Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in Cinema

Daniel & Harry are joined by writer, filmmaker, and festival curator Jeffrey Wengrofsky to discuss the 1948 version of “Oliver Twist” directed by David Lean and starring Sir Alec Guinness, John Howard Davies, and Robert Newton.The discuss the grotesque depiction of Alex Guiness' Fagin and how it reinforces harmful Jewish stereotypes, trace how the film’s plot fits into a Christian redemption narrative, and consider the choices made by this adaption as they compare to the 20+ versions that have appeared onscreen.As always, they close out the episode by ranking the film's "Jewishness" in terms of its cast & crew, content, and themes.IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040662/Trailer - https://youtu.be/oXkQGI_Pn0kFollow Jeffrey Wengrofsky on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/les.syndicatLearn more about Jeffrey's work - http://www.humansyndicate.com/Connect with Jews on Film online:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jewsonfilm/Twitter - https://twitter.com/jewsonfilmpodYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@jewsonfilmTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jewsonfilmpod

Daniel & Harry are joined by Film and TV writer, producer and podcaster Phil Iscove of Podcast Like It’s to discuss Edward Norton’s 2000 directorial debut “Keeping the Faith,” starring Norton, Ben Stiller, and Jenna Elfman.They marvel at the unabashed depiction of religion and Jewish practice from a major studio release, discuss the tension between modernity and tradition within religion, and make some unexpected picks for their respective “most Jewish scenes” in the movie.As always, they close out the episode by ranking the film's "Jewishness" in terms of its cast & crew, content, and themes.IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0171433/Trailer - https://youtu.be/OABeT9MNtDwFollow Phil Iscove on Twitter - https://twitter.com/pmiscoveFollow Phil Iscove on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pmiscove/Listen to Podcast Like It's... - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-like-its/id1316214754Connect with Jews on Film online:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jewsonfilm/Twitter - https://twitter.com/jewsonfilmpodYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@jewsonfilmTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jewsonfilmpod

Daniel & Harry are joined by film writer and podcaster Karina Longworth of You Must Remember This to discuss Gary Marshall's 1990 film "Pretty Woman" starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.They cover the transactional way Edward sees those in his life, trace the characters’ evolution across the film, imagine what a "Pretty Woman" streaming series would look like in 2023, and discuss Jason Alexander's depiction of Phil Stucky, a (negatively) coded Jewish character.As always, they close out the episode by ranking the film's "Jewishness" in terms of its cast & crew, content, and themes.IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100405/Trailer - https://youtu.be/2EBAVoN8L_UFollow Karina Longworth on Twitter - https://twitter.com/KarinaLongworthFollow Karina Longworth on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/karinalongworth/Join the You Must Remember This Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/KarinaLongworthConnect with Jews on Film online:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jewsonfilm/Twitter - https://twitter.com/jewsonfilmpodYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@jewsonfilmTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jewsonfilmpod

Daniel and Harry are joined by Josh Weiss, Author of "Sunset Empire," to discuss the 2016 Coen Brother's film "Hail Caesar,” starring Josh Brolin, George Clooney, and Alden Ehrenreich.They cover the film's Jewish casting and depiction of communist writers, and delve into the history and context of the HUAC and Hollywood Ten. They also unpack the iconic focus group scene, featuring a very sarcastic Rabbi, and creatively ponder Hobie Doyle's possible connection to Moses.As always, they close out the episode by ranking the film's "Jewishness" in terms of its cast & crew, content, and themes.IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475290/Trailer - https://youtu.be/kMqeoW3XRa0Follow Josh Weiss on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/joshuahweiss/Follow Josh Weiss on Twitter - https://twitter.com/JoshuaHWeissBuy "Sunset Empire" on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Sunset-Empire-Josh-Weiss/dp/1538719479Connect with Jews on Film online:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jewsonfilm/Twitter - https://twitter.com/jewsonfilmpodYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@jewsonfilmTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jewsonfilmpod

Daniel and Harry are joined by Rabbi David Kasher, author of ParshaNut, to discuss the 2006 film Babel, directed by Alejandro Iñárritu.They discuss the film's relationship to the Biblical Tower of Babel story, and how both explore themes of language, miscommunication and being a fish out of water. They also consider the film’s depiction of the ways war and industry can impact people all around the globe.As always, they close out the episode by ranking the film's "Jewishness" in terms of its cast & crew, content, and themes.IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449467/Trailer - https://youtube.com/watch?v=yDNa6t-TDrQGet the ParshaNut book - https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1610274644/alanchildress-20/Listen to Best Book Ever - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/best-book-ever/id1588788530ParshaNut Blog - https://parshanut.com/Connect with Jews on Film online:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jewsonfilm/Twitter - https://twitter.com/jewsonfilmpodYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@jewsonfilmTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jewsonfilmpodOZYQSoFhQFFKElnGebDS

