14 Apr Gentleman’s Agreement
Gentleman’s Agreement, post-WWII movie starring Gregory Peck
(1947) A newspaper reporter writing a series on antisemitism claims that he is Jewish in order to experience the prejudice firsthand.
Gentleman’s Agreement is based on the 1947 novel by Laura Hobson. Before it was published it was serialized in Cosmopolitan magazine. This is what inspired it to be made for the screen so quickly.
The movie exposed the bigotry of the Americans who railed against Hitler’s genocide of the Jews but still felt justified in the subtle and not so subtle bigotry that has gone on forever.
The head of Fox Studios, Darryl F. Zanuck, earned three Academy awards during his career, and this was one of them. Elia Kazan won for directing, and Celeste Holm won Best Supporting Actress. This was playwright Moss Hart’s first movie script, and he was nominated along with Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, Ann Revere (who played Peck’s Mom) and the film editor.
I’ve marked this is a “Favorite” because of the message. I did not like Peck’s “girl” … no chemistry, no connection, no way. There has been criticism that the movie didn’t go far enough. Considering the times, I think it probably went as far as Zanuck thought it could. He was not Jewish and some of his Jewish contemporary heads of studios said he shouldn’t make the movie, thinking that it would increase intolerance.
That attitude is still alive today with every aspect of bigotry. “If we don’t talk about it perhaps it will go away.”
Gentleman’s Agreement at amazon.com
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