Tony Shaw (2)

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Hollywood and Israel: A History by Tony Shaw and Giora Goodman accounts for the relationship of Tinseltown with the Jewish state. Mr. Shaw is a professor of contemporary history at the University of Hertfordshire. Mr. Goodman is the chair of the Department of Multidisciplinary Studies at Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee.

This book is well researched, as well as informative and entertaining. Ideology aside, the authors were mostly concerned with recording history. There is a noticeable attempt to be as fair-minded as possible.

I think most can agree that history is nuanced, Hollywood and Israel: A History by Tony Shaw and Giora Goodman takes great effort to drive that point home. The authors, however, don’t spend much time on trivialities, but try to keep the reader informed about politics interweaving with the entertainment industry.

The book does not shy away from flat out labeling many of the talked about movies as propaganda. Exodus, The Juggler, Salah Shabati, and Judith are prime examples of such lionization.

Palestine movies, or those that at least present a sober view point are also presented. Paradise Now, a Palestinian movie, for example, or Israeli series Fauda which attempts, and I believe succeeds, in presenting the no-win nuances of both sides of the conflict.

Along the way, the authors tell us of how the who’s who of Hollywood, then and now helped the young country. From obvious Jewish celebrities such as Barbara Streisand, Kirk Douglas, Billy Crystal, Elizabeth Taylor, and Sammy Davis Jr. to moguls such as Louis B. Mayer, David O. Selznick, and Samuel Goldwyn who have seen their role as contributing to the Jewish state after suffering the Nazi atrocities.

Other non-Jewish celebrities are also mentioned such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frank Sinatra, Robert DeNiro, Paul Newman, and Jane Fonda among many others. While, of course, there are the Israelis who “made it big” Lior Raz, Gal Gadot, Chaim Saban, Topol, and Arnon Milchin.

To counterpoint the narrative, Vanessa Redgrave, Casey Kasem and others also get several pages in this short book for the Palestinian narrative. While Israel managed to make, and keep friends in Hollywood, one can certainly argue that they are losing the war for public opinion in the on-line world.

Even though the entertainment industry supported Israel, they’re first and foremost a business and have been, since the beginning, put profits over ideology many times over and over again. I loved that the authors included You Don’t Mass with the Zohan which, not for nothing, does represent both Israelis and Palestinians in a light and positive manner… (mere)

Hollywood and Israel: A History, by Tony Shaw and Giora Goodman, is a well-researched and quite readable account of the relationship(s) between these two entities.

I think what made the book particularly good, from my perspective, is that it is first and foremost a history. There is a concerted effort to be fair and present this nuanced history in a manner that will interest and inform readers no matter what they may think about the mingling of politics and entertainment.

Because of the depth of the research this will appeal to those interested in history in a broad sense as well as those interested in film history. The relationship is brought up to the present so this will also help readers form better informed opinions about current affairs.

While academic in the sense that it is detailed and well documented it is also a very accessible and readable book. If any aspect of this story appeals to you I think you will enjoy the book.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (mere)

In most histories of the era the Cold War is portrayed as a struggle of superpowers using spies and proxy wars to check the advance of their foe. Yet as Tony Shaw and Denise Youngblood point out in this book, the United States and Soviet Union also waged though the cultural medium of movies. Through a selection of key films from throughout the period they demonstrate the evolution of the conflict, from the villainization of the other side during in its early years to the softer effort to champion values during the 1960s and 1970s, to the harsh tone of the revived Cold War in the 1980s and the effective concession of the argument by the Soviets at the end of the decade. The authors do a good job of analyzing the movies and situating them within the respective film industries of the two countries, and the films they select to make their arguments contain some surprising choices (such as Roman Holiday and Bananas for "Cold War films") that make for sometimes provocative interpretations, though it is interesting to speculate how their conclusions might have been different had they focused on other flicks. Nevertheless, this is a fascinating comparative study that demonstrates the manifold ways in which the Americans and Soviets clashed for dominance.… (mere)