Jewish books on TV or film

[Stacey B]

Point taken!
You may want to put your last paragraph under the topic headers of "Input" and "What are you Reading". etc
We check those out frequently; Im afraid it will become lost here.
.

[Jan]

Dave wrote: "... I am not interested in The Plot Against America at this time, as I haven't bought in to ima..."

Hi, Dave, although I had read the book some time before, this thread started out being about the miniseries, in this case better than the book! (And I don't even like TV!)

Dave also wrote: "...What I would be interested in is more fiction about Jewish life and subcultures at various times, perhaps filling in from the 50s and 60s up to today. Stuff like early Roth, or Chaim Potok (who I love dearly). With a rather reformed upbringing, I didn't feel like I got the full hashkafa, so I'm exploring what others experienced while I was elsewhere.

Dave, I was in the same or similar boat! Have been reading/learning for going on 15 years now.

Check out the Bookshelf, and you may find some that fit the bill. If I think of something in particular, will let you know. Also, as Stacey says, you can comment or ask for suggestions on some of the other threads, such as What Are You Reading. And from your comment on The Chosen, I think you already know how to find the discussion threads on books we've read.

[Dave]

Thank you Stacey and Jan. Yes, I am starting to find my way around here, and as you can see, I am not afraid to pipe up. I will check out the other threads that you mentioned. I am not too worried about running out of things to read, yet, I walk around the house, find books I haven't read, add them to the list. But if a recommendation sounds like just the thing I'm in the mood for, I won't hesitate. I'm just very much playing it loose right now. At some point though, I am sure I will try to coordinate with the pick of the month.

[Shelley]

Jan wrote: "Dave wrote: "... I am not interested in The Plot Against America at this time, as I haven't bought in to ima..."

Hi, Dave, although I had read the book some time before, this thread started out be..."

I have to weigh in about The Plot Against America which i reread in order to lead the discussion in my synagogue book group. I think it is prescient and so full of themes that we had trouble finishing the discussion in the 90 minutes allotted to it. The mature Roth was one of the best authors i have ever read and this book was outstanding. to my mind the TV series did not do it justice.

[Jan]

Shelley wrote: "... it is prescient and so full of themes that we had trouble finishing the discussion in the 90 minutes allotted to it. The mature Roth was one of the best authors i have ever read and this book was outstanding. to my mind the TV series did not do it justice."

Hi, Shelley. With a few exceptions I come down the way you do here: in favor of the book. In this case the fact it had been a while since I read the book could have been a factor. But also there was the ending. I remember the book as having a weak ending. Talk about prescient: the ending of the miniseries! (Won't do a spoiler. It was alarming, though!)

Thanks for your comment. I'm glad if there's room on here for multiple views and opinions.

[Alan]

I still haven’t watched the series as I was so taken by the book,totally blew me away. I have problems with Roth-who doesn’t? -but this was such a great,moving work. When he died there was all of this brooha about how he was one of the greatest authors of the 2oth century and then someone wrote,let’s call a spade a spade,the man was a sexist pig. I agree and it’s why I’ve avoided him. I’m one of the few who never cared for Portnoy….apparently Plot was not one of his favorite books,but I thought it was brilliant.
I really developed a dislike for Roth when the lead in The Ghostwriter falls in love with a reincarnated Anne Frank. There are just some people fiction should leave alone.

[Jan]

Alan wrote: "I still haven’t watched the series as I was so taken by the book,totally blew me away. I have problems with Roth-who doesn’t? -but this was such a great,moving work. When he died there was all of t..."

I've read 6 or 7 -- but not the ones you mention. Portnoy--just the movie, so long ago!. And haven't read The Ghostwriter.

Be careful not to confuse the characters w/the author! He can be blowing stuff out of the water instead of condoning it. ...On that subject, just saw in Moment that Robert Alter, who, yes, writes other stuff besides translating the bible, has written a defense of Nabokov over Lolita.

I love people who are speaking out. Their books, anyway.
...on that theme, and, back on topic for this thread, watched Dara Horn's interview tonight. She's has penetrating vision, I mean, ability to see what's being said with erasure etc.

P.S. The miniseries was great!

[Jan]

I have Taffy Brodesser-Akner's Fleishman Is in Trouble in my Audible queue. Saw this morning in a Forward newsletter that it's going to be a TV show:
"📺 Claire Danes has been cast to star in the TV adaptation of “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” the extremely Jewish debut novel of Taffy Brodesser-Akner. In her review of the book, our Talya Zax called it “like Philip Roth, but feminist.” Danes will join previously announced cast members Lizzy Caplan and Jesse Eisenberg. (Deadline)"
Looks like the author is also writing the series

[Jonathan]

Hi
For fans of the book Beauty Queen of Jerusalem or those interested in Israel before it became a state. The first season of Beauty Queen of Jerusalem is on Netflix. The timeline of the first episode starts around 1917 and gives an interesting look into Sephardi-Ashkenazi relations at the time.

