1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910495193003321

Autore

Girgus Sam B. <1941->

Titolo

Generations of Jewish Directors and the Struggle for America's Soul : Wyler, Lumet, and Spielberg / / by Sam B. Girgus

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham : , : Springer International Publishing : , : Imprint : Palgrave Macmillan, , 2021

ISBN

9783030760311

3030760316

Edizione

[1st ed. 2021.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (278 pages)

Collana

Renewing the American Narrative, , 2524-8340

Disciplina

791.430233092273

791.43684

Soggetti

Motion pictures, American

Ethnology - America

Culture

Judaism

Motion pictures - History

Motion picture industry

Television broadcasting

American Film and TV

American Culture

Film and TV History

Film and Television Industry

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di contenuto

Chapter 1: Introduction: Jewish Directors and the "The New Covenant" -- Chapter 2: William Wyler's America -- Chapter 3: Sidney Lumet: The Long Struggle for Conscience and Social Justice -- Chapter 4: Steven Spielberg: American Redemption.

Sommario/riassunto

From generation to generation, three outstanding American Jewish directors-William Wyler, Sidney Lumet, and Steven Spielberg--advance a tradition of Jewish writers, artists, and leaders who propagate the ethical basis of the American Idea and Creed. They strive to renew the American spirit by insisting that America must live up to its values and



ideals. These directors accentuate the ethical responsibility for the other as a basis of the American soul and a source for strengthening American liberal democracy. In the manner of the jeremiad, their films challenge America to achieve a liberal democratic culture for all people by becoming more inclusive and by modernizing the American Idea. Following an introduction that relates aspects of modern ethical thought to the search for America's soul, the book divides into three sections. The Wyler section focuses on the director's social vision of a changing America. The Lumet section views his films as dramatizing Lumet's dynamic andaggressive social and ethical conscience. The Spielberg section tracks his films as a movement toward American redemption and renewal that aspires to realize Lincoln's vision of America as the hope of the world. The directors, among many others, perpetuate a "New Covenant" that advocates change and renewal in the American experience. .