Plot Summary: Gentlemans Agreements, released in 1947, brings to light the fact that it was not just the

completely-out-there anti-Semites who made judgments about Jews; the good people, or people who claimed to hate anti-Semitism, were also secretly glad not to be Jewish and were all talk, doing nothing to stop the ongoing hatred towards Jews. The main character, Phil Green, moves with his mother and son to New York from California to take a job as a journalist. He is asked to write a series on anti-Semitism, but feels that everyone knows about it already and he is not excited about the topic. Inspired by his Jewish friend Dave, who has gone through great trouble as a Jew, Phil realizes that he will not really know what he is writing about unless he can experience first-hand what it is like, so he starts telling people he is Jewish. Slowly, it dawns on him how much Jews are mistreated, and not just by the obvious anti-Semites. He meets Kathy Lacey, the niece of his boss, and they start dating. She knows he is not actually Jewish and she says religion does not matter to her, but makes many little comments that show she is actually glad not to be Jewish and is not doing anything about the issue. When Phil goes to Kathys sisters house to meet the family, Kathy makes excuses about why certain people could not come, when the audience can see she did not invite them because she knew they would judge Phil for being Jewish. In preparation for his honeymoon, Phil goes to a hotel to make a reservation. He asks the manager about the hotels policy regarding Jews and is told there is none, but the manager goes on to tell Green cannot stay in the hotel because they are booked, when in fact he refused Phil because of his religion. A similar situation takes place when Phils friend Dave tries to get housing, but is also denied because of his religion. One night, Kathy comes to Phils house and tells him she was at dinner when a man made a rude comment towards Jews and she got angry and wanted to yell, but kept quiet. Phil gets upset with her, saying that this is the problem; so many people say they hate anti-Semites yet do not take action to stop them! Phil decides their views on the issue are too irreconcilable, and they break off their engagement. All of these situations in the movie highlight the fact that too many people talked about their openness towards Jews, but they did not follow through and do anything to stop the hatred.

Historical Significance: Released in 1947 to great controversy, Gentlemans Agreement reveals a side to Jewish discrimination that other movies of that time often do not show. Gentlemans Agreement shows that many people who claimed to be against Jewish discrimination did not do anything about it. Often in movies the director chose to show only the blatant anti-Semites who would express their feelings boldly, rather than those who were too scared to act. During the Holocaust, the U.S. was aware of the mistreatment of the Jewish population in Europe, but did not intervene in hopes of remaining isolated from foreign conflicts. The newspapers reported on the Holocaust but did not emphasize it, often printing stories 5 or 6 pages into the paper where they might be overlooked. (www.ushmm.org). Just two years before the movie was released, World War II had officially ended, meaning that the U.S. occupied many European countries and their occupants, including Germany. The U.S. kept many people, both Jewish and non-Jewish, in camps, enraging many Jews who were forced to remain near Germans who had previously tortured them. The U.S. provided former captives with better living conditions and eventually helped many people earn visas to the United States in hope of giving them better opportunities (www.ushmm.org). Jews are still immigrating to the U.S. during Gentlemans Agreement, and these issues concerning the Jewish community affect all of the characters. They know that conditions were horrible for the Jews during the Holocaust, but instead of doing anything to help the Jewish population, many are just grateful for not being Jewish, including Kathy. Phil discovers that anti-Jewish behavior continues because people only talk about the cruelty of discrimination but do not do anything to stop it. When the movie was released it was a great hit, but it also brought controversy. Some producers did not want the movie to be made and were afraid it would bring out more anti-Semitic views and might outrage big names in Hollywood, causing harm to the careers of the actors. Many actors had to testify at Congressional hearings about who was to blame for the movies touchy issues, and some were even blacklisted (www.kenbraiterman.com). On the positive side, however, the movie revealed the hidden discrimination among all people, including the polite, wealthy, intelligent people in America, and even caused some to change their behavior (www.kenbraiterman.com). Gentlemans Agreement is an incredibly accurate movie about the prejudices during the 1940s against Jews by all people, but it still brought disagreement and anger.

Cinematographers Techniques: Throughout Gentlemans Agreement there is a tremendous use of cinematographic techniques. At the end of each scene the screen fades out and then fades back in at the next scene. By doing so, the cinematographer shows a change in time. Another example is that during conversations, the cinematographer uses Medium Close Ups or Medium Shots so that the audience focuses on the body language and facial expressions of the characters. In one scene, at a party, the cinematographer uses a Wide Shot and then trucks left and right to show everyone at the party, increasing the viewers awareness of what is going on. At the train station, the cinematographer uses a Long Shot to show Kathy running towards Phil so that the viewer sees her full image as she gets closer to Phil, making the scene more exciting. All of these examples of cinematographic techniques help the viewer feel as if he or she is a part of the scene, while also making the movie more interesting.

Works Cited

Braiterman, Ken. "The 1947 Film Gentlemens Agreement Is Part of the History It Shows." Ken Braiterman. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. <http://kenbraiterman.com>. "The United States and the Holocaust." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM, WASHINGTON, DC, n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. <http://www.ushmm.org>. "The United States and the Holocaust: Postwar American Response to the Holocaust." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM, WASHINGTON, DC, n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. <http://www.ushmm.org>.