[Jazzy]

i saw it and it was very fab. I just adored Shtishel! Michael Aloni was brilliant in both.

[Jan]

Joke's on me: I archived this discussion, and then there are comments. Needs to be reconfigured! :)
How about if I call it "Jewish books in the media," Jonathan & Jazzy? Or better just to start a new one?

[Jazzy]

Jewish books adapted to TV/film?

[Jonathan]

Hi Jan,
Whatever you think best. I only saw the first episode but I think it will be multiple seasons. Jazzy might know better as it seems she has watched all 10 episodes. If I remember correctly, this is the most expensive Israelie production to date. When I saw previews it was really intriguing. I never thought it would get to Netflix so fast. I just looked up there are 44 episodes total. Hopefully Netflix will carry them all.

[Jazzy]

Yes there was one season but will be more to come and was left on a cliff-hanger!

[Jonathan]

Thanks Jazzy, appreciate it. Also the heads up on the heads -up on Michael Aloni. I had no idea I was watching Akiva from Shtisel. Amazing what costuming and make-up can do.

I do not think Gauvriel will be as endearing as Akiva.

[Jan]

Consider this thread rehabilitated -- no longer archived -- back with "Literary Chat & Book Stuff"
(Going beyond The Plot Against America 🧐!)

[Jonathan]

Thanks so much Jan.

[Jazzy]

Jonathan I doubt whether many characters would be as endearing as Akiva!

Another noteworthy adaptation on Netflix is The Spy, from the book L’espion qui venait d’Israël (2020) - Uri Dan et Ben Porat

https://time.com/5669302/the-spy-netf....

[Jonathan]

Very true, thanks for the recommendation.

[David]

The Spy kept me on the edge of my seat. Great production and appears to be close to the original events.

[Jan]

I watched a Jewish bookseller on film -- close!
"Hello, Bookstore," a documentary. Low key, easygoing, nice
The trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8z50...
It was mentioned in the Washington Post "book club" newsletter but I see it's had other reviews as well.

[Jazzy]

Oh yes, I saw The Spy with Sacha Baron Cohen when it first came to Netflix - quite different than Ali G or Borat!

Thought I'd pop in as Part 2 of The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem is on Netflix as of Friday.

[Jan]

I know people loved The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem. It was nominated for one of our polls but I think at that point wasn't available. It is now, though -- I was supposed to read it for one of my other book clubs but never got to it b/c busy reading something for this one. :) Have it but unread.
Tell us if you like the Netflix version, Jazzy.

[Jazzy]

Yes I did! And I've read the first chapter from the book, so there is a lot more to add if they want to.

[Jonathan]

I also thought the Netflix version was really well done. Such an understated time in the history of then Palestine. From when the Turks gave over rule to England. The series brought back so much what I had forgotten about the book. If you have not already I suggest reading the book before season two. It just enriches the whole experience. It was on Israeli television before Netflix. So I believe there are a total of forty-four episodes.

[Jonathan]

Thanks Jazzy for the season 2 update.

[Jazzy]

This isn't a book, but everyone should watch Remember Baghdad.
https://rememberbaghdad.com/

Extremely graphic, though.

[Jan]

Jazzy wrote: "This isn't a book, but everyone should watch Remember Baghdad.
https://rememberbaghdad.com/

Extremely graphic, though."

Thank you, Jazzy.
I did read Farewell, Babylon: Coming of Age in Jewish Baghdad. And there are two more on my to-read list that I didn't get to.
I would like to watch this.

[Jan]

Maybe Humphrey Bogart was playing a Jewish gangster in "All Through the Night," an overlooked noir movie based on a story by Leo Rosten. https://forward.com/culture/480289/hu... (reprinted in?) the Forward this morning.

[Jan]

Is anybody watching "Fleishman is in Trouble?" At one point I wanted to, then didn't. It's getting a good bit of press. If you've read the book, Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, how does it compare with the show? Did you like the book?

[Shelley]

Read the book. Got tired of it way before the end. Like Jessie Eisenberg so may get around to trying it at some point

[Carolyn]

I didn't read the book but watched the TV show. Thought it was too long and repetitious. Every resolution is followed by another loss of the same type. That said, it hit me emotionally--especially when it switched to the points of view of the two women after our sympathies were directed toward the male lead, Fleishman. Such a sad concept--that we live in the past and dwell on the myths of our youth. (Not me! I don't get wanting to be young again.) There's not much that is especially Jewish about the show, BTW. Wonderful acting by all three principals.

[Mel]

Wife and I watched it because we respect the two leads -- Jesse Eisenberg and Claire Danes--as character actors. We weren't very familiar with Lizzie Caplan, who has as much a leading role as the headliners.

