The 50 Greatest Jewish Movies

 The 50 Greatest Jewish Movies

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The 50 Greatest Jewish Movies: A Critic's Ranking of the Very Best was a 1998 book published by Kathryn Bernheimer. Bernheimer ranked the "top 50" films dealing with Jewish topics.[1]

Contents

1 List

2 References

3 Further reading

4 External links

List

Rank Title Year Rating Director

1 The Chosen 1981 PG Jeremy Paul Kagan

2 Schindler's List 1993 R Steven Spielberg

3 Shoah 1985 NR Claude Lanzmann

4 The Jazz Singer 1927 NR Alan Crosland

5 Annie Hall 1977 PG Woody Allen

6 Funny Girl 1968 G William Wyler

7 Gentleman's Agreement 1947 NR Elia Kazan

8 Exodus 1960 NR Otto Preminger

9 Ben-Hur (a Christian movie) 1959 NR William Wyler

10 The Ten Commandments 1956 G Cecil B. DeMille

11 Crossing Delancey 1988 PG Joan Micklin Silver

12 The Golem 1920 NR Paul Wegener and Carl Boese

13 Au revoir, les enfants 1987 PG Louis Malle

14 Almonds and Raisins: A History of the Yiddish Cinema 1985[2][3] NR Russ Karel[4][5]

15 Enemies, a Love Story 1989 R Paul Mazursky

16 The Great Dictator 1940 NR Charlie Chaplin

17 The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz 1974 PG Ted Kotcheff

18 Blazing Saddles 1974 R Mel Brooks

19 Chariots of Fire 1981 PG Hugh Hudson

20 Body and Soul 1947 NR Robert Rossen

21 The Pawnbroker 1965 NR Sidney Lumet

22 Goodbye, Columbus 1969 PG Larry Peerce

23 Bugsy 1991 R Barry Levinson

24 Cabaret 1972 PG Bob Fosse

25 Crimes and Misdemeanors 1989 PG-13 Woody Allen

26 The Last Angry Man 1959 NR Daniel Mann

27 The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick 1988 G Allan Goldstein

28 Job's Revolt 1983 NR Imre Gyöngyössy and Barna Kabay

29 Homicide 1991 R David Mamet

30 Madame Rosa 1977 PG Moshé Mizrahi

31 Driving Miss Daisy 1989 PG Bruce Beresford

32 Reversal of Fortune 1990 R Barbet Schroeder

33 Europa Europa 1991 R Agnieszka Holland (Judeo-Catholic)

34 The Big Fix 1978 PG Jeremy Kagan

35 Broadway Danny Rose 1984 PG Woody Allen

36 Julia 1977 PG Fred Zinnemann

37 Marathon Man 1976 R John Schlesinger

38 A Majority of One 1962 NR Mervyn LeRoy

39 Oliver! 1968 G Carol Reed

40 Down and Out in Beverly Hills 1986 R Paul Mazursky

41 Holocaust 1978 NR Marvin Chomsky

42 Dirty Dancing 1987 PG-13 Emile Ardolino

43 The Front 1976 PG Martin Ritt

44 Biloxi Blues 1988 PG-13 Mike Nichols

45 The Diary of Anne Frank 1959 NR George Stevens

46 Shine 1996 PG-13 Scott Hicks

47 Daniel 1983 R Sidney Lumet

48 Yentl 1983 PG Barbra Streisand

49 The Young Lions 1958 NR Edward Dmytryk

50 Marjorie Morningstar 1958 NR Irving Rapper

Critic's Ranking of the Very Best'

Author: 

Kathryn Bernheimer

Reviewer: 

Solomon Davidoff

Kathryn Bernheimer. The 50 Greatest Jewish Movies: A Critic's Ranking of the Very Best. Secaucus, N.J.: Carol Publishing Group, 1998. xi + 212 pp. $21.95 (paper), ISBN 978-1-55972-457-9.

