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Conference taveng::bagels

Title:	BAGELS and other things of Jewish interest
Notice:	1.0 policy, 280.0 directory, 32.0 registration
Moderator:	SMURF::FENSTER

Created:	Mon Feb 03 1986
Last Modified:	Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1524
Total number of notes:	18709

1491.0. "Pictures of Jewish Life in Literature,Film,&Theatre" by CPCOD::JOHNSON (A rare blue and gold afternoon) Tue Feb 13 1996 00:53

      When reading Kathy's notes, I thought it might be nice to have
      a place to put recommendations for literature (fiction), 
      films, and plays which show various aspects of Jewish life. Maybe 
      museum recommendations as well if that's not getting too broad in
      scope.

      My thinking is that these might give people an additional "taste" 
      or "flavor" of Jewish life that would be different from reading 
      strictly non-fiction works such as "The Jewish Book of Why."

      Some of my recommendations would be:

      Fiddler on the Roof (musical, done on both stage & screen)

      Frisco Kid (film - takes place back in the days of the early west,
                  a new rabbi is sent from Europe to the be Rabbi in 
                  San Francisco, he meets with many obstacles and adventures
                  in his journey across America, I thought this was a great
                  film, it has a lot of gentle humor)

      Stranger Among Us (suspense film, undercover police woman investigates
                  a murder in the Hassidic community in N.Y., such a clash
                  of cultures!)

      Schindler's List (film - since this is so recent & well known I won't
                  describe it, and although we purchased the video, I haven't 
                  actually seen it yet. I must confess that I am afraid to, 
                  though I did manage to get through watching Sophie's Choice
                  with its hard scenes of the concentration camps)

      Kengas Cohen(film - a bit strange, but interesting. Its the haunting of 
                  a former Nazi by a Jew he killed during the Holacaust with
                  rather interesting results)

      Any book by Chaim Potek - The ones I've read are "The Chosen" and 
                  "The Gift of Asher Lev".  The action is a bit slow, but
                  what happens inside the characters is very interesting.
                  These mostly are about the Hassidic community.
     
      "Jewels and Ashes", this is not fiction work, its the author's travels
                  experiences, rememberences, and thoughts as he travels from
                  Australia where he was born (his parents immigrated there
                  during or just before the war to escape the pograms and
                  Holacaust) back to the villages of his relatives in what
                  became Eastern Europe. (I've forgotten exactly where) I've
                  forgotten the author's name, but its a beautifully written
                  book, well worth reading in my opinion. I have it at home,
                  so can check on the author.

