An Empire Of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood
Encyclopedia
An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood is a non-fiction book whose topic is the careers of several prominent Jewish movie producers in the early years of Hollywood
. Author Neal Gabler
focuses on the psychological motivations of these film moguls
, arguing that their background as Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe
shaped their careers and influenced the movies they made.
Gabler's main thesis is that these producers
(whom Gabler terms 'Hollywood Jews') generally came from poor, fatherless backgrounds, and felt like outsiders in America because of their Jewishness. In Hollywood, these producers were able to run their own industry, assimilate into the American mainstream, and produce movies that fulfilled their vision of the American dream. Gabler asserts that the nature of their business and their movies can often be traced back to their feelings of alienation as immigrants.
The book also explains that the business background of the 'Hollywood Jews' in theatre-ownership, retail distribution, and the garment industry shaped the approach these studio owners took to crafting movies for a popular audience, one similar to the marketing of films as commodities as well as works of art.
The book won the 1989 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for history and the 1989 Theatre Library Association Award.
.
's novel The Last Tycoon.
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
. Author Neal Gabler
Neal Gabler
Neal Gabler is a professor, journalist, author, film critic and political commentator.He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Michigan and holds advanced degrees in film and American culture.-Journalist:...
focuses on the psychological motivations of these film moguls
Business magnate
A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a capitalist, czar, mogul, tycoon, baron, oligarch, or industrialist, is an informal term used to refer to an entrepreneur who has reached prominence and derived a notable amount of wealth from a particular industry .-Etymology:The word magnate itself...
, arguing that their background as Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
shaped their careers and influenced the movies they made.
Gabler's main thesis is that these producers
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
(whom Gabler terms 'Hollywood Jews') generally came from poor, fatherless backgrounds, and felt like outsiders in America because of their Jewishness. In Hollywood, these producers were able to run their own industry, assimilate into the American mainstream, and produce movies that fulfilled their vision of the American dream. Gabler asserts that the nature of their business and their movies can often be traced back to their feelings of alienation as immigrants.
The book also explains that the business background of the 'Hollywood Jews' in theatre-ownership, retail distribution, and the garment industry shaped the approach these studio owners took to crafting movies for a popular audience, one similar to the marketing of films as commodities as well as works of art.
The book won the 1989 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for history and the 1989 Theatre Library Association Award.
Adaptations
The book was adapted into a documentary movie in 1998, a decade after the book was published. The movie has two titles: "Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream" (original title for A&E) and "Hollywood: An Empire of Their Own" (title for video/DVD). The documentary won an award for Best Jewish Experience Documentary at the 1998 Jerusalem Film FestivalJerusalem Film Festival
The Jerusalem Film Festival is an international film festival held annually in Jerusalem, Israel. The festival was the brainchild of Lia van Leer, who inaugurated it on May 17, 1984...
.
Trivia
The title of the book is taken from a line in F. Scott FitzgeraldF. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
's novel The Last Tycoon.