Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in Cinema

Daniel & Harry welcome writer, cook and podcast co-host of "Food Friends" Sonya Sanford to the pod to discuss the 1986 film "Heartburn" directed by Mike Nichols, written by Norah Ephron, and starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. They make the case for the film's supremely Jewish relationship with food, discuss the way the film censors some of the Jewishness from the liv...

Daniel and Harry welcome producer JD Lifshitz to the pod to talk about the 2019 film The Vigil. They cover what JD doesn’t always like about “Jewish” movies, share behind-the-scenes stories from the making of the film, talk about how trauma affects the characters depicted in the film, and think of ways this movie could possibly be more Jewish! As always, they close out the episode by ranking the f...

[originally aired July 7th 2022] In this exciting season two premiere, Harry and Daniel are joined by Jen Stewart of the Borscht Belt Tattler podcast to discuss "Mr Saturday Night" starring and directed by Billy Crystal. Jen explains why she chose the film, her connection to the Borscht Belt, and even surprises Harry and Daniel with a pop quiz on famous Jewish comedians and their real Hebr...

Daniel & Harry welcome writer and podcaster Esther Kustanowitz to discuss Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical 2022 film The Fabelmans , starring Michelle Williams, Gabriel LaBelle, and Paul Dano. They discuss the role Sammy’s Jewishness plays in isolating him from his peers, how his parents’ interests pushed him towards the technical and artistic sides of filmmaking, and how his role as direct...

Daniel & Harry welcome film critic, author, and podcaster Shawn Levy to discuss Paul Mazursky's 1989 film Enemies: A Love Story , starring Ron Silver, Anjelica Huston, Lena Olin, and Malgorzata Zajaczkowska. They discuss what differentiates the experience of the Jewish immigrant to America in the early 20th century, analyze the film’s exploration of survival through children, what’s so spe...

In this week’s episode, Daniel & Harry are joined by film critic Danielle Solzman to discuss 1967’s “The Producers,” directed by Mel Brooks and starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. They discuss how the film grapples with questions of how to joke about Nazis, marvel at the impressive musical numbers and choreography, and laugh along at the movies loud and brash comedy. As always, they close ou...

In this week’s episode, Daniel & Harry are joined by writer and podcast host Mark Oppenheimer to discuss Robert Mandel’s 1992 film “School Ties,” starring Brendan Fraser and Matt Damon. They unpack how the film represents widespread antisemitism as it existed at the time, debate the accuracy of its depiction of Jewish practice, and discuss how screenwriter Dick Wolf infuses a Law and Order typ...

Daniel and Harry welcome Noah Segan, actor/director/writer of the film "Blood Relatives,” to the pod to discuss the 1974 Mel Brooks classic "Young Frankenstein." They discuss themes of fate and repeating the sins of your ancestors, their love of genre films, and the way Mel Brooks embeds Jewishness into his homage of the classic monster film. As always, they close out the episode by ra...

Daniel and Harry are joined by Benjamin Stuart Thompson, a multi-venue director of stage, television, and film to discuss the 1933 Marx Brothers classic " Duck Soup. " Benjamin shares stories of his grandfather Arthur Sheekman, a writer on "Duck Soup" along with other Marx Brothers films. They discuss the film's depiction of the brothers as "others" in the otherwise str...

Daniel and Harry are back for season three of Jews on Film! In this season premiere they welcome Nabil Ayers - music industry entrepreneur, musician, and author to discuss Martin Scorsese's 1985 dark comedy "After Hours" starring Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, and Linda Fiorentino. They discuss SoHo in the 1980s, Scorsese’s exploration of temptation and punishment, how this film fits...

In this season two finale of Jews on Film, Daniel and Harry are joined by Ginna Green and Lynn Harris, co-hosts of the podcast A Bintel Brief , to discuss 2019’s “Booksmart” directed by Olivia Wilde and starring Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein. They uncover the coded Jewishness in some of its lead and side characters, debate whether the film’s structure is inherently Jewish or not, and make the...

In this special episode, Harry and Daniel are guests of the Seattle-based Dead Beat Film Society podcast, joining them in a discussion of Barry Levinson’s Rain Man, starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. Tune in to hear their them chat about the way the film defies genre convention to deliver a moving, but realistic and measured portrayal of the central relationship. They further talk about the p...

