Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in Cinema

In this week’s episode, Daniel and Harry and joined by guest Rebecca Finkel as they discuss the Oscar-winning musical Yentl, released in 1983 and directed by and starring Jewish film legend Barbara Streisand. Join them as they discuss the film’s authentic Talmudic references, analyze its cultural place in Jewish and the overall film history, and debate the meaning behind its most enduring songs. As always, they end the episode by ranking the film’s Jewishness in its production, content, and themes.Trailer: https://youtu.be/vTfJp2Ts9X8IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086619/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0Original story: Yentl the Yeshiva Boy A StoryAvinu Malkeinu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YONAP39jVE

In this week’s episode, Daniel and Harry discuss Mel Brooks’ 1974 classic Blazing Saddles. Join them as they discuss the inherent Jewishness of any Mel Brooks film, kvetch over the film’s yiddish humor, and discover the unlikely inspiration for Lili Von Shtup! As always, they end the episode by ranking the film’s Jewishness in its production, content, and themes.Trailer: https://youtu.be/VKayG1TrfuEIMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071230/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

In this week’s episode, Daniel and Harry are joined by guest Yuli Masinovsky as they discuss Seth Rogen’s - perhaps most personal but certainly most Jewish - film, 2020’s An American Pickle. Join them as they discuss the film’s rootedness in Jewish themes of remembrance, consider the convincingness of Rogen’s accent as Herschel, and debate the movie’s adherence to and diversion from typical Hollywood fare. As always, they end the episode by ranking the film’s Jewishness in its production, content, and themes. Guest is Yuli Masinovsky, writer's agent and owner of Silver Lake Entertainment.Trailer: https://youtu.be/nQjlMFLldtoIMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9059704/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2New Yorker Article by Simon Rich:Part One: https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/sell-out-part-onePart Two: https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/sell-out-part-twoPart Three: https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/sell-out-part-threePart Four: https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/sell-out-part-four

Daniel Zana & Harry Ottensoser discuss films of all types to investigate what truly makes a film Jewish. Covering everything from Fiddler on the Roof to Uncut Gems, they finish each episode by ranking the film’s production, content, and themes on a scale of 1 to 5 Jewish stars. Listen each week to find out!