Gentleman’s Agreement (1947); and book by Laura Z. Hobson

[nwhyte]

Time for another Oscar-winning film, and it's another one I hadn't heard of before starting this project. Gentleman's Agreement won Best Motion Picture for 1947, and got another two Oscars in other categories (which is low by Best Picture standards), Best Director for Elia Kazan and Best Supporting Actress for Celeste Holm as Anne Dettrey. The

Comments

[redfiona99]

I'd expect husky to mean someone who is large rather than anything else, but that's more from wrestling information than actual knowledge.

Miracle on 34th Street is one of those films you either love or find to be boring, manipulative trash. I love it :) Great Expectations is a marvellously filmed film, I just don't like Pip. Although this is not the fault of the film or Pip in anyway.

[nwhyte]

I'd expect husky to mean someone who is large rather than anything else, but that's more from wrestling information than actual knowledge.

Yes, that would generally be my expectation as well, and "Berta" may be intended as a German name. It's difficult to be sure what signals are being given.

[kalimac]

I find Gentleman's Agreement, book or movie, is important and valuable specifically because it shows polite, discreet anti-Semitism.

A lot of people seem to think that unless you go so far as to do things like commit the Nazi Holocaust, or shoot up a synagogue in Pittsburgh, you can't be anti-Semitic. Gentleman's Agreement shows that that's not so.

[nwhyte]

Yes, I entirely take that point. But I felt the book was more effective as a book than the film is as a film.

[melita66]

I'm pretty sure i watched this in high school during a history class. The teacher fancied he looked like Peck so we saw films like 12 o'clock high.

I found the movie fascinating because i hadn't run across the subtle anti-semitism before although i had heard some racist remarks from dad like "look at that nose. Must be Jewish." Which i always objected to.

This movie reminds me of an episode of Frank's Place. FP was set in New Orleans about a Boston man who comes to NOLA when he inherits the family restaurant. An episode discusses the paper bag test, revealing (to me) there was a definite heirarchy between light-skinned and dark-skinned African-Americans.

https://youtu.be/iO6ZFurlorI

[huskyteer]

I knew Dean Stockwell was a child actor (Quantum Leap is a great favourite of mine and I possibly know more about the leads than is healthy) but I hadn't heard of this one. I'll look out for it!