Classic films don’t have to be perfect. They can contain flaws, but still evoke strong feelings and memories for those who are watching. Classics must have a connection to its audience, whether they want to acknowledge that link due to perhaps a controversial plot.
This was my conundrum this week when selecting my classic film to review. I have been haunted for years by the movie I chose. The story content has stayed with me since I first watched it with my mom at home. It permitted me to finally ask the necessary questions I had been holding back for years. It allowed me, as a child and teenager, to say the word, antisemitism, out loud for all to hear. It was scary, yet at the same time liberating. It was a dirty word that needed acknowledgement for what it was. I grew up knowing this kind of hatred existed, yet I never knew how to express my thoughts until I watched GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT.
Soon after my family had moved from the Bronx to Phoenix, my dad decided to take my brother, my mom, and me to a fancy resort for lunch in the ritzy Scottsdale area. We had not yet driven to this section of town, but my dad said The Camelback Inn was well-known for its style, stature, and superb menu. He wanted to give us all a special treat since we had left our family, friends, and familiar neighborhood for the stark, desert landscape of Arizona. We all dressed up for the occasion, wearing our best clothes. I remember the ride so vividly. We were all happy and anticipating a wonderful time. I can still see my dad steer up the long driveway to the gated entrance that surrounded the hotel and its gardens. My dad asked to enter so we could eat lunch in their popular restaurant. I remember time slowed down as the man with the key asked my dad a bunch of questions, all while keeping a smile on his face. He had a clipboard in his hands and kept checking what was written, or so it appeared to me. I could not hear the entire conversation. I only heard snippets of words as their voices got louder. My dad seemed to be arguing with the gatekeeper. I noticed my dad was very tense and serious. Finally, I heard the word “kike” and saw my mom touch my dad’s shoulder and quietly say, “Harry, let’s go.” My dad kept staring out the window and then looked down as he clenched his jaw. I saw him turn the car around and drive away from The Camelback Inn. I was confused. I kept asking, ‘What’s a kike?’ No one would answer. We drove home. My dad, who was such a man of few words, never explained what had just happened. I was nine, yet I knew instinctively that this was an important moment in how I viewed the world, my family, and myself. I never forgot. It marked the day I would later learn about another word, “restricted.”
Darryl F. Zanuck was the head of the movie studio that produced GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT. He said he decided to green-light this film due to a similar incident that happened in his own life. He was turned away from attempting to enter an exclusive resort. He said in an interview that it came as a surprise to him. The man who stopped Zanuck from entering assumed he was Jewish since most of the studios at that time were owned by Jews. The thing is, Zanuck was not Jewish, and the fact that any place in America could be restricted was beyond his experience and expectation. He knew at that moment he had to make this movie. It was 1947. The world was still reeling from World War II and all its consequences. Zanuck passionately believed he had to put this issue front and center in the minds of Americans, the only way he knew how. It was bold. It was brave, a box office hit, and even won the Oscar for Best Picture.
GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT also won two other Golden Statues at the Oscars for Best Director, Elia Kazan (A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, EAST OF EDEN), and Best Supporting Actress (Celeste Holm). It was nominated for six other Oscars as well as winning a butt load of Golden Globes. Moss Hart, the famous stage writer (YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, A STAR IS BORN), was one of the writers. It was a great collaboration of talent.
The cast was terrific, with perhaps the exception of the leading man, Gregory Peck, as Phil Green. Rumors circulated that Peck was unhappy with Kazan as director. Kazan has said he was also unhappy with Peck. They did not get along. Peck has been quoted as saying it was not his best work as an actor, and many of the cast members have also stated that Peck was not enjoyable to work with during the shooting. This is fascinating to me. Critics have been harsh on Peck’s performance, saying it was stiff and not as believable as others. It was a tough role to play and I have always found Peck to be pretty one dimensional except for TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
The ensemble surrounding Peck included Dorothy McGuire, John Garfield, Anne Revere, Jane Wyatt, Dean Stockwell as a young boy, and, of course, Celeste Holm. These were incredible master actors who gave the film its heart, and together with the powerful, intentional words in the script, drove its point about antisemitism. The premise that Phil Green could pretend to be a Jew for eight weeks gave his character a behind-the-scenes look at what our country really thought and felt. It was a phenomenal, eye-opening, and gut-wrenching idea. It made Hollywood realize how far it had yet to go to eliminate deeply hidden, hateful tropes. Hollywood, America, and the world still have a long way to go.
What captured my soul about GA was how everyone questioned why they felt this way. Most wanted to be and do better. The best significant advice, Dave (John Garfield) said several times throughout the film, was to tell people not to be quiet and say nothing when confronted. It was imperative to speak up and express fears, thoughts, and revelations. I so agree. If we stay silent, then there is no hope for change. Burying heads in the ground will never solve the antisemitic problem.
Critics have said that GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT became preachy. Perhaps, but it also shed light on a challenging topic to discuss truthfully. It’s hard being honest when most are in denial. The scene that should have torn the curtain off was when Tommy, Green’s son, came home crying because he had been called a “yid” and no one wanted to stand up for him or be his friend anymore. I have been there before. It can destroy how a child views their world and their place within those boundaries. Hatred is learned. This is a fact. Bravo to the writers for having chutzpah.
GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT is a contentious classic with immense potential and capacity to make a difference. It was written over 75 years ago, and sadly, it is still happening today. I want to tell the little girl inside me that it will get better, but I can’t. I want to tell my grandson that it will change in his lifetime, but I don’t know. I wish I did.
GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT is available on TCM.
