Carl Laemmle

CARL LAEMMLE

MASSACHUSETTS PREMIERE

Q&A with Brandeis University Professor Thomas Doherty, Author Hollywood & Hitler

James Freedman’s top notch documentary is an absolute must for cinema lovers! A pioneering mogul of early cinema and an unsung Jewish-American hero, Carl Laemmle certainly lived his motto, “it can be done.” Laemmle, a German émigré, founded Universal Pictures in 1912. Under Laemmle, Universal was pure innovation and gamble, producing hundreds of comedies, westerns, and seminal monster movies (The Phantom of the Opera, Frankenstein, Dracula). Laemmle helped establish Hollywood California as the world’s movie capital, beat back Thomas Edison’s monopolization of the film industry, hired women directors and African American actors, and gave many Hollywood legends their starts, including Walt Disney, John Ford, William Wyler, and Irving Thalberg. But Laemmle’s legacy extends far beyond Hollywood: “Uncle Carl,” as he was known on the studio lot, dedicated his personal fortune to rescuing more than 300 Jewish families from Nazi Germany.

“Riveting.” — Bay Area Reporter

Dir: James L. Freedman | USA | 2018 | 91m | English

CO-PRESENTED BY: Sarnat Center for the Study of Anti-Jewishness at Brandeis University;
Brandeis University Alumni Association; Israel Campus Roundtable

Wednesday, May 15, 7:30 pm
Museum of Fine Arts (Remis)

SCREENING COMPLETED