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PODCAST

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in Cinema

Daniel Zana & Harry Ottensoser

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!

tv & film film reviews

All Episodes

89:45

The Rabbi's Cat w/Daniel Lobell

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/11/09

Daniel and Harry welcome stand up and comic book creator Daniel Lobell to discuss the 2011 film "The Rabbi's Cat," directed by Joann Sfar and Antoine Delesvaux.Before diving into the film, they share some thoughts on how they are processing the news out of Israel and Gaza as well the rise of antisemitism in the US.Then they talk about the film’s visual and narrative approach to adapting the graphic novels, explore the way Judaism relies on language and communication to resolve its

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85:19

The Pawnbroker w/Nira Burstein

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/10/26

Daniel and Harry welcome filmmaker Nira Burstein to discuss "The Pawnbroker," a 1964 film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Rod Steiger.They unpack the film’s exploration of collective trauma and its consequences on the individual, consider the way the movie might be received by those more and less familiar with the Holocaust, and analyze how the film’s trailblazing editing techniques heighten Sol’s internal drama and put the audience in his head.Finally, they talk to Nira about her

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89:15

Beau is Afraid w/ Nathan Cykiert

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/10/12

Daniel and Harry welcome producer and writer Nathan Cykiert to discuss Ari Aster's larger than life epic film, “Beau is Afraid” from 2023, starring Joaquin Phoenix.They consider the Jewishness inherent to the neuroticism and anxiety of the film’s titular Beau, as well as his relationship to his guilt-inducing mother (but don’t worry, they all love their Jewish mothers). They further unpack the Jewish connections to the use of water as a device throughout the film, and question the omnipresence

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86:01

Fiddler on The Roof w/ Leah Gottfried

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/09/28

For their 50ish Episode Spectacular, Daniel and Harry are joined by Leah Gottfried, creator of the acclaimed comedic web series “Soon by You,” to (finally) discuss the much requested “Fiddler on The Roof.” The film came out in 1971, was directed by Norman Jewish and stars Topol and Norma Crane.They explore the legacy of the film and how it has inspired the way the world at large thinks of Jews for over 50 years. They consider how the film’s themes of the tension between tradition and progress are as

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105:19

Bonus: Jews on Film on "You're Missing Out"...

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/09/14

Daniel & Harry recently had the opportunity to be guests on You're Missing Out to discuss the 1939 Yiddish film Tevye, starring Maurice Schwartz. Enjoy!"He's as accustomed to the whip as I am to poverty."You might know Sholem Aleichem's celebrated comedic hero of Yiddish literature, Tevye (or Tevya) from the musical Fiddler on the Roof. But decades earlier, titan of the Yiddish theatre scene Maurice Schwartz got a camera and a cast together and brought Aleichem's stories

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20:16

Bonus: You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah...

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/09/07

Daniel & Harry speak to Sammi Cohen for a bonus episode conversation about the film "You Are so not Invited to my Bat Mitzvah," streaming now on Netflix.Tune in to hear Sammi’s thoughts on Jewish humor, what the modern Jewish world looks like, and on the validity behind some of Daniel and Harry’s wildest stretches.Movie Trailer: https://youtu.be/LXciH__hbTwSammi’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/sammicohenConnect with Jews on Film

en-US

68:22

Waltz with Bashir w/ Elan Golod

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/08/24

Daniel and Harry are joined by Elan Golod, director of "Nathan-ism," to discuss the 2008 film "Waltz with Bashir" directed by Ari Folman.They cover the film’s exploration of memory and its malleability, dive deep into the distinction between historical truth vs story truth (and its relation to Jewish Midrash and the Seder), and make the case for why this film might be more Israeli than strictly Jewish.As always, they close out the episode by ranking the film's

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62:14

The Apartment w/ Julie Klausner

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/08/10

Daniel and Harry are joined by actor, comedian, and writer Julie Klausner to discuss the 1960 classic, “The Apartment” directed by Billy Wilder and starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine.They attempt to read the film’s protagonists as emblematic of the Jewish immigrant, marvel at the strong Jewish representation in the Dreyfuss characters and their promotion of “being a mensch,” and make the case that this may be one of the best movies “for the Jews.”As always, they close out the episode by

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71:59

Born Yesterday w/ Michael Schulman

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/07/27

Daniel and Harry are joined by New Yorker staff writer Michael Schulman, author of Oscar Wars, to discuss about the 1950 classic film, "Born Yesterday" directed by George Cukor and starring Judy Holliday and William Holden.They talk about the film's journey from Broadway to the big screen and Judy Holliday's long campaign to be cast as the lead in the film. They also cover how "Born Yesterday" places value on being an educated person, how assimilation is depicted onscreen,

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59:18

Airplane! w/ Eli Lebowicz

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/07/13

Daniel and Harry are joined by comedian Eli Lebowicz to discuss the 1980 film "Airplane!" directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker.They discuss the film’s layered, Talmudic approach to humor, uncover the Biblical origins of Jewish sarcasm, and consider how much longer the famous Jewish athletes leaflet would be in 2023!As always, they close out the episode by ranking the film's "Jewishness" in terms of its cast & crew, content, and themes.Airplane! on IMdb -

