A Bright Film with a Dark Heart
by David Hamilton (October 2010)
Jenny reasons that her parents and teachers have failed to achieve a life she can regard as inspirational and, as she is joyful and intoxicated with David and his friends, why should she work so hard to pursue an Oxford career? Why not drop out and live life to the fullest? As events unfold, things are not as clear cut as they seemed.
Maybe Tomorrow plays in the background.
That this film succeeds in promoting a negative image of Jewishness while reviewers analysed it conventionally through the orthodox ideology. What we are seeing in this is the beginning of the creation of anti-Jewish stereotype and we have caught it as it emerges from the shadows. Antisemitism in Britain usually comes from Liberal-Socialist types who oppose Israel and support Palestinian groups. This could herald Jewish people getting The Frankfurt School Treatment – negative, psychological warfare. David’s character is introduced and defined by his Jewishness. I would have expected “sociopathy” but the film presents Jewishness as a pathology.
Jewishness in the film. The derogatory term “Rachmanism” came from him as did new laws that were passed to protect people. One scam as mentioned above was moving Black immigrant families in or prostitutes to drive elderly sitting tenants who were protected by law out. These elderly ladies are referred to a “Stats” in the film.
R.Scott-Garwood looked aghast when Jenny told her she was to marry a Jewish man but that does not imply the harsh denunciation of the film. This was condemnation; not shock.
he would be a character like the others rather than the embodiment of an ethnicity. He is a corrupter of innocence; a fraud, a thief, a liar, a scammer. He is a child abandoner. He has done this before, according to the abandoned wife with child beside her, who is now jaded. He has impregnated other innocent British girls. He lowers property values and ruins society. He steals from innocent vulnerable people and takes the treasures of the culture for himself like the stereotypical money-grubbing Jew.
to be sure she had got it right, I asked what situations the Jewish character is shown in. As soon as she said exploiting Blacks I knew she had spotted something important because that is how we English are made to feel guilty, by negative stereotypes, which destroy the humanity of a select group and dehumanises them. Once that takes hold, anything can be done to them because they cease to be seen as human. Once this is explained, it’s plain.
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/jun/07/lynn-barber-virginity-relationships
- http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B002UYP7D4/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr2ZPHm18gQ
oduct-reviews/B002ONC9NC/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/6461903/An-Education-review.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/oct/29/an-education-review
http://thepassionatemoviegoer.blogspot.com/2009/10/peter-sarsgaard-channels-alan-bates.html
http://www.jewishjournal.com/film/article/british_film_gives_an_education_in_anti-semitism_20091201/
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