In this week’s episode, Daniel & Harry welcome Noah Rinsky of @oldjewishmen to the pod to discuss Robert Altman's 1973 noir classic "The Long Goodbye,” starring Elliot Gould. They cover Gould and Altman’s interpretation of novelist Raymond Chandler’s iconic detective Phillip Marlowe, coding him as Jewish in a way that distinguishes him from past onscreen portrayals. They further discus...

In this week’s episode, Daniel and Harry welcome writer Emil Stern to discuss David Mamet’s 1991 film Homicide, starring Joe Mantegna and William H. Macy. They delve into protagonist Bobby Gold’s journey as a “wandering Jew,” struggling to fit in with both his fellow cops and the Jewish family whose murder case he’s been tasked to solve. They further discuss the harsh language of Mamet’s script, a...

In this week’s episode, Daniel and Harry are joined by Professor Nathan Abrams, a professor of film studies at Bangor University in Wales and Jewish film scholar, to discuss Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film A Clockwork Orange , starring Malcolm McDowell . They discuss the film’s exploration of the relationship between power and authority, consider the Jewishness in its approach to free choice and accou...

In this week's episode, Daniel & Harry are joined by PJ Grisar, Culture Writer for The Forward, to discuss the 1971 hidden gem "The Plot Against Harry," directed by Michael Roemer and starring Martin Priest as the eponymous Harry. Listen along as they chronicle Harry’s ”teshuva” journey following his time in prison, dive into the authentic representation of a ‘70s New York Jewish c...

In this week's episode, Daniel & Harry are joined by Esther Werdiger, Art Director for Tablet Magazine, to discuss the 1972 classic comedy "The Heartbreak Kid," directed by Elaine May and starring Charles Grodin, Cybill Shepherd, and Jeannie Berlin. Tune in as they identify within the film the hallmarks of 1970s New York Jewry, consider the film’s satirical take on the threat of Je...

In this week's episode, Daniel & Harry discuss the 2009 anxiety-inducing film "A Serious Man," directed by the Coen Brothers and starring Michael Stuhlbarg. They touch on the meaning of Larry's dreams, explore the challenges of being logical in an increasingly illogical and unpredictable world, and unpack the cryptic messages and parables offered by the film’s 3 rabbis. They wr...

In this week’s episode, Daniel and Harry welcome Rachel Rosenfeld, Executive Director of Mercaz Seattle to discuss the 1995 classic "Clueless," starring Alicia Silverstone as the iconic Cher. They consider the resonance of Cher’s embodiment of the Jewish American Princess (JAP), break down the California traffic one might face to go to a party all the way in the valley, the timelessness of...

In this week’s episode, Daniel and Harry head outdoors for a special in-person recording where they discuss Barry Levinson's 2021 film “The Survivor.” They consider the movie’s themes of assimilation and survival, its cinematic depiction of the concentration camps, and its attempts at presenting scenes of violent boxing without seeming exploitative. As always, they end the episode by rating th...

In this week's episode, Daniel and Harry are joined by the stars of the 2 Movie Jews podcast Yechiel Hoffman and Jodi Berman. Together, they discuss Quentin Tarantino's 2009 World War II epic "Inglourious Basterds," starring Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, and Christoph Waltz. Tune in as they explore the film's theme of hiding from one's past, discuss the representation of powe...

In this week's episode, Daniel and Harry chat about Shawn Levy's "This is Where I Leave You," starring Jason Bateman, Jane Fonda, and a whole cast of recognizable (if not very Jewish...) faces. Listen in as they dive into how the film explains Shiva to its broad audience, reflect on their own relationships with their siblings, and analyze how the characters rethink the trajectories...

In this exciting season two premiere, Harry and Daniel are joined by Jen Stewart of the Borscht Belt Tattler podcast to discuss "Mr Saturday Night" starring and directed by Billy Crystal. Jen explains why she chose the film, her connection to the Borscht Belt, and even surprises Harry and Daniel with a pop quiz on famous Jewish comedians and their real Hebrew names! Movie Trailer IMDB summ...

In this season 1 finale to Jews on Film, Daniel and Harry are joined by Etan Basseri for a discussion on Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris," starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. Tune into their discussion on the pitfalls of giving ourselves over to too much nostalgia, the positive relationship Judaism and Jewish culture has with its past, and the time periods they'd most want to...

In this week's episode, Daniel and Harry are guestless as they unpack Paul Thomas Anderson's 2021 Oscar Nominated “Licorice Pizza,” starring Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman. Listen in as they reminisce on Daniel's childhood in the San Fernando Valley, discuss the concept of the "Nice Jewish Boy" (NJB) and its presence in the film, and finally learn how to pronounce the director a...