaint, and that’s why it’s worth reading, or it’s worth reading because it’s some cynical ploy to siphon Oscar votes away from these movies?
I’m Jewish and LOVED “A Serious Man” – written and directed by 2 Jews from Minnesota (like the characters are…). I have not seen An Education, so I can’t comment on , but it is not written nor directed by anyone Jewish. Does that matter? I think so. I should also note that I can’t comment on An Education because I have not seen it, I know many Jews who have seen it, and although were bugged slightly by the Jewish references, they enjoyed the film entirely.
Thanks for the article Nikki. The Jews do not have a lock on paranoia. I just saw An Education last night. The fact that the scum bag is jewish is a non-issue. He could’ve been muslim, christian, or purple.
Watch out for charmers, regardless of their religion, and be involved in the lives of your offspring. That’s what I got out of it.
Nikki, glad you brought these subjects to the forefront.
I’m a non-Jewish person who liked both pictures. I saw characters informed by — but not defined by — his cultural heritage (Larry) and the outsider status it can bring (David). In other words, I saw two men whose Jewishness is relevant to their stories; not two Jewish men doing what viewers should assume all Jewish men do.
I can understand, though, why the negative aspects of these characters would cause concern. Because I agree a bigot looking to reinforce his belief in ugly stereotypes can find what he wants in these movies. But I also wonder if the bigots win when we let their hateful ignorance dictate how stories are told.
So unless its a film about the holocaust, movies about jewish people are anti semitic?
ooo…snap!
Its such a poor attempt by Cynthia Swartz to drum up support (ah-ha, too late) for her Messenger..
Blacks, Jews, Gays, and left handed people (which I am all of, I didn’t have a chance in hell) can fill up blogs whining about how poorly they’re portrayed in the media
or they can do something to make those portrayals inaccurate by refraining from negative stereotypical behavior. The latter seems much more effective.
Considering how the Academy awarded Kate Winslet last year for playing a sexy concentration camp guard and is going to give Christoph Waltz an Oscar this year for his flippant Gestapo agent, I’d say Hollywood’s Jewish PC lobby isn’t terribly effective.
PLEASE!!! Boo-hoo-hoo. Try being catholic Italian and then let’s talk contemporary stereotypes. My “people” are represented as either gangsters (“Godfather series”, “Goodfellas”, “Casino” or TV’s “Sopranos”) or as tacky morons in “Jersey Shore.” Have a sense of humor people. LIGHTEN UP!!!
Seriously? And people wonder why those who are Jewish complain that they are unfairly characterized as controlling hollywood.
The truth is, for those of us who saw both, one doesnt automatically assume that all who are jewish are like the characters. Secondly, if they are complaining about just these two characters, how should Chinese people feel about their portrayals, or how arabs are consistently portrayed as terrorists IF they are even given roles, or how African Americans have often been portrayed as gang members, flamboyant gays or obese, loud mouth women?
Kudos, Nikki, for always having the courage to report it like it is…that’s why we all love you.
It astonishes me that given the presence of Jews in the executive, writing, and directing ranks, and on screen, versus ANY other ethnic group, that we take with any seriousness these claims. In life, some Jewish people are great, some Jewish people are not great. Some Jewish people are ridiculous. Why shouldn’t this diversity be reflected in film?
Meanwhile most black people in film are insignificant/passive (THE BLIND SIDE) or evil/ridiculous (PRECIOUS, DISTRICT 9, et al). And that is ALL we are shown. And let’s not even get into the numbers in terms of black executives/agents/writers/directors vs. Jewish in Hollywood. You know who doesn’t have a case to complain about? Jews.
If Jewish people were represented the way that blacks are in Hollywood, we would hear crying about it every day on the hour.
You know they say, every time you see a shooting star, a Holocaust movie gets its greenlight.
Blacks are not presented as characters generally with their own motivations and desires, I will agree on that. Spike Lee’s “Magical Negro” essay about all those movies about “Magical” Black guys who “redeem” the White protagonist was spot on. [Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption, Radio, Bagger Vance, etc.]
They are bad cinema. Pure and simple.
But why are they made (over and over and over again)?
Because the White majority audience is uninterested in stories featuring Black protagonists in a Black setting. Tyler Perry’s middle class Black films don’t get much play, neither do urban core Black settings like Precious. Color that as the unsurprising fact that people like to see movies about people who look and act and share basic cultural assumptions as themselves.
Sure, White audiences will accept and gladly pay to see Will Smith in Hancock or Denzel Washington in Man on Fire. But those roles could as easily have been played by Bruce Willis or John Travolta. The settings and situations are of the White majority.
