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The Precariousness of Jewish Visibility : Surviving Antisemitism in Swedish Cinema

Rozenkrantz, Jonathan LU (2022) In Journal of Scandinavian Cinema 12(1). p.87-104
Abstract
The article examines Jewish ‘self-images’ in Swedish post-war film. Before World War II, antisemitic caricatures were prevalent in Swedish film and visual culture. Following the Holocaust, Jews as such were virtually erased from Swedish screens. Written by and starring Marie-Louise Ekman, Hallo Baby (Bergenstråhle 1976) was a rare exception, the first Swedish post-war film to explore Swedish-Jewish identity. The 2002 comedy Livet i 8 bitar (Bit by Bit) (Metzger) remains the last of only a handful of films to fit said description. Significantly, both films draw heavily on established antisemitic tropes in their figurations of ‘Jewishness’. Through historically contextualized readings of the two films, including their reception, the article... (More)
The article examines Jewish ‘self-images’ in Swedish post-war film. Before World War II, antisemitic caricatures were prevalent in Swedish film and visual culture. Following the Holocaust, Jews as such were virtually erased from Swedish screens. Written by and starring Marie-Louise Ekman, Hallo Baby (Bergenstråhle 1976) was a rare exception, the first Swedish post-war film to explore Swedish-Jewish identity. The 2002 comedy Livet i 8 bitar (Bit by Bit) (Metzger) remains the last of only a handful of films to fit said description. Significantly, both films draw heavily on established antisemitic tropes in their figurations of ‘Jewishness’. Through historically contextualized readings of the two films, including their reception, the article thus shows how the tradition of antisemitic caricature that prevailed until World War II has continued to condition Jewish self-representation in the post-war era. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
antisemitic caricatures, Hallo Baby, Jewish Renaissance, Jewish self-images, Livet i 8 bitar, post-war antisemitism, Swedish film
in
Journal of Scandinavian Cinema
volume
12
issue
1
pages
18 pages
publisher
Intellect Ltd.
external identifiers
  • scopus:85131123602
ISSN
2042-7891
DOI
10.1386/jsca_00066_1
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
bfc36f8b-c5e6-4b02-a852-13b0ee4460c1
date added to LUP
2025-04-30 01:28:18
date last changed
2025-05-07 15:46:33
@article{bfc36f8b-c5e6-4b02-a852-13b0ee4460c1,
  abstract     = {{The article examines Jewish ‘self-images’ in Swedish post-war film. Before World War II, antisemitic caricatures were prevalent in Swedish film and visual culture. Following the Holocaust, Jews as such were virtually erased from Swedish screens. Written by and starring Marie-Louise Ekman, Hallo Baby (Bergenstråhle 1976) was a rare exception, the first Swedish post-war film to explore Swedish-Jewish identity. The 2002 comedy Livet i 8 bitar (Bit by Bit) (Metzger) remains the last of only a handful of films to fit said description. Significantly, both films draw heavily on established antisemitic tropes in their figurations of ‘Jewishness’. Through historically contextualized readings of the two films, including their reception, the article thus shows how the tradition of antisemitic caricature that prevailed until World War II has continued to condition Jewish self-representation in the post-war era.}},
  author       = {{Rozenkrantz, Jonathan}},
  issn         = {{2042-7891}},
  keywords     = {{antisemitic caricatures; Hallo Baby; Jewish Renaissance; Jewish self-images; Livet i 8 bitar; post-war antisemitism; Swedish film}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{87--104}},
  publisher    = {{Intellect Ltd.}},
  series       = {{Journal of Scandinavian Cinema}},
  title        = {{The Precariousness of Jewish Visibility : Surviving Antisemitism in Swedish Cinema}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1386/jsca_00066_1}},
  doi          = {{10.1386/jsca_00066_1}},
  volume       = {{12}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}