Writer: David Grubin
Director: David Grubin
Cast: Various
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: PBS/ Paramount
Release Date: February 5, 2008
Choosing to review DVDs can be a funny process. There are the movies that have coins being flipped to determine who is lucky enough to do the review, there are the ones done from obligation, because hey you can’t always have good reviews, and then there are the movies that come in and you just know who is going to do them. When Jewish Americans fell onto my desk, everyone in the office knew who was going to get this one.
The DVD was handed over due to the fact that it was a documentary about people that are Jewish and I am assuming that my officemates took that to mean that there would be a lot of WWII and Holocaust talk, two historical periods I’m highly interested in studying. Actually this could not be the furthest thing from the truth. The majority of the documentary deals with the successes and the adversity that Jews coming to America have faced as they attempt to build their lives. Regardless of any preconceived thoughts about the content, Jewish Americans is an amazing documentary that manages to be interesting from start to finish.
Release Information:
Jewish Americans comes in a two disc set courtesy of PBS and Paramount. The set was released on February 5, 2008 and can be purchased in most retail outlets for around $20. This is not David Grubin’s first go round as a director for a powerful documentary. Grubin has also worked on The Mysterious Human Heart, The American Experience, and Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided. Despite the fact that it was not his first, it is certainly his best work to date, offering plenty of information and a good amount of passion into the final product.
The The Jewish Americans Plot
Jewish Americans is a three part series that begins with the Jews coming to present day Manhattan, which was New Amsterdam at the time (1654) of their arrival. The arriving Jews had just escaped Brazil and the Inquisition that was infiltrating its way around the world. Grubin paints a picture of unhappy Dutch settlers that did not want the Jewish people in their neighborhood. It would be the Dutch government that overruled these settlers and allowed the Jews a home.
This decision would allow Jews to have a place in America. It would also give them the chance that they needed to rise to greatness despite the public humiliation that was bestowed upon them by a group that was not comfortable with their presence.
There is a lot of history to cover here though it is handled in a manner that is both general enough to offer a broad analysis, but specific enough to offer information on specific families and individuals. There are plenty of tidbits about numerous Jews including Judah Benjamin who had served with Jefferson Davis in the Civil War.
Interesting questions are raised towards wording and speech. For example, Grubin asks whether the Jewish people that have come here and made their homes here are Jewish Americans or American Jews. This is the basis for the first two episodes of the series. This is the time when the traditions of old faded away and the new traditions emerged. The changes of somewhat bad to definitely worse around the 1870s are also detailed. It is during these two episodes that you go from 1654 all the way to the 20th Century.
The final episode, “Home”, begins in the post-WWII era during the time when Judaism becomes more mainstreamed. This leads to Jews and their successes in television and media, featuring Carl Reiner and Sid Caesar. Things become even more interesting with the content of the 1960s and the Civil Rights movements where the Jews and African Americans worked together. However, what seems like a good thing soon turns bad when the relationship is absolved and there is some blatantly anti-Semitic poetry that was written by a small African American child. Many other modern topics are discussed including things like the Arab-Israeli conflict and topics that stray as far as to rap music.
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Replayability:
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Directing:
Audio/Visual:
The video for Jewish Americans is incredibly strong. Everything looks good for the most part. There is some fading in the archived material, but that is to be expected. In the majority of cases, the quality is beautiful thanks to a 1.78:1 enhanced image ratio. The audio sounds to be a basic stereo offering. Like the video, it is perfect for this release. Everything plays equally and sounds beautiful.
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Bonus Features:
The special features section offers three main special features that really add a great deal to this set. The first special feature is an interview with Grubin. During the interview he goes over the process of filmmaking and the three years that he spent on this film. Additional special features include a segment on “poverty cooking” with Rabbi Gil Marks and a Rosh Hashanah ceremony.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
This series will be delightful to Jewish Americans and people of other cultures and nationalities. This is a beautiful set that was filmed with the utmost care and respect. It is informative, interesting, and a joy to watch. Naturally, in case you haven’t guessed, this one comes highly recommended.
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