Daniel and Harry welcome comedian and actor Dinah Leffert to discuss "Image of Victory," their first Hebrew language film of the podcast! The 2021 film was directed by Avi Nesher and stars Joy Rieger and Amir Khoury.They celebrate the film’s depiction of Jewish life on the kibbutz as a melting pot of world cultures, examine the film’s ideas on the role of propaganda in shaping public opinion, and uncover the many meta choices Nesher makes in casting a filmmaker as his protagonist.As always, they close out the episode by ranking the film's "Jewishness" in terms of its cast & crew, content, and themes.IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14556392/Trailer - https://youtube.com/watch?v=YQtlGWtFpc0Follow Dinah Leffert on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DinahLeffertConnect with Jews on Film online:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jewsonfilm/Twitter - https://twitter.com/jewsonfilmpodYouTube- https://www.youtube.com/@jewsonfilmTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jewsonfilmpod

Daniel and Harry are joined by writer Julie Sugar to discuss 1998’s cult favorite “The Big Lebowski,” directed by the Coen Brothers and starring Jeff Bridges, Julian Moore, and John Goodman.They delight in the film’s use of Yiddish and deep Jewish cuts, compare The Dude’s suffering to that of the Biblical Job, and consider the film’s depiction of Walter’s reverence for the laws and restrictions of his Jewish faith. As always, they close out the episode by ranking the film's "Jewishness" in terms of its cast & crew, content, and themes.IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/Trailer - https://youtube.com/watch?v=cd-go0oBF4YFollow Julie on Twitter - https://twitter.com/juliesugarConnect with Jews on Film online:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jewsonfilm/Twitter - https://twitter.com/jewsonfilmpodYouTube- https://www.youtube.com/@jewsonfilmTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jewsonfilmpod

Daniel and Harry are joined by director Oliver Park and writer/producer Hank Hoffman of the new film "The Offering," to discuss the 1973 horror classic "The Exorcist," directed by William Friedkin and starring Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max Von Sydow, and Jason Miller.They consider the differences in the way Jewish and Christian horror are presented onscreen, explore the tension between science, psychology, and spiritual faith, and discuss the importance of character depth and universal trauma in creating a truly scary horror film.As always, they close out the episode by ranking the film's "Jewishness" in terms of its cast & crew, content, and themes.IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070047/Movie Trailer - https://youtube.com/watch?v=jyW5YXDcIGs&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarERent "The Offering" on YouTube - https://youtube.com/watch?v=CyKNhAeRN6E&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarEConnect with Jews on Film online:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jewsonfilm/Twitter - https://twitter.com/jewsonfilmpodYouTube- https://www.youtube.com/@jewsonfilmTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jewsonfilmpod

Daniel & Harry welcome Yasmine Esther, Social Media Educator on Jewish Identity and Intra Community Issues, to discuss the 1968 musical "Funny Girl" directed by William Wyler and starring Jewish icon Barbara Streisand.They discuss the way the film portrays Jewish life without tokenizing it, uncover how Fanny uses language and comedy to reclaim laughter from the world of Broadway, and find comfort in the familiarity of a roast beef sandwich and some chopped liver.As always, they close out the episode by ranking the film's "Jewishness" in terms of its cast & crew, content, and themes.IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062994/Trailer - https://youtu.be/qzOFC4XiqL0Yasmine’s Instagram - https://instagram.com/yafa.yasmine?igshid=YWJhMjlhZTc=Connect with Jews on Film online:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jewsonfilm/Twitter - https://twitter.com/jewsonfilmpodYouTube- https://www.youtube.com/@jewsonfilmTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jewsonfilmpod

Daniel & Harry welcome writer, cook and podcast co-host of "Food Friends" Sonya Sanford to the pod to discuss the 1986 film "Heartburn" directed by Mike Nichols, written by Norah Ephron, and starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson.They make the case for the film's supremely Jewish relationship with food, discuss the way the film censors some of the Jewishness from the lives of its real-world inspirations Carl Bernstein and Nora Ephron, and extol the comforts of eating a warm bowl of rice pudding on Passover and all year round.As always, they close out the episode by ranking the film's "Jewishness" in terms of its cast & crew, content, and themes.IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091188/Trailer - https://youtu.be/k79DDjvl9vEFood Friends Podcast - https://www.foodfriendspodcast.com/Sonya’s Website - https://www.sonyasanford.com/Connect with Jews on Film online:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jewsonfilm/Twitter - https://twitter.com/jewsonfilmpodYouTube- https://www.youtube.com/@jewsonfilmTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jewsonfilmpod