Fear, Faith and Hope: The Depiction of the Jews in Film

The goal of this interdisciplinary course is to enable students to draw connections between the historical events of the cruel 20th century and cinematography. We will learn to observe and understand how complicated the reactions of a human being facing dangerous life-threatening situations can be and how every individual deals with such a threat in a different way.

The screened films often pose unpleasant questions focusing on human identity and integrity, cowardice and heroism, wickedness and pride, greed and generosity. Most of the screened films are shot by outstanding Central European filmmakers (Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians, Poles) and often have a very different view on the human existence of those brutal times than one would find in US film production. In the films, we are facing not only victims (in our case the Jewish population), but also so-called ordinary people who are burdened by history. Those who have not chosen the times they live in and unfortunately often have to make life-or-death decisions under a totalitarian system.

The lecture and seminar will deal primarily with the Nazi totalitarian system, but will touch upon the Communist one as well. About one-third of the screened films will cover the internationally known Czech New Wave in Cinema of the 1960s but we will also watch a few contemporary films on the topic.

Although the course does not include much of film theory, students will learn not only historical facts, but also how to read a film. Screening will take place on a large screen in class, thus enabling the viewers to share a common experience.