Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust (2007)
Ben Kingsley, Branko Lustig, Dan Curtis, Gene Hackman, Liam Neeson ... (see more) , Ralph Fiennes , Rod Steiger , Sidney Lumet , Steven Spielberg
This is the riveting story of the American film industry's complex and fascinating response to the horrors of Nazi Germany. Utilizing carefully selected excerpts from extraordinary and in some cases rarely-seen films, and told through the first-hand accounts of the directors, actors, writers, and pr... (read more) This is the riveting story of the American film industry's complex and fascinating response to the horrors of Nazi Germany. Utilizing carefully selected excerpts from extraordinary and in some cases rarely-seen films, and told through the first-hand accounts of the directors, actors, writers, and producers, the film covers some of Hollywood's most important movies, including "The Mortal Storm," "The Great Dictator," "The Search," "The Diary of Anne Frank," "The Pawnbroker," "Judgment at Nuremberg," "Sophie's Choice," and "Schindler's List." The film takes us from the American ambivalence and denial during the heyday of Nazism, through the silence of the post-war years, and into the present day. It asks hard questions: about the uneasy relationship between American popular culture and the Holocaust, about the responsibility of filmmakers in their portrayal of history, and about the power of film itself to affect the way we look at ourselves.
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Unrated, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed by:
Daniel Anker
Release Date: Dec 25, 2007
DVD Release Date: May 06, 2008
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Here's the thing about this movie. If you are interested and want to know more about the holocaust, or about Hollywood movie making history in relation to this tragic time in history, this movie would probably be a 5. It is filled with a variety of... (read more) Here's the thing about this movie. If you are interested and want to know more about the holocaust, or about Hollywood movie making history in relation to this tragic time in history, this movie would probably be a 5. It is filled with a variety of clips from movies from the 1930's to the 1990's and puts together all of it's info very clearly and educationally.
I just didn't get into like I was hoping I would, which is why I give it a three.
Here we see somewhat of an unbiased look at Hollywood's over exploitation of the Nazis. Of course, this could have dug many different, deeper holes, but in terms of it's time frame, I thought this was quite an intricate piece of work.
This seems much more like a solid rough draft than a finished, polished product. There are many avenues left unexplored, and many that should have been explored in more depth.
I would recommend that cinephiles rent and watch this as soon as they can. However, people who didn't care for Schindler's List, Sophie's Choice, Judgement at Nuremburg and The Great Dictator may not care too much about how the film industry has gon... (read more) I would recommend that cinephiles rent and watch this as soon as they can. However, people who didn't care for Schindler's List, Sophie's Choice, Judgement at Nuremburg and The Great Dictator may not care too much about how the film industry has gone about responding to the darkest chapter in human history. However, it is really quite a good documentary. I found it to be concise, compelling and well worth 90 minutes of my time.
I want to see this based on the premise but I honestly can't figure out why... I mean, surely the reason is because of the amount of second/third generation Jews in Hollywood? So long as this isn't another bullshit backslapping "Hey, Hollywood aren't... (read more) I want to see this based on the premise but I honestly can't figure out why... I mean, surely the reason is because of the amount of second/third generation Jews in Hollywood? So long as this isn't another bullshit backslapping "Hey, Hollywood aren't we just great for dealing with social issues?" popcorn documentary it might actually be interesting.
of course 79% of people aren't interested. You'll actually have to think if you watch this movie...
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