THE FREEDLANDS Jonathan Freedland is a journalist and novelist. His father Michael is a journalist, broadcaster and biographer with a particular interest in Hollywood and its entertainers. The interview is filmed by Jacob Freedland, Jonathan’s son and Michael’s grandson. As you watch the clips from the conversation between Jonathan and Michael, put a tick in the tables below when you hear references to the different films, people and themes listed. For each clip, there are some suggested follow up questions. Earliest Memories Reference Tick when mentioned Shirley Temple Star Wars in 1977 H for Horrors Continuous performance Three Stooges Newsreels National Anthem Find out more: • What are your earliest memories of going to the cinema? Ask your family about theirs. • How and why has the social and political context impacted on film classification since the 1930s? • Research when the National Anthem stopped being played at the end of a film screening. What reasons can you find? Jewish Hollywood Reference Tick when mentioned Michael Curtiz Billy Wilder Walt Disney Antisemite Three Little Pigs Casablanca Some Like It Hot Bob Hope 1/4 Find out more: • Choose one of the people named in this clip and find out more about them. • Watch this scene from the 1933 version of The Three Little Pigs How does it support the assertion that Walt Disney was antisemitic? To what extent does this representation reinforce anti-Jewish stereotypes? • Read this article then discuss how you think we should respond to the work made by people with intolerant and discriminatory viewpoints. Assimilation & representation Reference Tick when mentioned Sixty-Six Barmitzvah Boy Sunday Bloody Sunday Jazz Singer The Great Dictator Dirty Dancing Schindler’s List Find out more: • From what you’ve heard in this clip, which of these films would you most like to watch? • Watch a clip or the trailer online for three of these films. How are the Jewish characters represented? • Watch this speech from The Great Dictator. To what extent is this speech reflective of its time or could you describe it as universal? Intergenerational perspectives Reference Tick when mentioned Seth Rogan Sasha Baron Cohen Jonah Hill [Feldstein] Borat Blazing Saddles Mel Brooks George Burns Walter Matthau Sunshine Boys Neil Simon 2/4 Find out more: • Watch this trailer for Blazing Saddles and this trailer for Borat. Both these films are satirical comedies. What features of satire do they have in common? • Ask older people in your family about films and actors they remember liking who are from your cultural heritage. How do their choices compare with the films and actors you like today? • When a filmmaker or an actor is from a similar background to you, in what ways (if any) does that influence the way you respond to the film? Jewish life on screen Reference Tick when mentioned The Jolson Story Caricatures The Gentleman’s Agreement Crossfire Passport to Pimlico Sydney Taffler The Bespoke Overcoat Fiddler on the Roof Find out more: • Find a definition of a ‘caricature’. How does this differ from a stereotype? • Research The Jolson Story then read this article. What do you think about the issues raised in this article? • Watch this trailer for Fiddler on the Roof. How would you describe the Jewish life represented here? 3/4 Jewish life on screen Reference Tick when mentioned The Pawnbroker Shoah Holocaust Abie’s Irish Rose The Jazz Singer Talking picture Charlie Chaplin The Great Dictator George Arliss 1930s [The House of] Rothschild Fiddler on the Roof Shtetl Archetypes Find out more: • What is the difference between ‘stereotypes’ and ‘archetypes’? • To what extent do you think this representation of a Jewish character is stereotyped in this clip from The House of Rothschild? • How and why can stereotypes of Jewish people (and other minority groups) be used positively and negatively? Film industry Reference Tick when mentioned Annie Hall Saul Bellow Phillip Roth George Burns Walter Matthau Distribution Production Sidney Samuelson Find out more: • Look at the interactive timeline to find out more about some of the people mentioned in this clip. • Watch Jason Solomons talk about the significance of Woody Allen – also on this page. How do Jason’s comments compare and contrast with those of Michael and Jonathan? • Watch the clip on this page of Gerry Turvey explaining the Jewish contribution to early film distribution and production in Britain [chapter 3]. How has this aspect of the film industry changed since then? 4/4.