Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in Cinema

Daniel and Harry are joined by Dr. Jennifer Caplan, author of Funny You Don't Look Funny, to discuss 1988’s “Crossing Delancey,” directed by Joan Micklin Silver and starring Amy Irving and Peter Riegert.They discuss the film’s themes of tradition versus progress within Judaism, unpack how Sam represents, and ultimately subverts, the “Nice Jewish Boy” trope, and analyze how the film respects Izzy’s journey towards finding the right path for herself, without judgement.As always, they close out the episode by ranking the film's "Jewishness" in terms of its cast & crew, content, and themes.Buy Jenny's book Funny You Don't Look Funny onlineJenny Caplan on Twitter ________IMdBMovie TrailerConnect 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 and director Avishai Weinberger to discsuss the 2022 epic "RRR" directed by S. S. Rajamouli, and starring N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan.They discuss the Biblical scale of some of the film’s epic set pieces, the global reception of such a culturally specific film (and what that could mean for Jewish stories), and how the movie leans into earnest sentimentality without undercutting it for a joke.As always, they close out the episode by ranking the film's "Jewishness" in terms of its cast & crew, content, and themes.RRR Trailer - https://youtu.be/f_vbAtFSEc0RRR on IMdb - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8178634/Follow Avishai Weinberger on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/avishaioddity/Follow Avishai Weinberger on Twitter - https://twitter.com/avishaiwConnect 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

In this special episode, recorded in March 2023, Daniel & Harry were invited to speak at the Jews at Microsoft group. During this virtual presentation, they go over the origins of the podcast, their favorite movies covered, and discuss common themes like Jewish coding, non-Jews playing Jews, Job like characters, and of course the stretches!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 comedian and actor Becky Braunstein to discuss the 2019 film of “Jojo Rabbit” directed by Taika Waititi starring Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, and Scarlett Johansson.They discuss the idea of viewing this film as coming of age story vs a holocaust story, Elsa's depiction as a Jew in hiding with agency, their love for Yorkie, and so much more!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/tt2584384Trailer - https://youtu.be/tL4McUzXfFIFollow Becky Braunstein on Twitter - https://twitter.com/BeckyFromAlaskaFollow Becky Braunstein on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/beckybraunstein/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 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