Skokie (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Skokie | |
|---|---|
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| Running time | 125 minutes |
| Written by | Ernest Kinoy |
| Directed by | Herbert Wise |
| Produced by | Robert Berger |
| Starring | Danny Kaye |
| Music by | Ralph Berliner |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language | English language |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Release date(s) | November 17, 1981 |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Skokie is 1981 television movie directed by Herbert Wise, based on the real life NSPA Controversy of Skokie, Illinois, which involved the National Socialist Party of America.
The film premiered in the U.S. on November 17, 1981. It aired on German television on March 3, 1997.
[edit] Plot
In a comfortable Chicago suburb, Skokie, the peace of the community is threatened when a politically astute neo-Nazi organizer selects the place as the site of his next rally. The town’s population, closer to forty percent, is Jewish and many of them are survivors of the Nazi holocaust. They saw the march as a warning and reminder of the holocaust days. National Socialist Party of America, an offshoot of the American Nazi Party, determined to conduct the rally under the leader Frank Joseph Collin. The Jewish community decided to stand against the rally at all cost to make sure that the days of the holocaust and degradation must never be forgotten, or allowed to happen again.
Moderate leaders Bert Silverman (Eli Wallach) and Abbot Rosen (Carl Reiner) advise the Jewish community to ignore the neo-Nazis; the strategy they put forward was “quarantine”, isolating the meeting by totally ignoring the neo-Nazi presence and being unprovoked. The logic was simple, if the Jewish community refuse to acknowledge the rally and unprovoked and thus refuse to feed the mass media of any publicity, the meeting will be futile and eventually forgotten. The town officials also advise the community to ignore the neo-Nazi march as they are a minor political fraction and they are not powerful enough to do any harm. However, one citizen challenges their argument. A holocaust survivor, Max Feldman (Danny Kaye) says that he was told this nearly forty years ago in Germany and before he knew it he was in a concentration camp. He says this time if they march, he will not ignore them; he will take action, and he is ready to shed blood if necessary. Led by the de facto spokesman most members of the community agreed to protest. The film spans a year and a half of legal battles and explores the meaning of freedom and First Amendment in the United States of America.
