The Holocaust in American Film / Edition 2

by Judith Doneson

Overview

This work offers insights into how specific films influenced the Americanization of the Holocaust and how the medium per se helped seed that event into the public consciousness. In addition to an in-depth study on films produced for both theatrical release and TV since 1937 - including The Great Dictator, Cabaret, Julia, and the mini-series Holocaust - this work provides an analysis of Schindler's List and the debate over the merit of Spielberg's vision of the Holocaust.
It also examines more thoroughly made-for-television movies, such as Escape From Sobibor, Playing For Time, and War and Remembrance. A special chapter on The Diary of Anne Frank discusses the evolution of that singularly European work into a universal symbol. Paying special attention to the tumultuous 1960s in America, it assesses the effect of the era on Holocaust films made during that time. It also discusses how these films helped integrate the Holocaust into the fabric of American society, transforming it into a metaphor for modern suffering. Finally, the work explores cinema in relation to the Americanization of the Jewish image.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780815629269
Publisher:	Syracuse University Press
Publication date:	02/01/2002
Series:	Judaic Traditions in Literature, Music and Art Series
Edition description:	2ND
Pages:	302
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.68(d)

About the Author

Judith Doneson was the author of numerous groundbreaking studies in Representation of the Jew in Film. She was a world authority on film of the Holocaust.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments for the Second Edition	ix
	Acknowledgments for the First Edition	xi
	Introduction	1
1	Reflections on Anti-Semitism in Film and the Nazi Persecution of the Jews: 1934-1947	13
2	The Diary of Anne Frank in the Context of Post-War America and the 1950s	57
3	Chaos and Social Upheaval: The 1960s and 1970s	85
4	Television and the Effects of Holocaust	141
5	Whose History Is It?	197
	Conclusion: What Will We Remember?	217
	Notes	233
	Bibliography	257
	Filmography	273
	Index	279

Editorial Reviews

Explores how depictions of the Holocaust in modern film and television have transformed it into a metaphor for human suffering. Doneson focuses on the Americanization of the Holocaust and the Jewish experience, particularly how images of the Holocaust were reflected during the political and cultural upheaval of the 1960s.

Variety

Her book is a reminder that all of us who pursue the study of Holocaust cinema today are deeply indebted to her.

Shofar

"An impressive range of films that includes lesser-known examples as well as more widely recognized titles. . . . [Doneson] situates discussion of the films' historical meanings in their critical and social contexts and relies on a thorough presentation of how the films' receptions were activated. . . . An admirable piece of scholarship balancing film analysis with historical research, presented in a well-argued, highly readable style. Includes a valuable bibliography on the cultural history of the Holocaust."

Choice