The series strives to be quirky. Central to that quirkiness is its shifting focus: Who, exactly, is in trouble (or in more trouble?) Obviously it's the lead character, Toby Fleishman (Jesse). Then...No, it emerges that Toby's troubles pale next to that of his ex-wife, Rachel Fleishman (Clare Danes). But no, it may really be Toby's best friend, Libby. Quirky.
The cosmic challenges of growing up successful are all there. How do you cope with grown up problems -- jobs, marriage, kids, sexuality, professional and personal fulfillment, of realizing that your horizons have been reached. It's not going to get better, not really. Period. Paragraph. Now deal with it.

The Fleishmans and their circle are Jewish. They are neither insecure nor hiding that Jewishness. The Bat-Mitzvah lessons for the daughter, the reunions of the Year Abroad in Israel buddies, the family holiday get-togethers--it's context, not a punchline for smarmy self-deprecating humor, or Jewish guilt. This is who these people are, and their problems are no different from your problems. The only suggestions of a particular "Jewishness" is in the intense, rat-tat-tat dialogue, worthy of Aaron Sorkin or Woody Allen.

In summary, we found it interesting, entertaining, at times uncomfortable because it echoed life situations some of us have experienced, or if we have younger kids, are experiencing. However, after seeing it we had no overwhelming desire to read the book. That, I admit, may be our loss (I always tell folks their missing out by not reading Tolkein, even if they've seen the movies...but I digress).

[Jazzy]

I always liked Avalon, the film.

[Jan]

Mel wrote: "Wife and I watched it because we respect the two leads -- Jesse Eisenberg and Claire Danes--as character actors. We weren't very familiar with Lizzie Caplan, who has as much a leading role as the h..."

Thanks, everybody. I am going to keep it in mind. But since I can't read everything, I really appreciate the discussion.

[Jan]

Jazzy wrote: "I always liked Avalon, the film."

Sounds good, Jazzy. I missed that one!

[Jonathan]

If you recently read The Postmistress of Paris or Dara Horns Chapter The Rescuer in People Love Dead Jews . Netflix has a series Transatlantic based on the life of Varian Fry In France, it looks like it might follow closely with Julie Orringer's The Flight Portfolio.
https://forward.com/culture/542398/th...

[Stacey B]

Jonathan wrote: "If you recently read The Postmistress of Paris or Dara Horns Chapter The Rescuer in People Love Dead Jews . Netflix has a series Transatlantic based on the life of Varian Fry In France, it looks li..."

Thank you for the heads-up.

[Jonathan]

Sure anytime.

[Jan]

Watched "Judy Blume Forever" tonight and found it quite moving.

[Jonathan]

Hi Jan, where did you see this? I read a very moving article from a NY Times reporter on what the book and movie meant to her. She saw it at a special screening where Judy Blume was present.

[Jan]

Jonathan wrote: "Hi Jan, where did you see this? I read a very moving article from a NY Times reporter on what the book and movie meant to her. She saw it at a special screening where Judy Blume was present."

Hi, Jonathan. We streamed it on Prime TV. It's "free" if you get Amazon Prime.
Haven't seen the movie. I guess it's just in theaters at this point.

[Brina]

There’s a book too? I saw the documentary is on prime but haven’t watched yet. It’s on my summer list of movies and I’ll add the book as well if there is one.

[Jan]

Brina wrote: "There’s a book too? I saw the documentary is on prime but haven’t watched yet. It’s on my summer list of movies and I’ll add the book as well if there is one."

I don't think there's a book. The movie is based on one of her books, though. The reviews are good. I did hear or read somewhere that "it's a kid's movie -- for kids over 50." ☺️

[Jonathan]

Yes, thanks I do have Prime and will check it out.

[Jan]

Jonathan wrote: "Yes, thanks I do have Prime and will check it out."
Enjoy, Jonathan. And let us know what you think!

[Terri]

Did anyone watch on Netflix "Jewish Matchmaking"?? I really enjoyed it and I don't watch reality shows but someone told me to see it.

[Jan]

Terri wrote: "Did anyone watch on Netflix "Jewish Matchmaking"?? I really enjoyed it and I don't watch reality shows but someone told me to see it."

I didn't see it, but theme seems related to the upcoming book we just voted in.

[Jan]

I have watched about half of A Fortunate Man, the movie based on Lucky Per, which was nominated for "the book we need to read in July." Haven't resumed yet due to visiting family from out-of-town. It is pretty good although did make me think there are only a limited number of movie plots. At first was watching in Danish w/subtitles, then switched to dubbed-in English. Subtitles better if you don't have to doing something else away from the screen. ;)

[Jan]

It makes sense to list the "Oppenheimer" film on this discussion, since the subject and at least one of the authors of American Prometheus is Jewish, and a lot has been written on that angle. Although tempted, never bought the book since it was another large tome (770 pages), but hoping to see the film next week.