Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in Cinema

In this week's episode, Daniel and Harry are joined by Producer Gil Baron to discuss 1987's “Broadcast News,” starring Holly Hunter, Albert Brooks, and William Hurt, and directed by James L. Brooks. Tune in as they take on the film's themes of style versus substance, identify what makes Albert Brooks' Aaron a "coded Jew," and conjure up some of the biggest stretches this Po...

Daniel and Harry welcome actor Simon Feil (The Marvelous Ms. Maisel, Billions, Ocean’s Eight) to discuss “The Frisco Kid” starring Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford.   They touch on the accurate depiction of Judaism, Yiddish, and other customs depicted by Wilder’s Avram character. In addition, they discuss the representation of Native Americans in the film and how Harrison Ford makes for a pretty good...

In this week's episode, Daniel and Harry are joined by Seattle based writer and podcaster Emily Alhadeff to discuss the 1987 classic “Dirty Dancing,” starring Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze. Listen along as they uncover the film's concealed - but undeniable - Jewishness, consider the history of Jewish independence and assimilation in the United States, and are convinced once and for all...

In this week's episode, Daniel and Harry welcome Jason Diamond to discuss the 1994 film “City Slickers,” starring Billy Crystal. They chat about how the film deals with what it means to be a man, debate the Jewishness of a film without any explicitly Jewish characters, and reflect on why nostalgia remains so popular these days. As always, they end the episode by ranking the film’s Jewishness....

Daniel & Harry speak to Lisa Hurwitz for a bonus episode conversation about her film "The Automat". You can catch the film at the Seattle Jewish Film Festival from March 28th - April 10th for a virtual screening here: https://www.goelevent.com/SeattleJewishFilmFestival/e/SJFF2022THEAUTOMAT Find out more about the film here: http://www.automatmovie.com/

In this week’s episode, Daniel and Harry discuss Josh and Benny Safdie’s Adam Sandler starring 2019 film Uncut Gems . Join them as they consider the film’s possible Biblical inspirations, discuss the rich history of Jews in New York’s diamond district, and revel at one of the only Passover Seders featured in a mainstream Hollywood Film! As always, they end the episode by ranking the film’s Jewishn...

In this week’s episode, Daniel and Harry and joined by guest Rebecca Finkel as they discuss the Oscar-winning musical Yentl , released in 1983 and directed by and starring Jewish film legend Barbara Streisand. Join them as they discuss the film’s authentic Talmudic references, analyze its cultural place in Jewish and the overall film history, and debate the meaning behind its most enduring songs....

In this week’s episode, Daniel and Harry discuss Mel Brooks’ 1974 classic Blazing Saddles . Join them as they discuss the inherent Jewishness of any Mel Brooks film, kvetch over the film’s yiddish humor, and discover the unlikely inspiration for Lili Von Shtup! As always, they end the episode by ranking the film’s Jewishness in its production, content, and themes. Trailer: https://youtu.be/VKayG1T...

In this week’s episode, Daniel and Harry are joined by guest Yuli Masinovsky as they discuss Seth Rogen’s - perhaps most personal but certainly most Jewish - film, 2020’s An American Pickle . Join them as they discuss the film’s rootedness in Jewish themes of remembrance, consider the convincingness of Rogen’s accent as Herschel, and debate the movie’s adherence to and diversion from typical Holly...

Daniel Zana & Harry Ottensoser discuss films of all types to investigate what truly makes a film Jewish. Covering everything from Fiddler on the Roof to Uncut Gems, they finish each episode by ranking the film’s production, content, and themes on a scale of 1 to 5 Jewish stars. Listen each week to find out!