Overview

The Holocaust has been the focus of countless films in the United States, Great Britain, and Europe, and its treatment over the years has been the subject of considerable controversy. When finally permitted to portray the atrocities, filmmakers struggled with issues of fidelity to historical fact, depictions of graphic violence, and how to approach the complexities of the human condition on all sides of this horrific event. In Hollywood and the Holocaust, Henry Gonshak explores portrayals of the Holocaust from the World War II era to the present. In chapters devoted to films ranging from The Great Dictator to Inglourious Basterds, this volume looks at how these films have shaped perceptions of the Shoah. The author also questions if Hollywood, given its commercialism, is capable of conveying the Holocaust in ways that do justice to its historical trauma. Through a careful consideration of over twenty-five films across genres—including Life Is Beautiful, Cabaret, The Reader, The Boys from Brazil, and Schindler’s List—this book provides an important look at the social, political, and cultural contexts in which these movies were produced. By also engaging with the critical responses to these films and their role in the public’s ongoing fascination with the Holocaust, this book suggests that viewers take a closer look at how such films depict this dark period in world history. Hollywood and the Holocaust will be of interest to cultural critics, historians, and anyone interested in the cinema’s ability to render these tragic events on screen.

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9781442252233

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Hollywood and the Holocaust offers an important look at Hollywood's ongoing representations of the Holocaust aimed at a general readership not usually addressed by volumes on this subject. Dillon Tribune

Hollywood and the Holocaust offers an important look at Hollywood's ongoing representations of the Holocaust aimed at a general readership not usually addressed by volumes on this subject. Dillon Tribune By what standards should we judge films about the Holocaust? That's the provocative question that hangs over Hollywood and the Holocaust by Henry Gonshak, an English professor at Montana Tech. In examining older films, Gonshak rightly puts them in the context of their times... In joining the growing shelf of books on the subject of the Holocaust and movies, Gonshak offers some insights as to how far we've come. The Jewish Advocate

Author Information

Henry Gonshak is professor of English at Montana Tech, where he teaches Holocaust Studies. His writings on the Holocaust, Israel, and Jewish-American culture have appeared in two book collections, New Perspectives on the Holocaust: A Guide for Teachers and Scholars and The Burdens of History: Post Holocaust Generations in Dialogue, as well as in a variety of publications, including Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies, The American Jewish Congress Monthly, Response: A Contemporary Jewish Review, The Journal of American Culture and Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice.

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