The American Jewish Experience as Portrayed in Film

Two of the original three major film studies of the Twentieth Century were owned by Jews, so it’s no surprise that many of the most memorable films deal with the Jewish experience in the United States. Film making is a collaborative effort; what are some of the societal and personal influences on the film makers that are reflected in the final product? We will discuss the history of these film genres, and view excerpts from a sampling in the first and third two-hour sessions. In the second and fourth sessions, we will view and discuss two of the films in their entirety. We will also use a technique very similar to the ones we use to study Jewish texts and analyze these films to uncover some of the tricks of the film making trade. Warning: after taking this class, you may never watch a movie in quite the same way again. A syllabus and description of all the films will be provided. This course was originally developed for the Milton Graduate School of the Jewish Federation of Rochester, New York.