Reviewed by Solomon Davidoff (Bowling Green State University)

Published on H-Film (April, 1999)

Eight Fingers

I have often wondered, if we had only eight fingers instead of ten, would we be producing lists of the Thirty-Two Greatest (fill in subject here) of all time? I ask the question, because while Bernheimer attempts to categorize Jewish oriented film into the fifty greatest of all time, she notes the difficulty that the restriction places upon her, and how she has to sneak in other worthy titles among her reviews, mentioning The Frisco Kid when discussing Blazing Saddles for instance.

Bernheimer provides commentary for each of the fifty films that begins with the standard information (title, studio, year of release, primary cast, director, length and rating) and a description of the entire photoplay, but goes into both positive and negative commentary. This is unlike some motion picture review books, which not only offer only positive commentary, but do not discuss the entire plot of the film, including the conclusion. While as a viewer I do not wish to be aware of a movie's conclusion before seeing it, I do want that information when reading full commentary of a production and its historical and cultural importance.

"For the purposes of this book," says Bernheimer, "I define (a Jewish movie) as a film that examines an aspect of the Jewish experience and features at least one clearly defined Jewish central character" (p. ix). This definition--an excellent starting point--explains the presence and absence of a variety of titles of import. Previous similar lists have focused on seminal historical events of import to the Jewish community, such as the Holocaust, but Bernheimer does not limit herself (beyond this definition) in any way. A key aspect of this, is that she includes pictures by both Jewish directors (such as Sidney Lumet, Woody Allen, Otto Preminger and Steven Spielberg), plus films by non-Jews (such as Edward Dmytryk, Hugh Hudson and Norman Jewison). While commentary has been made that only someone with intimate knowledge of a community can accurately direct or play the role of a member, this explanation being used to explain the absence of some texts in commentary, I feel that Rod Steiger's performance in both The Chosen and The Pawnbroker belies this comment. (I also agree with Bernheimer, at least in that The Chosen is one of the most important Jewish films of all time).

Bernheimer's list does not specify titles by category, but instead lists films by importance, acknowledging that she has biases when deciding. A nice feature she includes is to begin at the top of the list with her number one selection, The Chosen, following on through to her fiftieth, Marjorie Morningstar, which implies to me the importance of all the films on her list, rather than making reading the commentary an anticipatory exercise, focusing more on what is to come, rather than what is being read. Bernheimer's list is a top fifty, focusing on all film genres and styles. Also of note is that telefilms, such as Holocaust and Shoah, and documentaries, like Almonds and Raisins: A History of the Yiddish Cinema, are included in her listing. Many such lists will consider only films that were created for the silver screen, or will ignore documentaries. If there is a fault in Bernheimer's compilation, it is that she refers to a list of more than 250 films with Jewish characters and subjects that are available on video, but does not supply that list as an appendix. It would have been informative, and interesting, to note the films that made up her starting point. The survey ranges from the 1920 silent production of The Golem, to Shine from 1996, and covers all genres and filming techniques (except animation), including spectacles (Ben-Hur), musicals (Oliver!), gangster films (Bugsy), war stories (Europa, Europa) and comedies (Goodbye Columbus).

When considering the importance of this film survey, I am reminded of that famous stage production by Bob Booker and George Foster, You Don't Have To Be Jewish. Bernheimer's book offers a look into the representation of a widely misunderstood culture, in a clear and concise style that gives the subject the attention it deserves.

This review is copyrighted by Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies and the Historians Film Committee, http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~filmhis/. It may be reproduced electronically for educational or scholarly use. The Film & History reserves print rights and permissions. (Contact: P.C.Rollins at the following electronic address: Rollinspc@aol.com).

Printable Version: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=3038

Citation: Solomon Davidoff. Review of Bernheimer, Kathryn, The 50 Greatest Jewish Movies: A Critic's Ranking of the Very Best. H-Film, H-Net Reviews. April, 1999.

URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=3038

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