Ivor Davis

‘I Understood Her as a Woman’

Published on February 19, 2009

Q & A With Kate Winslet

Letter from London: ‘An English Tragedy’ is timely on stage

Published on March 27, 2008

In an atmosphere of increasing British anti-Semitism and vitriolic anti-Israel rhetoric in the left-wing press here, the play we're about to see, "An English Tragedy," couldn't be more timely. Written by South African Jewish playwright and Oscar-winning screenwriter Ronald Harwood ("The Pianist," "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"), it is the story of John Amery, son of a Cabinet minister, who along with the infamous Lord Haw Haw made propaganda radio broadcasts for the Nazis that were beamed to England.

Theater: Updated ‘Anne Frank’ production shows harder side, and tears

Published on March 22, 2007

Rosenbergs’ Granddaughter Tackles Washington ‘Hill’

Published on August 17, 2006

The Rosenbergs were executed for spying for the Soviet Union in June 1953. Their personal story was told 51 years later by their granddaughter, Ivy Meeropol, in the powerful 2004 documentary, "Heir to an Execution."

Overcoming Germanophobia During the World Cup

Published on July 19, 2006

I must admit that in countless trips to Europe, I had carefully avoided visiting Germany, having no desire whatsoever to see the Fatherland that had left me with such dark memories. But then came the summer of 2006, and as a football (soccer to you) devotee, I headed to Germany to cover the World Cup for a Southern California radio station.

‘Munich’—a Risky Move for Spielberg

Published on December 1, 2005

The billboards for Steven Spielberg's new film "Munich," which opens Dec. 23, will soon be sprouting on buses, benches and boulevards around the nation. The image is simple and stark. A lone man sits gloomily in a dark, heavily draped hotel room, his body sparely illuminated by the light of a single window. His shoulders are hunched disconsolately and a pistol dangles from his hand. He seems very much alone.

Lights, Camera, Ventura

Published on March 3, 2005

While some Jewish film festivals around the country often use older films or films playing at nearby theaters, the Ventura County Jewish Film Festival will show five new films never seen in Ventura County -- as well as host their stars.

The festival starts on March 10 at 7 p.m. with the opening night film, "The Aryan Couple." In the World War II thriller based on a true story, Oscar winner Martin Landau plays a Hungarian businessman who is forced to make a terrible pact with Himmler and Eichmann so he and his family can escape certain death. Landau and director-producer John Daly ("The Last Emperor") will have a Q & A after the screening.

Q & A With Al Pacino

Published on January 6, 2005

"The Godfather's" Michael Corleone has taken a crack at Shylock. Oscar-winner Al Pacino -- always a daring actor -- steps into the shoes of Shakespeare's notorious moneylender in the latest big-screen version of the Bard's classic, "The Merchant of Venice."

The Passion of Mel Gibson

Published on February 19, 2004

After watching Mel Gibson's two-hour-and-six-minute "The Passion of the Christ" at the Fox Studio's 200-seat Zanuck Theater, with barely a dozen carefully invited others in the audience, I came away with great admiration for Gibson.

Not for the film, I can assure you.

For while it is superbly photographed by Caleb Deschanel ("The Patriot," "Being There" and "Black Stallion") you can't but sit in awe of Gibson's brilliant publicity juggernaut that could teach Barnum and Bailey a thing or two about the not-so-delicate art of movie promotion and marketing.

Sept. 11 From the D.C. Perspective

Published on September 4, 2003

"I tried to persuade others in Hollywood to support his campaign because there was a lot of hostility there toward his candidacy," Lionel Chetwynd said. "There was nothing dark to be read into it, although there was a preexisting relationship. They knew I'd always been enthusiastic about Bush's presidential ambitions since the days he was governor of Texas."

Moonves: No Sympathy for Hitler

Published on January 23, 2003

‘Trembling’ Truth

Published on February 14, 2002

For filmmaker Sandi Simcha DuBowski, "Trembling Before G-d" isn't just a documentary, it's a revolutionary movement.

