Jews on the Silver Screen Session 5 — Dumbing Down Literature: ‘The Chosen’ as Novel and Movie

This eight-week course examines the role of Jewish representation in Hollywood’s history. The program will cover a variety of topics, including the influence of Jewish pioneers in cinema, the portrayal of biblical narratives, and the cultural intersections in storytelling. The course also addresses the depiction of Jewish gangsters and the ways cinema has highlighted and addressed societal issues. Further discussions will focus on film adaptations of literature, with an analysis of works by directors like Steven Spielberg, exploring the subtle Jewish elements in their films. The series concludes with a focus on Jewish women in the film industry and an examination of both overt and subtle Jewish identities in cinema. Specific topics include “Dumbing Down Literature: The Chosen as Novel and Movie,” “Potok’s Jewish New York,” “Explaining Hasidic Spirituality,” and “Rod Steiger’s Rebbe.”