Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream
120 minutes • Documentary • Produced in association with: A&E, Channel 4 and ZDF/Arte • Production year: 1995
Based on Neal Gabler’s best selling book “An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood,” Hollywoodism is a feature length documentary on the men who founded Hollywood and the image of America that Hollywood produced. Hollywoodism is a film that literally deconstructs the American Dream. According to the film, this dream was born not in the USA, but in the Jewish shtetels in Hungary, Poland and Russia.
Hollywoodism takes us through the establishment of Hollywood, the triumphs of the Golden Age of the 1920’s and 1930’s, the Second World War, and the attack on Hollywood as un-American during the HUAC hearings. Our story ends with a look at the legacy that the Moguls left behind, a legacy that has not only seduced the American public, but has by now virtually conquered the world.
Hollywoodism presents the history of Hollywood as it has never been seen before: Hollywood as the most successful ideology of the 20th century.
Written and Directed by: Simcha Jacobovici
Producers: Elliott Halpern and Simcha Jacobovici
Executive Producers: Michael Levine and Monty Montgomery
Award Highlights:
- Gold WorldMedal, New York Festivals
- Best Documentary, 1998 Jerusalem Film Festival
- Best History Documentary & Best Writing, Hot Docs
Reviews
“…a fascinating story on the birth of Hollywood”
– President Bill Clinton, televised press conference, Washington, D.C., May 10, 1999
“a meditative work”
– Irv Letofsky, Hollywood Reporter
“Briskly paced and crisply edited…what distinguishes Hollywoodism is [it’s] attunement to the underlying emotions, the rich psychology, of the founding fathers of the American Dream machine…the way they transformed deep-seated personal dreams into resilient, shimmering public imagery. The ideas that shape this movie are enormously exciting, and so is this unusual and unforgettable movie about movies.”
– John Koch, The Boston Globe