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67:11

Crossing Delancey w/ Jenny Caplan

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/06/29

Daniel and Harry are joined by Dr. Jennifer Caplan, author of Funny You Don't Look Funny, to discuss 1988’s “Crossing Delancey,” directed by Joan Micklin Silver and starring Amy Irving and Peter Riegert.They discuss the film’s themes of tradition versus progress within Judaism, unpack how Sam represents, and ultimately subverts, the “Nice Jewish Boy” trope, and analyze how the film respects Izzy’s journey towards finding the right path for herself, without judgement.As always, they close out the

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81:30

RRR w/ Avishai Weinberger

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/06/15

Daniel and Harry are joined by writer and director Avishai Weinberger to discsuss the 2022 epic "RRR" directed by S. S. Rajamouli, and starring N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan.They discuss the Biblical scale of some of the film’s epic set pieces, the global reception of such a culturally specific film (and what that could mean for Jewish stories), and how the movie leans into earnest sentimentality without undercutting it for a joke.As always, they close out the episode by ranking the

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47:46

Exploring Jewish Identity Through Film (Live)

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/06/01

In this special episode, recorded in March 2023, Daniel & Harry were invited to speak at the Jews at Microsoft group. During this virtual presentation, they go over the origins of the podcast, their favorite movies covered, and discuss common themes like Jewish coding, non-Jews playing Jews, Job like characters, and of course the stretches!Connect with Jews on Film

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63:56

JoJo Rabbit w/ Becky Braunstein

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/05/18

Daniel & Harry are joined by comedian and actor Becky Braunstein to discuss the 2019 film of “Jojo Rabbit” directed by Taika Waititi starring Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, and Scarlett Johansson.They discuss the idea of viewing this film as coming of age story vs a holocaust story, Elsa's depiction as a Jew in hiding with agency, their love for Yorkie, and so much more!As always, they close out the episode by ranking the film's "Jewishness" in terms of its cast &

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67:46

Oliver Twist (1948) w/ Jeffrey Wengrofsky

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/05/04

Daniel & Harry are joined by writer, filmmaker, and festival curator Jeffrey Wengrofsky to discuss the 1948 version of “Oliver Twist” directed by David Lean and starring Sir Alec Guinness, John Howard Davies, and Robert Newton.The discuss the grotesque depiction of Alex Guiness' Fagin and how it reinforces harmful Jewish stereotypes, trace how the film’s plot fits into a Christian redemption narrative, and consider the choices made by this adaption as they compare to the 20+ versions that

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96:40

Keeping the Faith w/ Phil Iscove

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/04/20

Daniel & Harry are joined by Film and TV writer, producer and podcaster Phil Iscove of Podcast Like It’s to discuss Edward Norton’s 2000 directorial debut “Keeping the Faith,” starring Norton, Ben Stiller, and Jenna Elfman.They marvel at the unabashed depiction of religion and Jewish practice from a major studio release, discuss the tension between modernity and tradition within religion, and make some unexpected picks for their respective “most Jewish scenes” in the movie.As always, they close

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70:34

Pretty Woman w/Karina Longworth

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/04/05

Daniel & Harry are joined by film writer and podcaster Karina Longworth of You Must Remember This to discuss Gary Marshall's 1990 film "Pretty Woman" starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.They cover the transactional way Edward sees those in his life, trace the characters’ evolution across the film, imagine what a "Pretty Woman" streaming series would look like in 2023, and discuss Jason Alexander's depiction of Phil Stucky, a (negatively) coded Jewish character.As

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70:13

Hail Caesar w/ Josh Weiss

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/03/23

Daniel and Harry are joined by Josh Weiss, Author of "Sunset Empire," to discuss the 2016 Coen Brother's film "Hail Caesar,” starring Josh Brolin, George Clooney, and Alden Ehrenreich.They cover the film's Jewish casting and depiction of communist writers, and delve into the history and context of the HUAC and Hollywood Ten. They also unpack the iconic focus group scene, featuring a very sarcastic Rabbi, and creatively ponder Hobie Doyle's possible connection to Moses.As

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88:54

Babel w/ Rabbi David Kasher

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/03/09

Daniel and Harry are joined by Rabbi David Kasher, author of ParshaNut, to discuss the 2006 film Babel, directed by Alejandro Iñárritu.They discuss the film's relationship to the Biblical Tower of Babel story, and how both explore themes of language, miscommunication and being a fish out of water. They also consider the film’s depiction of the ways war and industry can impact people all around the globe.As always, they close out the episode by ranking the film's "Jewishness" in terms

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87:35

Image of Victory w/ Dinah Leffert

Jews on Film: Exploring Jewish Stories & Themes in... ·

2023/02/23

Daniel and Harry welcome comedian and actor Dinah Leffert to discuss "Image of Victory," their first Hebrew language film of the podcast! The 2021 film was directed by Avi Nesher and stars Joy Rieger and Amir Khoury.They celebrate the film’s depiction of Jewish life on the kibbutz as a melting pot of world cultures, examine the film’s ideas on the role of propaganda in shaping public opinion, and uncover the many meta choices Nesher makes in casting a filmmaker as his protagonist.As always,

en-US

98 results

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