Show f j 8 School Ties explores Semitism anti-Semitism 5 f Andrew Ridley r Staff Writer Writer- OW far would you go in H How order to fit in and would you lie about your background your social class your religion The dilemma both amoral Y and insufferable is a universal l r one how does doe it feel to be an outsider What price rice will an outsider pay to belong School Ties is a compelling compell compell- 11 1 T ing film directed by Robertt Robert t f Mandel X F about anti- anti Semitism and a mans man's at attempt empt to hide his Jewish Faith J David Greene Brendan 1 Fraser Eraser r is recruited from a small Pennsylvania mining coal town to play football for an anelite t elite New England prep school When Dillon Matt Damon J c. c who Greene replaces as q quarter quarterback quarterback back realizes Greene is a better T football pl player yer and gr great at guy f he eventually comes to p terms r with accepts him r Then Dillon discovers his secret the revelation leaves Greene's Greenes unsure ot of of how to respond to som someone one they thought was a friend He and his classmates are forced to 10 consider their values and loyalties loyalties loyalties loyal loyal- ties as as' they strive to live up to t their heritage while denying that of another That sketchy synopsis gives no hint to the substance of Mandels Mandel's film Words Word cant can't 4 describe how the film captures t r th the tension between races and the between z r contrast working working- class Pennsylvania and upper- upper crust old New England liMa Making king a film dealing with Semitism anti-Semitism has been long a I r 3 x G Gb b w U cm a f Y a e b 4 i a S b t r 2 A M M o rH ur aa fa wk In School lies es students attending St. St Matthews Academy in 1955 include from left Cole Mauser Hauser Andrew Andre Lowery Brendan Fraser Anthony Rapp Randall Batinkoff Matt Damon goal of th the movies movie's producer Stanley jaffe Many would like to beli believe ve that tha Semitism anti-Semitism no longer exists exist in the world but this kind of prejudice remains something that is very much with us every day n remarks Jaffe Selecting as their focus Jocus the lithe social conditions that inspire prejudice and intolerance Jaffe opted to place School Ties in the McCarthy era a period of overt anti We like to nostalgically think of the as a kinder gentler time but of course it was not said screenwriter Darryl Pred judice and narrow were rampant then and one would like to think we are far more understanding understanding understanding under under- standing now than we were 35 years ago but Semitic anti-Semitic incidents continue continue continue con con- he said Semitism Anti-Semitism has seldom been explored in films the films the notable exception being the 1947 film Agreement Agreement Agree Agree- men ment t starring Gregory Peck and Dorothy McGuire This film involves a writer p pretending pretend pretend- ing to be Jewish and discovering discovering discovering discover discover- anti ing rampant The then-daring then approach t tsuch to such subject matter is now tame |