Ethnic Stereotypes In The Pawnbroker

It was estimated that by the late teens of the 20th century, Zukor held 75% of the best talent in the filmmaking business. I was baffled by this statistic when I read it. For one studio to hold ¾’s of the best talent in the industry is nearly a monopoly. Another thing I found interesting was that Fox worked on 70 mm wide-screen techniques. This was thought provoking to me because this summer I saw the film Dunkirk, and my friends and I saw it with the 70 mm wide-screen edition. I had never seen a movie with this wide-screen 70 mm and it was definitely different from a regular screen. Another thing that caught my attention was the connection between film and politics. I was interested to learn that MGM used a film to bring down Upton Sinclair as he was running for office. I was also shocked to read that Charlie Chaplin was not let into the United States because of his progressive political views. I was baffled that a man that was once called the “king of comedy” in the United States was denied entry because of his political

During the course of this essay it is my intention to discuss the differences between Classical Hollywood and post-Classical Hollywood. Although these terms refer to theoretical movements of which they are not definitive it is my goal to show that they are applicable in a broad way to a cinema tradition that dominated Hollywood production between 1916 and 1960 and which also pervaded Western Mainstream Cinema (Classical Hollywood or Classic Narrative Cinema) and to the movement and changes that came about following this time period (Post-Classical or New Hollywood). I intend to do this by first analysing and defining aspects of Classical Hollywood and having done that,

This paper was prepared for Introduction to Film History, Module 1 Homework Assignment, taught by Professor Stephanie Sandifer.

One of the important films from this period is Exodus. Exodus is a 1960 film about the birth of the modern state of Israel in 1948. It was based on Leon Uris’ novel of the same name. It is important to stress that Uris was called on by American government to create a novel which would introduce the Arab-Israel conflict to the Americans and depict Israelis as heroes. This comes as no surprise as the 1950s and 1960s marked, as already mentioned, the growth of tensions between the East and the West. America and Israel were close allies even back then and were united against Palestinians. This film is a great example of how much influence politics has on the Hollywood film industry. When a certain message needs to be sent

Schindler’s List is a significant teaching tool in high school across the nation. There are far too many places worldwide that hate, intolerance and genocide still exist. The movie is not only about Jews or Germans it is about humans as a whole. This movie is about racial hatred and how many people still practice it nowadays. With the hope that Schindler’s List will awaken an awareness of such evil and inspire this generation and future generation to seek an end to racism. One aspect of how good and evil are portrayed in a number of different ways throughout the movie. This movie will remind high school students that there is hope no matter how difficult life may get, hatred still exist and how evil people are. I strongly agree that every

Holocaust film has emerged as its own genre throughout time. Originally, directors ignored the possibility of Holocaust films, then the content started to take form in non-fiction recordings. Eventually, the genre of Holocaust film took off and today there is an abundance of Holocaust related films that appear when one scrolls through movie streaming sites. The Pawnbroker (1964), directed by Sidney Lumet, is a perfect example of a film that deals with both the lasting effect of the Holocaust and the stereotyping of a multitude of characters. Exploring the Holocaust in media through The Pawnbroker and The Pawnbroker’s film techniques, serve as a prime example for not only how Holocaust survivors felt emotionally imprisoned, but stereotypes different groups as well. Critics responded harshly to this stereotypical labeling and this shows how the meaning of the film has been interpreted by society differently over time.

