Jewish Experience on Film: An American Overview

Abstract:

The author considers how the Jewish experience has been portrayed on film in the 20th century. He argues that the presence of the Jew in film needs to be rethought in the context of cinema history as a whole and set against the major crises and disasters of the 20th century, especially the Holocaust. He explores the Jewish experience on film in America in terms of its systematic connections to the unfolding of 20th-century history, to the development of the film medium itself, and to the broader problems of race, class, nation, and ethnicity in modern times. Suggestions are also provided for the future of Jewish film research.