The movie "Lansky" presents a version of the memoirs of Meyer Lansky, a central figure in the origin and management of the national crime syndicate. The development of the Syndicate accompanies the story of Lansky's life and career. The evolution from a traditional to a modern organization is discussed as an example of the use by…

Four recent movies and broadcasts have brought our attention to historical episodes of racism, anti-semitism, authoritarianism, and murder in the first half of the Twentieth Century. These episodes had been largely forgotten as the history of social progress has been celebrated. New attention to past events as presented in the four works is…

The disruption of ordinary life by a deadly pandemic, an outrageous display of police violence, and a tumbling economy have left Americans isolated, frozen, and terrified. For many, the television screen has become the only contact with the outside world and the only source of entertainment. In recent years, cable television networks have drawn…

Minority groups are often justified in being watchful for the difficulties that negative reputations can bring on them. The necessity for discovery and discussion of serious issues within a minority community is real, but the resistance to such a candid approach is founded in their position of vulnerability and the power of old stereotypes. Two…

Two recent, highly rated movies depict central characters who are involved in killing members of groups despised in their societies. In "Milk" and "The Reader," the characters of Dan White and Hanna Schmitz, respectively, are treated with empathy and a search for understanding. Their personal sufferings and confusions are highlighted, and the…

Criticizes the movie "Schindler's List" as portraying the Holocaust in a profane manner. The author suggests Schindler is a bad choice as a protagonist because his story distracts the audience from the real victims. He views the choice of a non-Jew in a heroic portrayal of this type as one culture's way of popularizing another culture's…

A new movie version of Shakespeare's classic troubling comedy, "The Merchant of Venice" (Brokaw, Cowan, Navidi, Piette, & Radford, 2004), has appeared, bringing up an ancient issue of the possible bigotry of the greatest writer in the English language. Shakespeare's plays about minority characters in the Venetian Republic have caused more and more…