Protocols of Zion (2005)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

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

Directed by
Marc Levin

Produced by
Nancy Abraham	....	supervising producer
Jeff Herr	....	executive producer
Steve Kalafer	....	producer
Marc Levin	....	producer
Sheila Nevins	....	executive producer
Daphne Pinkerson	....	supervising producer
Daniel Praid	....	associate producer
Danielle Schleif	....	associate producer
Michael Skolnik	....	field producer
Jennifer Tuft	....	co-producer

Original Music by
John Zorn

Cinematography by
Mark Benjamin

Film Editing by
Ken Eluto

Sound Department
Alan Barker	....	additional sound mixer
Leslie Bloom	....	foley artist
David Corcoran	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Keith Yurevitz	....	digital imaging

Camera and Electrical Department
Jon Fine	....	cinematographer: second unit
Michael Schiller	....	camera operator: second unit

Other crew
Sean William Cunningham	....	transcriber
Emily Gann	....	production coordinator
Sarah Hodd	....	production coordinator
Daniela Kon	....	researcher
Michael J. Linowes	....	legal counsel
Shane Moran	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• HBO/Cinemax Documentary

Distributors

• HBO Films (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Pretty Pictures (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• THINKFilm (2005) (USA) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Cinetic Media  sales

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 Der ewige Jude (1940)

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.