Holocaust Film Series: Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust (Documentary). Imaginary Witness is a 2004 documentary directed by Daniel Anker and narrated by Gene Hackman which examines the American film and television industry's response to the Holocaust and its role in shaping public sentiment of the events happening overseas. How does an industry that peddles fantasy document horrific history? What role did cultural antisemitism play in attitudes towards Jews in the film industry and its products? Through the examination of over 40 films and newsreels, this documentary explores the changing face of Hollywood from reluctance to alienate the German market to fully documenting the war through the Army Signal Corps motion picture unit, and the efforts of such stars as Charlie Chaplin to show the truth of Nazism. A discussion will follow the documentary.
This presentation is part of the supporting programming for "Americans and the Holocaust," a traveling exhibit from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in conjunction with the American Library Association.