Jul. 06, 2002 - 11:45 pm

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Gentleman's Agreement (1947)

it's time for another Best Picture. this one won for 1947 and dealt with a very serious subject that Hollywood hadn't really confronted previously. anti-semitism. it stars Gregory Peck and a few people i've never seen in anything else. the one exception is Celest Holm who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, who i've seen previously in a couple of films. All About Eve (1950) and High Society (1956).

the main idea for the film is that Phil Green, a reporter, is trying to get the ultimate story on anti-semitism. he decides to actually pose as a Jew for a short period and see what it really feels like to be in those shoes. it also deals with his courting of a woman whom he falls in love with which, due to his staunch conflict with anti-semitism in any form, is troubled at best. the trouble is that Kathy refuses to take action against prejudiced people that she comes in contact with.

i did like the movie quite a bit. and i think if you're interested at all in prejudice you definitely can learn something from this film. it's a great teaching tool and is very well done. i always expect good things to come when i hear that a film is directed by Elia Kazan. two excellent films by him are On The Waterfront (1954) with Marlon Brando and East of Eden (1955), one of the 3 big James Dean movies. oooh, and i keep forgetting that he did a version of A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (1945), which is my favorite book. i think it's been long enough now since i've read the book to where i wouldn't get upset because of unfaithfulness to the text. i think it's about time to add another film to my list...