Gentleman's Agreement (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
The title, 'Gentleman's Agreement' (directed by the great Elia Kazan), refers to the unspoken agreement among gentiles to discriminate against Jews; mostly in housing, the job market, & various other societal places where they held power. The movie opens with respected journalist Philip Schuyler Green (Gregory Peck) arriving in NYC to write a hard-hitting expose on anti-Semitism for a magazine published by John Minify (Albert Dekker). Suffering from writer's block, Phil decides on a unique approach ... he will pretend to be a Jew to see how life is different from what he has experienced as a Christian (gentile). The only ones who know the truth are his sickly mother (Oscar-nominated Anne Revere); his 11 yr. old son, Tommy (adorable Dean Stockwell); his boss, Minify, & Minify's society daughter, Kathy (lovely Dorothy McGuire), with whom Phil becomes romantically involved.
It doesn't take long for signs of prejudice to rear their heads. i.e., 1) a doctor treating Phil's mother advises against seeing a Jewish specialist. 2) a ritzy hotel claims to be "full" when Phil reveals that he's a Jew. 3) Tommy is bullied at school once his "Jewish" heritage becomes common knowledge. And 4) Kathy - who hates prejudice & supports Phil's cause - wants Phil to temporarily drop his pretense when he attends a 'high class' party up in Darien, Connecticut. Also in the story is Phil's lifelong Jewish friend Dave (a stellar John Garfield), who despite his suppressed rage over the effects of racism, has learned to be philosophical about the failings of his own Jewish people ... but also not to the point where he's going to give up the fight against hatred. As the film progresses, it explores forms of prejudice ...
For example, Kathy advocates equal rights for Jews, but she doesn't want Phil or his son to be mistaken for one because she knows that life is harder for Jews; and she doesn't want her loved ones to suffer. When someone in the story tells a joke about a Jew in her presence, she thinks that the joke is horrible, but yet, she says nothing. For the most part, Kathy talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk. So ... do these behaviors/attitudes maker her anti-Semitic? Some would say yes, some would say no. At one point, Phil states, "I've come to see lots of nice people who hate Anti-Semitism & deplore it & protest their own innocence, then help it along & wonder why it grows. People who would never beat up a Jew. People who think anti-Semitism is far away in some dark place with low class morons. That's the biggest discovery I've made. The good people. The nice people". It's a sobering comment, but not inaccurate.
Jewish bigotry at the time was a major taboo subject for Hollywood films. But right after WWII when the horrors of the Holocaust became known, it seemed to non-Jewish Darryl F. Zanuck that it was the perfect time to bring up the subject of Jewish discrimination in the U.S., even though every other major movie studio had passed on it as way too controversial; perhaps because many moguls & film executives were Jewish themselves & were nervous about how the film would play to the public. Even the actors were taking a bit of a career gamble. Director Elia Kazan 1st wanted Cary Grant for the lead role. But Grant turned it down & Peck accepted it over the advice of his agent; who feared it could damage his career -- well, we know how that turned out, haha. In fact, Zanuck's decision to go ahead with the film was proven when 'Gentleman's Agreement' not only made a fortune for 20th Century Fox, but also won 3 Academy Awards.
Peck even went on to be nominated for an Oscar for his performance. Dorothy McGuire is very good as Kathy; lending subtle nuances throughout the proceedings. We know that Kathy wants to be the good person, do the right thing, but is she really capable of acting out her beliefs? This is the question Phil ponders, as well; and we see it affect their relationship, greatly. As mentioned, John Garfield is great as Phil's Jewish military pal. Dean Stockwell rightfully won a Juvenile acting award at the Golden Globes that year (1947) for his affecting child portrayal. June Havoc impresses as Phil's Jewish secretary. And Celeste Holm rightfully won the Academy Award for her supporting performance as Anne Dettrey; the kind of liberal, 'walk the walk' type of woman who Phil SHOULD be with, but likely won't.
