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Congratulations to Jonathan Glazer on replacing Sachin Littlefeather as the face of moral bankruptcy at the Oscars.
For those who have better things to think about at the 1973 Academy Awards, Littlefeather was the Native American activist sent in place of Marlon Brando to accept the Best Actor award for his role as Vito Corleone in “The Godfather.” I went. He also lectured Americans about how we are all on stolen land.
Littlefeather's speech has become a touchstone for all that is skewed with the moral compass of those who consider themselves superior to us because they operate in a world of ostentation.
Thankfully, 51 years after LittleFeather's address, we caught up with Glazer about how his film's producers “deny his Jewishness and are victims of the Holocaust” because of Israel's war against Hamas.
Glazer directed a loose film adaptation of Martin Amis's novel “The Zone of Interest”, which was nominated for several awards and won Best International Feature Film. “The Zone of Interest”, which is actually quite good, deals with the Holocaust, making his comments doubly problematic.
According to Variety, Glazer said during his speech on stage with producers James Wilson and Len Blavatnik, “Our film shows where dehumanization goes at its worst.”
“For now, we stand here as those who deny their Jewishness and the Holocaust have been hijacked by an occupation that has caused conflict for many innocent people – whether the victims of October 7 in Israel. Or the ongoing attacks on Gaza – all are victims of this dehumanization… How should we protest?”
He was interrupted twice by applause:
Jonathan Glazer's acceptance speech for Best International Film for 'The Zone of Interest' #Oscar pic.twitter.com/XNsMv0HDib
– Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) 11 March 2024
Glazer's speech has not only been distorted by social media, legacy media, and actual Holocaust survivors, but it is now also being blasted by those in the entertainment industry seeking to “deny his Jewishness.” Are not ready.
“More than 450 Jewish creators, executives and Hollywood professionals have signed an open letter condemning Jonathan Glazer's 'The Zone of Interest' Oscar speech,” Variety reported Monday.
“We are Jewish creatives, executives and Hollywood professionals,” the letter said.
“We reject that our Jewishness was hijacked for the purpose of establishing moral equivalence between the Nazi regime, which wanted to exterminate a race of people, and the Israeli nation, which wanted to prevent its destruction. going.
“The death of every civilian in Gaza is tragic. Israel is not targeting civilians,” the letter continued. “It is targeting Hamas. The moment Hamas releases the hostages and surrenders, this heartbreaking war ends. This has been true since the Hamas attacks of October 7.
“The use of words like 'occupation' to describe an indigenous Jewish people who defend a homeland that is thousands of years old, and which is recognized as a state by the United Nations, distorts history.
“It lends credibility to the modern blood libel that fuels rising anti-Jewish hatred around the world, in the United States and in Hollywood,” it concluded. “The current climate of rising anti-Semitism only serves to underline the need for the Jewish State of Israel, a place that will take us forever, as no state did during the Holocaust as depicted in Mr. Glazer's film.”
Those are powerful words, and it wasn't just from Hollywood conservatives — or the short list of lightweights in the business.
It stars big names like Debra Messing (“Will & Grace”), Jennifer Jason Leigh (“Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “The Hateful Eight”), Julianna Margulies (“ER”), Brett Gelman (“Stranger Things”) Were. “Fleabag”) and Broadway star Tovah Feldshuh.
Executives included Gary Barber and Gail Berman, directors included Eli Roth (“Cabin Fever,” “Hostel”) and Rod Lurie (“Resurrecting the Champ,” “Straw Dogs”), show creators included Amy Sherman- Palladino (“Gilmore Girls”). ''The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel''), and several union representatives and producers.
While it's unclear how the signatories came together, many of those who spoke to Variety about their decision to sign expressed displeasure at Glazer's comments on Israel and Hamas.
Gelman told the trade publication, “There was no concern about how the Jewish people would react to this kind of speech… when our hostages are not even being mentioned, and it's incredibly tragic, incredibly Is more painful.” “It was really astonishing to me that people were choosing to remain silent that night.”
“Modern Family” creator Ilana Wernick compared the moment to another infamous incident in Oscar history.
“His words sounded eerily similar to Vanessa Redgrave's infamous 'Zionist hoodlum' speech,” Wernick told Variety.
“Only this time there was no Paddy Chayefsky to stand up and say the right thing. Sadly, Jew hatred won. That's why so many of us in the industry reached out to each other. It was a very sad, very scary night. Writing letters was not just cathartic for us. This is something we had to do.”
Redgrave's speech was undoubtedly a low point in the history of the Academy.
During the 1978 awards, while accepting the Best Supporting Actress award for her work in “Julia” – a film about an anti-Nazi activist during the Hitler years – Redgrave tried to defend her financing of a pro-Palestine documentary. Used hateful language, as The New York Times noted in a 2019 report.
“Over the past few weeks you have stood firm and refused to be intimidated by the intimidation of a small group of Zionist hooligans whose behavior is an insult to the stature of Jews around the world and their great and heroic record. Of the struggle against fascism and oppression,” she said.
Chayefsky had gained an Oscar the earlier yr for screenwriting the biting, satirical “Community” and was on stage to current one of the best screenplay award when he later addressed Redgrave's feedback:
In line with the Instances, he stated, “I wish to recommend to Miss Redgrave that her profitable the Academy Award isn’t a momentous second in historical past, that it wants no proclamation and {that a} easy 'thanks' would suffice.”
The Instances stated that he acquired applause from the viewers.
There could not have been such a brave particular person two Sundays in the past, however that doesn't imply there gained't be any penalties for Glazer's hateful feedback. Possibly now, each little bit of subliminal leftist criticism on the Oscars gained't recall to mind Littlefeather's dystopian stance on Brando, however as an alternative Glazer's morally deviant feedback.
This text initially appeared on The Western Journal.