About the Book
The era of the German Occupation of France constituted, surprisingly, a golden age for the arts: literature, theater, popular music and cinema. These works of art seem to be devoid of political impact. The widespread trend of unrealistic and fantastic art during this period is explained by some scholars as the artists escape from the omnipotent eye of German censorship. The purpose of the book is to show that, contrary to the accepted view, some of these films were intimately linked to the political situation. They convey the demonization of characters that, while not specifically presented as Jews nevertheless manifested anti-Semitic stereotypes of the Jew as ugly, rootless, low, hypocritical, immoral, cruel and power hungry. All five movies analysed (Les Inconnus dans la maison, dir. Henri Decoin, 1942; Les Visiteurs du Soir, dir. Marcel Carne, 1942; L'Eternel retour, dir. Jean Delannoy, 1943; Les Enfants du Paradis, dir. Marcel Carne, 1943) present characters not identified as Jews but who exhibit negative Jewish traits, in contrast to the aristocratic characters whom they aspire to emulate. They demonstrate, implicitly, central themes of explicit anti-Semitic propaganda. Yehuda Moraly addresses two current major misconceptions regarding the Cinema of Occupied France: (1) that the accepted view that there were almost no explicitly Jewish characters in the cinema of that time and place is patently incorrect; and (2) that the feature films of Occupied France were not as it is commonly thought free of the propaganda messages that permeated the press, the radio and documentary films. Analysis of these films brings out the contradictory nature of European anti-Semitism. On one hand, the Jew is the anti-Christ, throttling the world with disgusting materialism while on the other hand, he is representative of an ancestral stifling morality, which it is time to abolish.
About the Author :
Yehuda (Jean-Bernard) Moraly is an associate professor at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. His fields of research are mainly French theatre and film: Jean Genet, la vie ecrite (Editions de la Difference, 1988); Claudel metteur en scene (Presses Universitaires de Franche Comte, 1998); Le Maitre fou, Genet theoricien du theatre, Nizet, 2009). His L'uvre impossible: Claudel, Genet, Fellini (Le Manuscrit, 2013) deals mostly with Fellinis cinema. He is also a play-wright and his plays are published and produced in France and Israel.
Review :
'An in-depth look at the world of French filmmaking during the German
Occupation (1940–44), this study seeks to demonstrate how extensively
anti-Semitic prejudice permeated not only French society as a whole at the time
of the Nazi takeover but also the mentalities and actions of film producers,
directors, screenwriters, and actors.'
James P. Gilroy, University of Denver
'The golden age of French cinema which paradoxically sees its peak during years of occupation takes on a whole new meaning in Moraly’s study. In this, she deserves attention. Indeed, in a very well-documented work, Moraly puts profoundly question the assumption that the golden age of French cinema has constituted a space of freedom.'
Translated from French: 'L’âge d’or du cinéma français qui voit paradoxalement son apogée durant les années d’occupation prend dans l’étude de Moraly un tout autre sens. En cela, elle mérite l’attention. En effet, dans un ouvrage très bien documenté, Moraly remet profondément en question l’hypothèse selon laquelle l’âge d’or du cinéma français a constitué un espace de liberté.'
Éric Touya, Dalhousie French Studies
'This high-minded book gives scholars of French artistic activity during the German Occupation much to consider and debate, especially regarding the methodological issue of how the slippery relations of perceived context, text, and subtext feed into our ability to proffer retrospective ethical assessments.'
Edward Baron Turk, Holocaust and Genocide Studies
'The book is rich in information on the films of the time (some of which are only accessible in the archives or have been destroyed), on the biography and testimonies of the authors and actors, and on the reception of the works ... Jean Paul Sartre said in 1946 that the playwright's task was to "forge myths". This imperative is also valid for the filmmaker. However, there are myths that bring life and myths that kill. Moraly's book teaches us this tragic and terrifying truth that these two categories of myths are often mixed up.'
Thierry Alcoloumbre, Journal of Religion and Film
'Revolution in Paradise performs an important task.'
Sara Jo Ben Zvi, Segula: The Jewish History Magazine
'This brilliant academic study includes an outstanding index and will be invaluable to students and researchers. [...] All concerned in today’s culture clashes should note its far-reaching conclusion.'
David Isaacson, The Jerusalem Post
‘This audacious and engaging study has the potential to revolutionize our thinking about the invisible antisemitic underpinnings of the much-celebrated films of Occupation France… Moraly’s extraordinary prism of awareness… does not succumb to finger-pointing and challenging; rather he demonstrates an extremely nuanced understanding of the history of cultural symbolism and how it works cinematically. Avoiding Manicheanism while maintaining his deep love of the cinema and its histories, he performs a textual reading of great subtlety and imagination that brings to light a subject that has been hidden for years… its conclusions expand over social history and across time.’ Sandy Flitterman-Lewis, Cineaste
