Wednesday, January 28, 2009

random thought

Has there EVER been a movie made that actually accurately represents Orthodox Jews?

19 comments:

nameless, faceless said...

Fiddler on the Roof.

I'm not joking. I cannot tell you how many times during my conversion I remember thinking "Oh! Just like in Fiddler on the Roof!".

Am I the worst convert alive right now?

Maidel said...

its been years since ive seen that!
and you know what - it's probably the one movie that's come really really close!

Jewish Side of Babysitter said...

I actually didn't like fidler on the roof! I was gonna right about it, I have it in draft...

Jewish Side of Babysitter said...

my page didn't load right before, didn't give me the subscribe check box...

NotaGeek! said...

It probably would never be presented fair, unless it's produced by orthodox Jews...

Since they are outsiders trying to figure us out, and don't usually get an accurate view, be it unintentionally or intentionally.

Anonymous said...

The first three minutes of Snatch? ;)

Ookamikun said...

Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob. Produced by an orthodox Jew, very funny and pretty accurately represents Orthodox Jews.

I personally liked Ushpizin.

Another pro Jewish movie is Frisco Kid. While not very accurate, it's positive and funny.

Very negative movie, in my opinion, that very well captures the frummie's attitude towards BTs and I'm sure converts, A Stranger Among Us.

Squeak said...

frumpunk: snatch is one of my favorite movies. the one thing that really bothers me though, is when it shows the chasidishe kids outside the diamond store in england, they have curly peyos behind their ears. It just looks wrong.

Samuel Katz said...

Check out "My Father My Lord"

Anonymous said...

"Ushpizin", hands down.

Chaviva Gordon-Bennett said...

I second Ushpizin. Two ba'al teshuvas playing ba'al teshuvas? AWESOME.

Ookamikun said...

Seriously, if any of you never saw Rabbi Jacob or Frisco Kid, see them.
Netflix finally got a copy of both of them.

Anonymous said...

Check out a Stanger Amongst Us. Melanie Griffith was in it. I felt it paid a fair tribute to being Orthadox. You might like it.

Ookamikun said...

A Stranger Among Us pays tribute to how frummies view bts. Nasty movie.

frum single female said...

i absolutely hated my father my lord, and no it doesnt accurately represent orthodox judaism.
i dont think that fiddler on the roof accurately represents orthodox judaism either. i think its a bad cliche. unfortunately often when i say im orthodox people assume im like someone straight out of fiddler on the roof.
i think movies show snippets of what orthodox judaism is, but not its essense. they also really like featuring chassidim in hollywood movies because they seem so foreign and so like the amish.

Anonymous said...

Squeak: Its not perfect, but its funny how many things Guy Ritchie got right, for example, there's a copy of The Jewish Press in Cousin Avi's office. The menorah on the file cabinet is a bit over the top, but I guess they need that to remind the mainstream audience that these characters are Jewish. The main problem I had with those Chassidish kids is the way they talked and spat. London chassidim have their own accent and it isnt cockney.

Ookamikun said...

Hebrew Hammer!!!

AriSparkles said...

Its a more conservative-ish view, but "when do we eat" was brilliant!

Bilingual said...

Have you seen Arranged? Not perfect, but pretty good.

http://www.arrangedthemovie.com/