Watching 'Gentleman's Agreement' now in 2014, it strikes me how relevant the material still is, if not for the treatment of Jews today, but for how other minorities are regarded (gays, blacks, Hispanics). Today, you hear some people say, "Well, some of my best friends are gay". In this movie, a person with anti-Semitic tendencies, declares, "Some of my best friends are Jews". So, seemingly inconsequential comments/details like this can be as indicative of prejudice as the large ones. It is now as it was in 1947. This film grew on me as it went. It started a bit slow for me. There are a few sticky, sentimental stretches throughout. But overall, it's a stellar film that tackles a then-incendiary topic exceedingly well. It digs into the anti-Semitic problem (of the time) while also providing old-school entertainment.
It doesn't take long for signs of prejudice to rear their heads. i.e., 1) a doctor treating Phil's mother advises against seeing a Jewish specialist. 2) a ritzy hotel claims to be "full" when Phil reveals that he's a Jew. 3) Tommy is bullied at school once his "Jewish" heritage becomes common knowledge. And 4) Kathy - who hates prejudice & supports Phil's cause - wants Phil to temporarily drop his pretense when he attends a 'high class' party up in Darien, Connecticut. Also in the story is Phil's lifelong Jewish friend Dave (a stellar John Garfield), who despite his suppressed rage over the effects of racism, has learned to be philosophical about the failings of his own Jewish people ... but also not to the point where he's going to give up the fight against hatred. As the film progresses, it explores forms of prejudice ...
For example, Kathy advocates equal rights for Jews, but she doesn't want Phil or his son to be mistaken for one because she knows that life is harder for Jews; and she doesn't want her loved ones to suffer. When someone in the story tells a joke about a Jew in her presence, she thinks that the joke is horrible, but yet, she says nothing. For the most part, Kathy talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk. So ... do these behaviors/attitudes maker her anti-Semitic? Some would say yes, some would say no. At one point, Phil states, "I've come to see lots of nice people who hate Anti-Semitism & deplore it & protest their own innocence, then help it along & wonder why it grows. People who would never beat up a Jew. People who think anti-Semitism is far away in some dark place with low class morons. That's the biggest discovery I've made. The good people. The nice people". It's a sobering comment, but not inaccurate.
Jewish bigotry at the time was a major taboo subject for Hollywood films. But right after WWII when the horrors of the Holocaust became known, it seemed to non-Jewish Darryl F. Zanuck that it was the perfect time to bring up the subject of Jewish discrimination in the U.S., even though every other major movie studio had passed on it as way too controversial; perhaps because many moguls & film executives were Jewish themselves & were nervous about how the film would play to the public. Even the actors were taking a bit of a career gamble. Director Elia Kazan 1st wanted Cary Grant for the lead role. But Grant turned it down & Peck accepted it over the advice of his agent; who feared it could damage his career -- well, we know how that turned out, haha. In fact, Zanuck's decision to go ahead with the film was proven when 'Gentleman's Agreement' not only made a fortune for 20th Century Fox, but also won 3 Academy Awards.
Peck even went on to be nominated for an Oscar for his performance. Dorothy McGuire is very good as Kathy; lending subtle nuances throughout the proceedings. We know that Kathy wants to be the good person, do the right thing, but is she really capable of acting out her beliefs? This is the question Phil ponders, as well; and we see it affect their relationship, greatly. As mentioned, John Garfield is great as Phil's Jewish military pal. Dean Stockwell rightfully won a Juvenile acting award at the Golden Globes that year (1947) for his affecting child portrayal. June Havoc impresses as Phil's Jewish secretary. And Celeste Holm rightfully won the Academy Award for her supporting performance as Anne Dettrey; the kind of liberal, 'walk the walk' type of woman who Phil SHOULD be with, but likely won't.
Watching 'Gentleman's Agreement' now in 2014, it strikes me how relevant the material still is, if not for the treatment of Jews today, but for how other minorities are regarded (gays, blacks, Hispanics). Today, you hear some people say, "Well, some of my best friends are gay". In this movie, a person with anti-Semitic tendencies, declares, "Some of my best friends are Jews". So, seemingly inconsequential comments/details like this can be as indicative of prejudice as the large ones. It is now as it was in 1947. This film grew on me as it went. It started a bit slow for me. There are a few sticky, sentimental stretches throughout. But overall, it's a stellar film that tackles a then-incendiary topic exceedingly well. It digs into the anti-Semitic problem (of the time) while also providing old-school entertainment.