Silence is complicity and it will remain so in 2020. There is no justified excuse for anyone to be anti-Semitic. If you see something, say something. The burden should not always be on the Jewish people to call anti-Semitism what it is. Non-Jews must also denounce it. It is a virus. I`m sorry to be so personal in a review, but it`s not fun to experience anti-Semitism, especially in left-wing spaces. We see this left and right. No one is immune to the virus. No one. If you like this review, search Instagram for more suggestions. The basic elements of Hobson`s work are not only preserved, but in some cases receive more dimension and plausibility. This applies to adaptation, staging and performances.

Thus, the first meeting between Phil Green and Kathy is more understandable on the screen than on the printed page. Similarly, the couple`s other scenes, especially the initial love scene, dramatize their irresistible mutual physical attraction that overcomes their violent philosophical disagreements. It`s about the anti-Semitism of affluent postwar America and the insidious way Jews were excluded from high-end social clubs, resorts, and, of course, jobs. There were no official bans, just a nod and wink and a « gentleman`s agreement » between the conservative-minded non-Jews they know, with whom they want to connect. This is the kind of everyday prejudice that Groucho Marx elegantly rebuffed with his joke of not wanting to join a club that would have him as a member. Please preview your comment below and click « Post » if you are satisfied. Gentleman`s Agreement was generally received positively by influential New York Times critic Bosley Crowther. Crowther stated that « every point about the prejudices that Miss Hobson had to make in her book was made with superior illustration and a more graphic demonstration in the film, so that the momentum of her moral outrage is not only broadened, but thus amplified. » However, Crowther also said that the film shares the novel`s shortcomings, as « explorations are narrowly limited to the social and professional level of the upper class to which it is immediately exposed. » He also said that the main character`s shock at the scale of anti-Semitism lacked credibility: « It is, in careful analysis, an extraordinarily naïve role. » [7] After the end of World War II, the American public was looking for more substantial material than mere escapes. Films about real social issues quickly aroused interest.

It was not something that only happened in the United States; Italian neorealism was a very strong art school that influenced artists in America. It didn`t really change the look of American films (neo-realistic films were shot on location and had a very documentary feel), but it did help convey a sense of realism and social commentary that was mostly lacking in American cinema. In fact, it started a whole new genre, the movies « Socially Relevant », « The Best Years of Our Lives », « The Snake Pit » and « Pinky » are some early examples. 20th Century Fox was particularly invested in these images and was responsible for many of them, including « Gentleman`s Agreement ». The film is as powerful today as it was when it won the Oscar for Best Picture in Europe a few years after the end of Hitler`s genocide. Moss Hart`s script eliminated some of the book`s secondary characters, such as the author`s fanatical sister, as well as a number of plot sequences, such as the events at the winter sports resort. Also obviously for moral reasons of censorship, the intimate relationship between the writer and Kathy and between Dave and Anne is now only eliminated inferentially in the first case and completely eliminated in the second case. It`s one of the most involuntary hilarious lines in cinema.

The whole setup could indeed be a delightful satirical comedy. But of course, it`s deadly serious. Phil finds nasty little incidents of anti-Semitism everywhere: his bouncer objects to him putting a Jewish name on his mailbox in the building (and announcing that the building accepts Jews) and by chatting with the janitors, he spreads the word that he is Jewish, thus indirectly subjecting Philsen`s son to sectarian taunts at school. Phil discovers that his secretary, Miss Wales, is Jewish and has changed her name to find a job (like Hobson), but also that she is a Jew who hates herself and believes in her own inferiority in her heart. The magazine`s intelligent and witty art director, Anne Dettrey (Celeste Holm), becomes a friend and admires his plan to expose anti-Semitism, but like Miss Wales and most people in the office, they don`t know he`s not actually Jewish. Philip Green (Peck) is a highly respected writer recruited by a national magazine to write a series of articles about anti-Semitism in America. He`s not too passionate about the show, especially because he doesn`t really know how to approach the subject. his best articles have always been written from his own experiences, even if he had to submit to them to write with property. Then he realizes that if he claimed to be Jewish to everyone, then he could experience the degree of racism and prejudice that exists and write his story from that point of view. It takes him little time to experience sectarianism. His anger at the way he is treated also affects his relationship with Kathy Lacy (McGuire), his publisher`s niece and the person who proposed the series in the first place.

