Gentleman's Agreement
1947. Directed by Elia Kazan. Screenplay by Moss Hart, based on the novel by Laura Z. Hobson. Starring Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, John Garfield, Celeste Holm, Anne Revere, and Dean Stockwell.
Gentleman's Agreement is a powerful film far more because of what it says and when it said it than because of the quality of the film itself. It is a courageous attack against anti-Semitism, and thus discrimination in all forms, coming in the late forties. Gregory Peck plays a reporter who decides to pass himself off as Jewish in order to write about anti-Semitism from first-hand knowledge. He certainly experiences anti-Semitism in many forms. The film's strongest virtue (and what keeps it relevant to this day) is that it concludes that the most frustrating aspect of prejudice isn't the outspoken attacks but rather the good people who sit still, perhaps feeling ashamed or guilty, and remain silent as anti-Semitism in the form of jokes, actions, and rules cross their paths. They may feel disgusted but they fail to stand up for their beliefs; their inaction strengthening the comfort of prejudice in others. The cast is a fairly mixed bag. Peck is solid but a little stuffy while Dorothy McGuire is fairly awkward in a rather weakly written role. John Garfield is very good as Peck's childhood friend and Celeste Holm is fun as a fashion editor for the magazine. The dialogue tries to be snappy at times but lacks the cleverness to excel at it. Elia Kazan has provided us much better films, but this is a solid film that has a good message that still holds meaning today.
My grade: B+
Gentleman's Agreement is a powerful film far more because of what it says and when it said it than because of the quality of the film itself. It is a courageous attack against anti-Semitism, and thus discrimination in all forms, coming in the late forties. Gregory Peck plays a reporter who decides to pass himself off as Jewish in order to write about anti-Semitism from first-hand knowledge. He certainly experiences anti-Semitism in many forms. The film's strongest virtue (and what keeps it relevant to this day) is that it concludes that the most frustrating aspect of prejudice isn't the outspoken attacks but rather the good people who sit still, perhaps feeling ashamed or guilty, and remain silent as anti-Semitism in the form of jokes, actions, and rules cross their paths. They may feel disgusted but they fail to stand up for their beliefs; their inaction strengthening the comfort of prejudice in others. The cast is a fairly mixed bag. Peck is solid but a little stuffy while Dorothy McGuire is fairly awkward in a rather weakly written role. John Garfield is very good as Peck's childhood friend and Celeste Holm is fun as a fashion editor for the magazine. The dialogue tries to be snappy at times but lacks the cleverness to excel at it. Elia Kazan has provided us much better films, but this is a solid film that has a good message that still holds meaning today.
My grade: B+
posted by Keith Allison at 10:52 PM
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