IMHO, this strongly suggests an assimilation model. Spike Lee will find the most success (and curb his worst indulgences) if he directs mainstream, middle class fare like Inside Man. Why not Lee for more action movies?
IMHO, far more troubling out of “An Education” was the idea that the girl was not permanently damaged by the affair. The ending suggests but does not say explicitly that she was unable to form attachments or trust with boys and men her own age. Our society sexualizes teen agers beyond their ability to cope, emotionally, particularly girls. Much of the film glamorized the affair and a phony maturity absent real responsibility.
This American Jew *loved* and was fascinated by “A Serious Man”. Whoever dares call it “anti-Semitic” seriously needs to get their head examined (and a sense of humor).
Get. Over. It.
Love,
Teddy
As someone who isn’t Jewish and isn’t a fan of A Serious Man I can still say with some confidence of accuracy that the idea a movie written and directed by two Jewish men is anti-semetic is preposterous. As for An Education, what everyone seems to forget is it’s based on the written memoirs of an actual person, i.e., IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. The movie is simply telling a true story and anyone who gets angry because a group of people is stereotyped in something depicting actual events is a moron.
This is ridiculous! Where’s the outrage when Italians are negatively stereotyped in television and films?? Many produced by Jewish men! Double standards.
Somebody should interview Woody Allen or Larry David about this…
This is typically ridiculous and predictable. Like Israel with 500 thermonuclear weapons claiming it is ‘vulnerable’ and demanding that Iran cease all nuclear energy production.
I am a Jew. Jews dominate the Hollywood business. Any idiot knows this. If anything I would be more concerned about the reality of names like Bernie Madoff,Lloyd Blanfein,Jamie Dimon,Geithner,Greenspan,Bernanke and Robert Rubin since if there ever is any real anti-semitism erupting in this country the list of these thieves will add tremendous fuel to the fire. They have acted like caricatures of Jews out of “Der Sturmer” circa 33′ and should be figuratively excommunicated from whatever symbolic synagogues they pretend to belong to.
But anti-Jewish bias in movies??? Is anyone serious? Please. Just write a movie remotely related to the Holocaust and you can guarantee it will get Oscar nods before the ink is dry on the script.
Er…Jamie Dimon is Greek. Nice try, though, at painting all those other thieves with the ‘Jewish’ brush.
your right, I stand corrected, Dimon is of Greek background, hired by Sandy Weill in the 90s to help create Citicorp, a disastrous Frankenstein. My shout-out to Sandy Weill for that.
2% of the population is Jewish, 48% of American billionaires are Jewish, much of it aggregated on Wall Street. Lets come out of the closet here and acknowledge our power and influence and accept responsibility for the sociopaths that live in our midst, go to our Temples on Friday night, or pretend to. And lets stop whining about being ‘victims’. The real victims are the middle-class and the poor who watched their retirement savings and 401ks blow up. The real victims are the vast armies of unemployed.
Nikki: Great write-up, thanks. I would just urge your readers to read the actual cover package at jewishjournal.com, which as some of your commenters pointed out is not a screed against any movie but is, “open minded and informative.”
Apart from the article about the two movies..
Per some of the above comments…
I’m sensing some real uncomfortable heat toward the Jewish community in Hollywood.
I hope they are reading this and taking note?
Perhaps the jewish community should take a good look in the mirror?
As always, thanks Nikki for letting us use your blog as a forum.
I read the article and the tone is that if you mess with the tribe we will mess with you if needed.
I also read the column called the Hollywood Jew ( Same paper).
The Mel Gibson article gives creed to what Nicky has said.
Emails and comments. A guy I know who happens to be Jewish hates Mel and wont go see his movies because of his statements. A converted minister now back in LA said to her congregation that the Passion was anti-jewish. So I think Nicky speaks from the heart.
The debate is intriguing and worthy of a doctoral dissertation.
I’m sure the Coen’s will now loose Best Pic and probably screen play too. I still haven’t seen either movie, they were never screened in the Midwest. Reading the screenplay.
Now the question is this can one be Jewish and a kapo. We know that answer. Some helped the victims others punished the victims.
Can one be jewish and antisemitic- happens everyday when one jew does in another everyday for what ever reason-money, pride, avarice etc. Thus the different opinions in the article.
The talmud is quite clear on speech.
“Of the 43 sins enumerated in the Al Chet confession recited on Yom Kippur, 11 are sins committed through speech. The Talmud tells that the tongue is an instrument so dangerous that it must be kept hidden from view, behind two protective walls (the mouth and teeth) to prevent its misuse.”
The Coen brothers are writers, what of the 43 sins have they committed against anyone.
Would Thalberg have made either picture is the question. I believe the answer is yes.
mechon-mamre.org