Abstract
As its title implies, this book promises to be a comprehensive “History and Analysis of 400 Films” on the Holocaust. On the one hand, Brownstein has compiled detailed filmographies and statistical charts and tables about these movies rendering this volume a useful reference work for Holocaust educators and film series organizers. The book’s teaching guide provides sound pedagogical advice on how to approach Holocaust films in classroom settings. On the other hand, his exclusion of lengthy television miniseries and films dealing with non-Jewish victims of Germany and its Allies belie its claim to completeness. Its classification system of films fails to capture the thematic diversity of the corpus of Holocaust cinema. Brownstein’s periodization of the evolution of Holocaust movies is too broad and overlooks significant shifts in how, when, and why filmmakers in different countries portrayed the Holocaust. Although Brownstein posits insightful analyses of some Holocaust films, he succumbs to a tendency to either excessively praise or denigrate films based on his subjective taste. This fault is blatantly evident in some of his choices of “The 52 Best Holocaust Films” and 15 of “The Very Best Holocaust Films” he recommends be screened in college courses on Holocaust cinema.
Recommended Citation
Baron, Lawrence
(2024)
"Holocaust Cinema: Size Over Substance,"
Jewish Film & New Media: Vol. 12:
Iss.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/jewishfilm/vol12/iss1/6