Alright, so let's dive into the buzz around the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. When it burst onto the scene in 2021, folks were thrilled to see the glitz and glam of Hollywood celebrated. But soon after, murmurs started about a key missing piece: the Jewish trailblazers who laid the foundation for Tinseltown.
Fast forward to last month, and the museum rolled out a shiny new exhibit spotlighting the Jewish movers and shakers of early Hollywood. But here's where the plot thickens. While aiming to shed light on these iconic figures like Samuel Goldwyn and Louis B. Mayer, the exhibit stirred up some controversy.
Some sharp-eyed visitors took issue with how the exhibit portrayed these Hollywood pioneers. Words like "tyrant," "oppressive," and "predator" raised eyebrows, with some calling foul and labeling it as antisemitic. Cue the uproar.
But hold your popcorn, because the museum didn't just hit pause. They listened up and promised changes pronto. It's all about telling these stories without accidentally feeding into stereotypes.
A slew of Hollywood big shots, including Casey Wasserman and David Schwimmer, weren't shy about voicing their concerns. Lawrence Bender, the brains behind Quentin Tarantino's hits, even called it a "hatchet job on the Jews."
The exhibit, curated with insights from Neal Gabler's acclaimed book, "An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood," got mixed reviews. Some praised its boldness, while others felt it missed the mark.
And then came the bombshell. Alma Har’el, an Israeli American director on the museum's inclusivity team, hit the brakes and resigned after touring the exhibit. Ouch.
Critics zeroed in on what they saw as the exhibit's unfair finger-pointing at Jewish moguls, while giving other industry giants a free pass on their questionable actions. It's like they forgot about D.W. Griffith and Walt Disney.
Even the Anti-Defamation League's top dog, Jonathan A. Greenblatt, raised an eyebrow at the museum's misstep.
Now, in the midst of all this drama, the museum's director Jacqueline Stewart is bidding adieu. But don't worry, it's not because of the exhibit fiasco. Amy Homma is stepping in to take the reins.
But hey, it's not game over yet. The museum's cooking up plans to get things right. They're assembling a dream team of experts to make sure the story gets told straight. And they're sitting down with critics like producer Jennifer Levine to hash things out.
So, grab your popcorn, because it looks like this Hollywood saga is far from over.
Login