Leslie

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
1491.2		OUTSRC::HEISER	watchman on the wall	`Tue Feb 13 1996 21:32`	9
	Any such list must include "The 10 Commandments." Another gem I recently saw was "Joseph." This was an excellent 4-hour portrayal of the life of Joseph with some famous actors in it. Ben Kingsley plays Potiphar, Lesley Ann Warren is Potiphar's wife, and another famous actor whose names escapes me now plays Jacob. I highly recommend it. Mike
1491.3		BBQ::WOODWARDC	...but words can break my heart	`Thu Feb 15 1996 05:42`	4
	Martin Landau was 'Jacob' and (Australian actor [yay!]) Paul Mecurio as Joseph. H
1491.4		BBQ::WOODWARDC	...but words can break my heart	`Thu Feb 15 1996 05:44`	5
	oh, another good book is 'Diary of Anne Frank'. Or rather, it isn;t "well written", but it does give an insight into some of the conditions during what continues to be a dark stain on history.
1491.5	My favorite	SWAM1::MILLS_MA	To Thine own self be True	`Tue Feb 20 1996 22:33`	5
	And the ever popular "Yentl", both a movie and (I think) the book "Yentl, the Yeshiva Boy". Marilyn
1491.7	two more movies	CADSYS::GROSS	The bug stops here	`Wed Feb 21 1996 16:13`	4
	Two more movies: Crossing Delancy and The Chosen (the book was mentioned in .0 but not the movie). Dave
1491.8		CPCOD::JOHNSON	A rare blue and gold afternoon	`Wed Feb 21 1996 19:25`	4
	I didn't know The Chosen had been made into a movie ... great! I'll look for the video next time we want to pick up a movie to watch. Leslie
1491.9	If you like books, read it	SWAM1::MILLS_MA	To Thine own self be True	`Thu Feb 22 1996 00:00`	5
	The movie starred Robby Benson, and IMHO wasn't as good as the book, but then, movies usually aren't. Marilyn
1491.10		CPCOD::JOHNSON	A rare blue and gold afternoon	`Thu Feb 22 1996 17:49`	4
	You're right about that Marilyn, books usually give you more than the movie. I have read the book, will the movie disappoint me? Leslie
1491.11	More	SWAM1::MILLS_MA	To Thine own self be True	`Thu Feb 22 1996 19:00`	29
	Leslie, Let me preface my reply by saying I'm not a great fan of Robby Benson. That being said, he didn't do a terrible job, but I always prefer books. That way, I can make the characters look like I want them, not what a director wants me to see! It's been a long time since I saw the movie, but if you go in knowing that it's not going to be as good as the book, or go into as much detail, you probably won't be disappointed. I thought of two "made for TV" movies with Jewish themes. One was "Playing for Time", starring Vanessa (yuk) Redgrave. The other, whose name I forget was very good, and starred Meryl Streep, James Woods, and others I can't remember. This one was a miniseries. For some reason the name Holocaust somes to mind, but I somehow I don't think that's right. Now, for books, my favorites are the Rabbi series by Harry Kemelman. They are light mysteries, and give you a glimpse into Conservative Judaism without sounding like a lecture. Another series I just started on is the one by Faye Kellerman. This one is also in the mystery genre, and stars a detective (can't for the life of me remember his name) rediscovering his Jewish roots, and trying to become Orthodox after being raised Christian (he was adopted) and his girlfriend, then wife Rina Lazarus, who is Orthodox. This is a great topic, let's keep those pointers coming.
1491.12		OUTSRC::HEISER	watchman on the wall	`Fri Feb 23 1996 19:16`	7
	> name I forget was very good, and starred Meryl Streep, James Woods, and > others I can't remember. This one was a miniseries. For some reason the > name Holocaust somes to mind, but I somehow I don't think that's right. I think this might've been "Sophie's Choice." A very sad movie. Mike
1491.13	No, not that one	SWAM1::MILLS_MA	To Thine own self be True	`Fri Feb 23 1996 22:15`	5
	No, "Sophie's Choice" was a theatrical release. This was a mini-series on TV in the (I think) early eighties. In thinking again, maybe the name was "The Holocaust". Marilyn
1491.14	Anne Frank	CSC32::J_CHRISTIE		`Sat Feb 24 1996 01:24`	9
	Might the film and book "The Diary of Anne Frank" fit this category? I saw a page from Anne Frank's actual diary in a museum exhibit in Denver, Colorado, a few years ago, the translation into English alongside the original. I was deeply moved. Shalom, Richard
1491.16	Unless she was in both...	SWAM1::MILLS_MA	To Thine own self be True	`Mon Feb 26 1996 18:43`	6
	Small nit. Meryl Streep was the one in "Holocaust". Vanessa Redgrave was in "Playing for Time". Marilyn
1491.18	Could be	SWAM1::MILLS_MA	To Thine own self be True	`Tue Feb 27 1996 00:56`	6
	I don't know, I didn't think so, but that's why I entered the title on my last reply. I KNOW she was in "Playing for Time". If she was, it's interesting that she takes roles in these "jewish" movies, given her political bias. Marilyn
1491.20	More on Redgrave	SWAM1::MILLS_MA	To Thine own self be True	`Tue Feb 27 1996 20:13`	12
	re -1 Right. Re a few back, I asked for a "filmography" of Vanessa Redgrave movies in the Movies notesfile and "Holocaust" is not mentioned. Guess she was only in "Playing for Time". Marilyn
1491.21	Unstrung Heroes	CSC32::J_CHRISTIE	Psalm 85.10	`Tue May 07 1996 05:28`	5
	Permit me to suggest adding "Unstrung Heroes." Now available on video. Shalom, Richard