Protocols of Zion (2005)

Director:

Marc Levin

Release Date:

23 November 2005 (France)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

Some lies never die.

Plot:

A documentary about the rise of anti-Semitism in the USA after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Plot Keywords:

Libel | Anti Semitism | Book | Neo Nazi | Religion

Cast

Alan Levin	...	Himself
Marc Levin	...	Himself

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some disturbing content and brief nudity.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:M

Company:

HBO/Cinemax Documentary

Trivia:

One of the subjects from Trembling Before G-d (2001), another American documentary concerning contemporary Jewish issues, can be seen briefly in the anti-war protest.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Marc Levin is walking up a gravel road with a white supremacist leader, the shots from behind show them passing several parked cars as they are engaged in conversation. Shots of them from the front, however, do not include these cars. In addition, the shots from behind show the two persons approaching the same cars several times.

Movie Connections:

Features The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Chilling look at mankind at its worst

The movie uses the Protocolos of Zion as a pretext to take a 'fresh' look at current Jewish hatred and at its historical roots. The whole tone is not apologetic; I mean, the movie will probably fail to convince any antisemitic person that hating Jews is stupid and wrong. If the movie convinces of anything, it is that antisemitism is currently much more intense and widespread than most people who live in Western societies/countries would like to believe. Put simply, I feel that any decent and/or not too stupid nor brainwashed human being can only be shocked, first by the content of most of the interviews presented in the movie, second by the global world picture which emerges from the impeccable articulation of this material by the film makers.

If you take it seriously, this movie is about humanity at its very worst. In some sense, it reminded me of the visit I undertook to a concentration camp a few years ago. You get disturbed, not only because you see innocent people being accused, molested and sometimes even killed, but also because those who hate Jews are human, just like you, and this means that somehow, somewhere, you are also capable of the same sort of horrible feelings and actions.

I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone, with the possible exception of children. May we all one day understand that we are all the same.

P.S.: One caveat: The zone 1 American DVD is extremely poor: it is widescreen alright, but it is not anamorphic and the transfer is possibly the poorest I have seen in the five years. The supplements are quite interesting, though.