Incorporating film clips and analysis, Dr. Eric Goldman will explore how cinema reflects memories and experiences of the Holocaust as well as how it affects and shapes our understanding of the Shoah. Even before World War II came to an end, filmmakers in central and eastern Europe began the task of representing the Shoah on film. Western Europe was largely in denial and Hollywood avoided Holocaust subject matter for nearly fifteen years after the war. It was only in the early 1970s that French filmmakers began exploring the Shoah on film and some of the initial reaction was caustic. In Israel, the first feature that dealt with survivors was only made in 1979. We will screen clips from a variety of films and explore how and why the Shoah was put on film and how the culture of Holocaust filmmaking has changed around the world. Particularly fascinating is the plethora of Holocaust films being made these last dozen years in Germany and Poland. 

Part I: 1944-1990: November 29

Part II: 1990-Present: December 12

Instructor: Dr. Eric Goldman

Dr. Eric Goodman is an adjunct professor of cinema at Yeshiva University and the author of "The American Jewish Story through Cinema." He was co-host with Robert Osborne on the Turner Classic Movies television network of the series, "The Projected Image: The Jewish Experience on Film."

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