The analysis of the film will take place in four parts: (1) conflict between minority and majority groups; (2) film’s perspective in approach to the problem of anti-semitism; (3)

In public discourse surrounding an event like the Holocaust, it is not uncommon for one to want to summarize the event in some abstract concept, be it positive or negative. This type of thinking is especially prevalent in the conclusions drawn by those reading literary works relating to the Holocaust, in which the stories are so entrenched with stereotypes of suffering and the equivocal life-lessons that they lead to a rather shallow understanding of an emotive and difficult subject. This is not to say that drawing these types of conclusions is wrong or especially invalid, but rather the process of projecting these lessons onto the story without developing their further implications speaks to a superficial longing of externalizing the

“What all contributions to this study of race in early cinema have in common is the grounding of their analysis in history” (Bernardi, page 10). Bernardi’s quote relates to how understanding the sociohistorical context of American History X is crucial to understanding how whiteness and eurocentrism is constructed in the narrative. The historical background of American History X dates back to the reign of the Nazi Party in Europe. After German defeat in World War I, Nazism arose and Neo-Nazi factions were established in countries all over

After reading the article, “The Culmination of Classic Hollywood: Casablanca” written by Robert Ray, it examines the film Casablanca and the way it demonstrates how Americans felt during World War II. The main issues that both the article and the film address are the issues of lifestyles, ambitions, and class divisiveness.

This essay is based on films of the same story, told in different ways, with emphasis, themes, meaning and interpretation shaped or shaded by the situation of the storyteller; the cinematic mise-en-scene. Based on the same story, the films reveal and reflect the film-maker’s social norms and views, emerging from their different national contexts. While exploring the two films, this essay will examine elements of film language or semiotics: color saturation (or black and white), sound, setting, type of camera angles used; repetition of visual motifs (Metz, 1985). The two films explored were made in the 1960s. Neither film is American, yet both reveal influences and reflections on American cinema and American power; the Western film, adherence or detracting from Hollywood Classical cinema tropes, i.e. close-ups, shot-reverse-shot, POV, depth of field (Bazin, 1985: 128-9). The two films are Kurasawa’s Yojimbo (1961) and Leone’s Fistful of Dollars (1964), from Japan and Italy, respectively. How are they different; how similar? Why do they use the same plot,

Many denote Casablanca as one of the greatest romance films of all time, but there is more beyond what is going on between the leading man and the leading lady. When an individual ponders Casablanca, they may think of the romance aspect of it, but that is only one facet of this film. Although it probably was not viewed as such at the time, Casablanca is a historical record depicting the events of World War II. This film not only shows events and situations that occurred, but shows how people felt about those incidents. There are many characters from different heritages in the film, and the actors’ portrayal of a certain type of person, whether American or Bulgarian, can give an idea as to how Americans or Bulgarians felt in real life at the time. Even though there is one American in the film, the viewer can discern how Americans were perceived by others by the acting of that one American; one is almost forced to assume that is what Americans are like since there was just that one character. Through this film, one can tell if the people who made it wanted to promote American involvement in the war; an individual can also see a portrayal of Americans and their allies during the war; there is a depiction of the nature of the war and the violence that ensued because of it; and cultural components are shown.

The atrocities of the Holocaust, along with the suffering of its victims, are spoken of in literary texts and shown in films. Can the Holocaust actually be represented ethically, in a way that honors the horrific suffering of the victims, and in a real sense, by either of these forms of narrative representations, especially film? Critics argue both sides of this question; some stating that the movie, Schindler’s List, trivializes the Holocaust; whereas, others defend the film. This paper will look at both sides of this argument; the positive side of Richard Kearney and the negative side of Claude Lanzmann.

[1] Before I start this essay, I feel the need to remind the reader that I find slavery in all its forms to be an oppressive and terrible institution, and I firmly believe that for centuries (including this one) bigotry is one of the most terrible stains on our civilization. The views I intend to express in the following essay are in no way meant to condone the practices of slavery or racism; they are meant only to evaluate and interpret the construction of slavery in film.

Hollywood producers help shape our definition of evil by constantly polluting our mind with stereotypical propaganda causing laughter, but at the same time adversity for those in our social community. The embellished ‘Mythical Arab-land’ and ‘Demonizing of Palestinians’ are aspects that have caused a consistent projection of their humanity. The films produced build towards a global misconception of a particular religion or race and is counterproductive to any reconciliation for peace. On the other hand, people contradict this false view by simply turning it into comedy, and over time working away the stereotype itself.