The 50 Greatest Jewish Movies: A Critic's Ranking of the Very Best
Bernheimer defines a Jewish film as one that "examines an aspect of the Jewish experience and features at least one clearly defined Jewish central character." And what makes a Jewish film great in Bern-heimer's book depends on the taste of the selector and the availability of the film on video. Another prequisite of greatness on her list is proximity to Hollywood; one will not find foreign films (e.g., de Sica'sGarden of the Finzi-Contini). Thus, the type of films selected are predictable, less so the rankings (number 1 isThe Chosen, number 2,Fiddler on the Roof, 3,Schindler's List, and 50, who would guess,Marjorie Morningstar). What we have here is a nice little exercise that has produced a useful little video guide to Jewish films, with detailed descriptions of each film that incorporates information on its social and cultural backgrounds. Good programming resource.Bonnie Smothers