Protocols of Zion | |
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Directed by | Marc Levin |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Mark Benjamin |
Edited by | Ken Eluto |
Music by | John Zorn |
Distributed by | THINKFilm [1] |
Release dates |
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Running time | 95 minutes |
Language | English |
Box office | $178,875 |
Protocols of Zion is a 2005 documentary film by Marc Levin about a resurgence of antisemitism in the United States in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Appearing on screen along with his subjects, Levin engages in a free-for-all dialogue with Arab Americans, Black nationalists, evangelists, White nationalists, Neo-Nazis, Kabbalist rabbis, Holocaust survivors, and Frank Weltner, the founder of the Jew Watch web site.
Levin's film draws its inspiration from an encounter he had in a New York taxi not long after 9/11. His driver, an Egyptian immigrant, repeated the false claim that the Jews had been warned not to go to work at the World Trade Center on the day of the attack and cited The Protocols of the Elders of Zion , an antisemitic hoax published in 1903 that purports to disclose the Jews' master plan to rule the world. Encountering further examples, such as hearing that a newspaper was serializing the Protocols, convinced Levin to make a film on the topic. His first idea was a satirical film, but when he found that two serious dramatizations had already been produced, he instead made a documentary. [2] Levin did not want to make a scholarly examination of antisemitism or the Protocols itself. Rather than interviewing academics, he focused on man-on-the-street interviews. Levin wanted the film to be emotive and ask questions. He said the very topic was taboo, and people had suggested that he not even mention the Protocols for fear of driving further interest in it. [3]
The film premiered at Sundance on January 21, 2004. HBO bought the television rights, [2] and THINKFilm gave it a limited theatrical release. It grossed $178,875 in the US. [1]
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 67% based on reviews from 58 critics. The site's consensus states: "Levin takes viewers on a personal journey, laying bare the ugly and varied faces of anti-Semitism." [4] On Metacritic the film has a score of 60% based on reviews from 23 critics. [5]
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The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a fabricated text purporting to detail a Jewish plot for global domination. Largely plagiarized from several earlier sources, it was first published in Imperial Russia in 1903, translated into multiple languages, and disseminated internationally in the early part of the 20th century. It played a key part in popularizing belief in an international Jewish conspiracy.
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a fabricated antisemitic text purporting to describe a Jewish plan to achieve global domination. The text was fabricated in the Russian Empire, and was first published in 1903. While there is continued popularity of The Protocols in nations from South America to Asia, since the defeat of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan in World War II, governments or political leaders in most parts of the world have generally avoided claims that The Protocols represent factual evidence of a real Jewish conspiracy. The exception to this is the Middle East, where a large number of Arab and Muslim regimes and leaders have endorsed them as authentic. Past endorsements of The Protocols from Presidents Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar Sadat of Egypt, Iraqi President Arif, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, and Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi of Libya, among other political and intellectual leaders of the Arab world, are echoed by 21st century endorsements from the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Ekrima Sa'id Sabri, and Hamas, to the education ministry of Saudi Arabia.
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