Conversation group with d.a.i. teacher Scott Stelle. This quarter we’d like to explore how Hollywood, as part of the entertainment industry, attempted to raise awareness about social prejudices. During the early decades of Hollywood, Jewish studio heads were key players in the industry’s rise to dominance. However, despite their success, Jewish identity was often marginalized. Hollywood moguls feared anything that might damage their integration into “mainstream” society. That is why the word “Jew” is left unsaid in “The Life of Emile Zola,” the 1937 film about the Dreyfus affair. Out of fear of stirring up trouble, Hollywood studio heads omitted Jewish references and issues from virtually all of their movies until after WWII. By the late 1940s, as Jewish communities became more vocal in denouncing discrimination, the film industry began portraying antisemitic content as a social evil. The taboos around antisemitism grew even more solidified as the American Civil Rights Movement gained momentum in the 1960s, influencing not only racial attitudes but also broader views on prejudice. By treating ethnicity with more sensitivity, Hollywood began championing progressive values.
11.7. Edward Wallant, The Pawnbroker (1961: film, 1964)
In English
Admission: free
Location: d.a.i. library