Lucky Break

Published on January 3, 2002

It's been a long and sometimes winding road for neophyte filmmaker Pete Jones.

Roman Holiday

Published on November 16, 2000

On Yom Kippur, my wife Sally and I went to shul just around the corner from the Vatican. It was a visit we will not soon forget. The imposing Comunita Ebraica di Roma Synagogue (the Great Synagogue of Rome) sits just off the Piazza del Firori close to the Tiber River and spitting distance from Vatican City across the river in one direction, and Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum in the other.

Groopman’s World

Published on October 5, 2000

For those who don't remember, Attanasio is the brilliant creator and writer of "Homicide: Life on the Street," the former NBC series that was always more beloved by critics and its small but fanatically devoted group of viewers than by the public at large. Among the talents spawned by that show, none made more of an impression than Andre Braugher, a Shakespearean-trained actor of enormous power who, during the show's run, got himself a cover of TV Guide which asked the question in banner headlines: "Is this the best actor on television?"

Peace, It’s Wonderful

Published on June 8, 2000

Hebrew for forgiveness, Selichot services are a time of preparation for the New Year, generally held after the conclusion of Shabbat prior to Rosh Hashanah.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Movies, Stardom and Judaism

Published on December 30, 1999

For Gwyneth Paltrow winning her first Oscar earlier this year for "Shakespeare in Love" was a dream come true. But for the beautiful 27-year-old superstar it was also something of a nightmare.

Hank Azaria Spends “Tuesdays With Morrie.”

Published on December 2, 1999

Hollywood has found its Jewish comfort zone in "Tuesdays with Morrie," the ABC television movie version of Mitch Albom's best selling book.

The Kubrick Legacy

Published on March 18, 1999

The news of director Stanley Kubrick's death in England is a premature finis to an unprecedented career in film.

Hoffman on Hollywood, Judaism and the Holocaust

Published on March 4, 1999

What moviegoer can forget the scene: a graduation party around a Beverly Hills swimming pool, where a callow, young graduate named Benjamin Braddock gets a little career advice -- one word: "Plastics."

The Producer

Published on January 14, 1999

There isn't much Irwin Winkler doesn't know about making movies, which is maybe why, unlike a lot of the young hotshots who've been in the business five seconds, his favorite subject is not his own genius.

Surviving Hollywood

Published on November 12, 1998

On the old Paramount Ranch deep in the San Fernando Valley, Woodstock has returned -- as in the world's greatest love-in, the '60s festival that affected a generation. Producer Lynda Obst, who is responsible for this unnerving flashback, watches intensely from the sidelines with a proprietary eye.

Surviving Hollywood

Published on November 12, 1998

On the old Paramount Ranch deep in the San Fernando Valley, Woodstock has returned -- as in the world's greatest love-in, the '60s festival that affected a generation. Producer Lynda Obst, who is responsible for this unnerving flashback, watches intensely from the sidelines with a proprietary eye.

Not Your Usual Movie

Published on October 15, 1998

Director Bryan Singer was suddenly the flavor of the month. Dozens of scripts landed on his desk. Offers to direct big-budget movies with A-list actors like Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford materialized overnight. The year was 1995 and his breakthrough hit, "The Usual Suspects," was all the buzz in Hollywood.

Uncovering Gulf War Syndrome

Published on May 28, 1998

If you can, keep 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 31, free. The occasion: the Showtime miniseries "Thanks of a Grateful Nation" (the ironic title is taken from congressional hearings), a dramatization of real events based on real people.

Casting His Vote

Published on May 14, 1998

Sixty one and still full of surprises, that'sWarren Beatty. This weekend, Beatty goes head to head at the boxoffice with "The Horse Whisperer," starring that other senior iconRobert Redford. Redford, like his contemporary Beatty, not only starsbut also directs and produces his movie. May the best man win.