Kathy`s attitude is further revealed when she and Phil announce their engagement. His sister Jane (Jane Wyatt) invites him to a celebration at her home in Darien, Connecticut, known as a « small » community where Jews are not welcome. Fearing an unpleasant scene, Kathy wants to tell her family and friends that Phil is pretending to be Jewish, but Phil persuades Kathy to only tell Jane. At the party, everyone is very friendly with Phil, although many people are « unable » to attend at the last minute. Although Kathy seems to have liberal views, when he reveals what he intends to do, she is stunned and asks if he is actually Jewish. The pressure exerted on their relationship by Kathy`s subtle tolerance of bigotry becomes a key theme of the film. Overall, gentleman`s agreement has its problems: in many cases, the story stops so that the actors can preach to us the horrors of prejudice. It happens often, but the casting is so extraordinary that we could forgive this little mistake. It`s really a great movie. DIRECTED BY Elia Kazan SCREENPLAY: Moss Hart ACTORS: Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, John Garfield, Celeste Holm, Anne Revere, June Havoc, Albert Dekker, Jane Wyatt, Dean Stockwell Finally, after many discussions with his older and worried mother (a typical Anne Revere), Phil has a eureka moment. Of course! There you go! Just as he once wrote Orwellian reports about being a miner or an okie – he would be Jewish! He claimed to be Jewish and applied for jobs, club memberships, hotel reservations, etc.

In a state of literary ecstasy, he almost shouts, « And I have a title for that – I was Jewish for six months! » Gentleman`s Agreement earned Elia Kazan the first of two Best Director wins (out of five such nominations). Kazan, who has been known throughout his career as an advocate for social causes, is probably best known for On the Waterfront, with Gentleman`s Agreement in second place. Kazan, who was famous for his work on stage as well as for what he achieved on screen, was the director of an actor and the most important thing for him was to get the best possible performance from each member of the cast. This quality is evident throughout the Gentleman`s Agreement. However, his legacy will forever be tainted by the controversy surrounding his testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee, where he « named names. » Two actors who participated in the Gentleman`s Agreement, John Garfield and Anne Revere, were blacklisted because of this panel (but not because of what Kazan said). Hobson was Jewish; Born Laura Kean Zametkin, she changed her name to get a job as a magazine secretary – a decision that appears in the film, transformed in interesting ways. Hart was Jewish, the film`s producer Darryl Zanuck was a Methodist, Elia Kazan had a Greek Orthodox background, and Peck was raised Catholic. The personal and authoritarian religious intelligence of this film is hobsons. Much of the « message » gets lost in a jumble of words. The feeling is also as well distributed as we would like. In Gentleman`s Agreement, prejudice has consequences, and the character who intervenes for many in the audience is Kathy.

She seems to be the perfect liberal, thinking correctly. She « speaks », but does she « go in the direction »? To some extent, yes, but there is evidence that she will only sacrifice a lot. The development of her love affair with Green is a weak point – she is in a hurry and happens so quickly that she widens the gullibility – but it is necessary for the events that occur later in the film. Gentleman`s Agreement contrasts Green`s position against prejudice with Kathy`s – and we find it flawed. She is not a « bad person » and he loves her, but when the time comes for him to choose her or adhere to her principles, he is forced to make sacrifices. This, in turn, creates a moment of crisis for Kathy. The film`s tone towards anti-Semitism is not the harsh note of intellectual outrage, but the polite whisper of arguments. The film reduces a serious problem to dialogue. In 1947, the Oscar for Best Picture went to Gentleman`s Agreement with Gregory Peck as a campaign reporter on assignment. The Best Director awards were also given to Elia Kazan and the Best Supporting Actress awards went to Celeste Holm.

At first glance, it looks like a « publishing movie » quite worthy of the 40s, the kind of film that the Academy thought honored. .