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To go
to a complete listing of
tapes in the Collection, click here.
Memories pursued Holocaust survivors when they tried to reestablish their lives after World War II. For many who came to America, the vast differences between their new lives and what they had experienced created problems that were difficult to resolve.
Enemies, A Love Story, based on a novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer, follows the intertwined affairs of Herman Broder, a writer haunted by nightmares as he tries to settle into his new life in New York. Married to Yadwiga, the Polish woman who saved him, he has a Jewish mistress, fellow survivor Masha. His life and deceptions become even more frenetic as his first wife, Tamara, arrives in New York, having also survived. Ron Silver, Anjelica Huston and Lena Olin all give superb performances in this compelling movie.
1989, 121 mins.
While you watch, consider . . .
•The importance of Judaism to the characters, even as they doubt the existence of God and His role in human affairs.
•The problematic nature of returning to “normal” life after the Holocaust.
•How the absence or expectation of children colors the characters’ behavior. This title is distributed by Morgan Creek (http://www.morgancreek.com).
Other films of interest:
The Pawnbroker Rod Steiger stars as a Holocaust survivor confronting the past and the present.
Music Box Jessica Lange stars as an attorney who defends her immigrant father on charges of war crimes, years after World War II. Image Before My Eyes A documentary about the life of Polish Jews between the wars.