Current Events - Fall 2008

The Nazi Holocaust film series

The Center for Judaic, Holocaust, & Peace Studies presents a series of feature films on Jewish Society and Humor this semester in Plemmons Student Union. These films will be shown Sunday afternoons at 2:00pm in the Greenbriar Movie Theater of the Student Union on the date indicated below. Each film will be introduced briefly by one of the Center’s co-directors who will be available to answer questions afterward.   All films are free and open to the public.

Download the Spring 2009 Jewish Humor Film Series Poster/Schedule

 

Fiddler on the Roof - 1/25/09

Tevye(Topol) is a poor Jewish milkman who has tried to instill traditional Jewish beliefs in his daughters, especially when it is time for them to marry. But times are changing and the girls respectively opt to marry a poor childhood sweetheart, a revolutionary, and a non-Jew rather than heed the advice of the matchmaker. (1971) 181 minutes.

Annie Hall - 2/1/09

Annie Hall chronicles the ups and downs of obsessive, neurotic, NY comedian Alvy Singer’s (Woody Allen) relationship with Midwest ditz Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) in 1970s socialite Manhattan. Allen allows us a glimpse of his personal life in this semi-autobiographical portrait of the amorous partnership between Allen and Keaton. (1977) 93 minutes.

Yentl - 2/8/09

Barbara Streisand displays her versatility as a singer, actress and director in this funny, touching, musical gem. Disguised as a man, she stars as a courageous young waman who enters the world of study normally closed to women, and in the midst of a man's world, befriends a fellow student. (1983) 132 minutes.

Radio Days - 2/15/09

Set in Rockaway at the outset of World War II, Radio Days chronicles the hilarious yet moving adventures of a family whose members triumph over a mindane existence by cultivating an intense family life. This is a family saga showing the joys and tribulations experienced by all in the expansive, vivid canvas of The Big Apple at a time when innocence was still possible. (1987) 88 minutes.

Crossing Delancey - 2/22/09

Amy Irving stars in this high-spirited contemporary comedy about a single Manhattan woman, Isabelle "Izzy" Grossman, who is hurled into a romantic adventure where her grandmother hires a matchmaker to help Izzy find a husband. (1988) 97 minutes.

Driving Miss Daisy - 3/1/09

An elderly Jewish widow living in Atlanta can no longer drive. Her son insists she allow him to hire a driver. She resists any change in her life, but Hoke, the driver is hired by her son. She refuses to allow him to drive her anywhere at frist, but Hoke slowly wins her over with his native good graces. (1989) 99 minutes.

Life is Beautiful - 3/22/09

An Italian family's idyllic life comes to a screeching halt when they are shipped to Nazi camps during World War II. The Jewish father convinces his son that everything around them is a zany game to spare his son from the horrors of concentration camp imprisonment in this poignant tearjerker comedy. (1998) 118 minutes.

The Producers - 3/29/09

Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane reprise their Tony award winning stage roles on the big screen. Two down-on-their-luck producers attempt to create the worst musical ever to bilk investors but instead "Springtime for Hitler" becomes the toast of Broadway in this rousing musical. (2005) 134 minutes.

Keeping up with the Steins - 4/5/09

In toney Brentwood, Benjamin Fiedler prepares for his bar mitzvah; trouble is, he understands neither its meaning nor the Hebrew, and his parents are planning the most lavish party possible. Benjamin wants his dad to give him some space, so he gets an idea: to invite his grandfather, who left the family years ago and for whom Benjamin's dad has an intense dislike, to come two weeks early. Thanks in part to Grandpa - and to the immediate family's love - Benjamin may have a shot at figuring out what it means to be a man. (2006) 99 minutes.

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