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

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 "Horseman Without a Horse" (2002)

Very interesting and thought-provoking though it does lose its focus at times

This is a very good documentary and I am glad I watched it. However, I tend to agree with some of the comments that they wish the film had maintained a tighter focus on the actual "Protocols of Zion"--especially since there is no way I would spend a nickel to buy this sick book and I wanted to know more about it. Instead, starting with the Protocols, the author then diverges to a wide variety of interesting but related subjects. Sometimes, though, the theme seemed to get a tiny bit lost--though it sure was interesting. His interviews with nice Christians who loved THE PASSION OF THE Christ, for example, was very interesting but also a bit off topic as was the interview with some seemingly reasonable Muslims at their temple later in the film. Perhaps instead of naming the film after the Protocols, the true theme was finding common ground among different faiths--which definitely was evident in the film.

What I really liked about the documentary was Mr. Levin's lovely style. He seemed like a really nice guy and talked with many nice as well as hateful people yet always came off as sincere and decent--which takes a lot of skill. It could have easily chosen ridicule or sarcasm to deal with some genuinely dumb or evil people but didn't take this easy way out in discussing the topic. This style was very similar to the great style of Louis Theroux in his documentary on the hateful Fred Phelps clan--showing concern and a desire to understand and inform--not attack or demean. This does NOT mean he didn't state his own views or go on the attack, but he did not attack the individuals he interviewed but instead stated his own strong feelings towards the end.