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contradictions in all of us are
written large in Danny and
played out to the extremes.
tions, and the things that
are funny in it [to me] may
emerge. There are some
people who think it's
funny, but very few.
JN: What questions does the
film open for audiences?
HB: Its deepest question is
JN: Why did you decide
about the contradictory feel-
to do a book about the
ings that we have for things
film?
that are very important to us.
HB: A friend thought
The film begins with a ques-
that the screenplay and
tion: I hate and I love; who
commentaries might be
can tell me why? Danny hates Filmmaker Henry
useful in high school and
Bean: "The film
Judaism, and he loves it. I
college classes on' racism,
begins with a
don't think anybody can tell
identity politics and
question: I hate
him why, but we can explore
things like that. I'm vain
and I love; who
the fact of that seemingly
like any other writer, and
can tell me why?"
contradictory set of feelings.
the idea that somebody
There are other questions: Is
might publish my screen-
God irrational? Can mankind know
play was appealing to me.
God? Can a person who listens to the
I liked the idea of writing the essay
truths of his own heart live in the world?
because I still had more to say. I was
What's the nature of faith? What's the
thrilled [with the people] willing to
connection between religious love and
put their work into it David Kraemer,
sexual love?
a professor at the Jewish Theological
Seminary; Sander Gilman, a writer
JN: Have you learned anything about about self-hatred and Jewish identity;
your film from hearing the reactions
and Beth Pinsker, a reviewer. ❑
of others?
HB: Despite my intentions, the film
was not nearly as comical to other
Henry Bean will discuss The
people as it was to me. I still think
Believer following a 9:45 a.m.
that the film is darkly funny. A Jewish
screening Sunday, June 2, at the
Nazi is a funny idea [to me], but it
Maple Art Theatre, Maple at
doesn't play that way. That's been both
Telegraph in Bloomfield
the biggest — and painful — lesson
Township. $5.75. (248) 851-
I've learned.
1100, Ext. 3142. The film opens
My dream is that if the film endures
to the general public at the
and people continue watching it, they
Maple Theatre on Friday, June 7.
will be less frightened by the initial reac-
the other actors went and I could
totally understand that, but for me it
feels a little theme-parky."
The actor points out that he didn't
need to see a crematorium in order to
prepare for his role since his character,
Mischa, wasn't aware that an extermina-
tion of Europe's Jews was taking place.
But don't jump to the conclusion
that the 30-something Schreiber is
one of those people who can't be
bothered with the past.
While they were making the movie
Sphere in the San Francisco Bay Area a
few years ago, Dustin Hoffman asked
Schreiber — as a friend — to read a
script he was producing titled A Walk
on the Moon.
"I was really moved by it because it
was exactly the story of my grandfa-
ther," Schreiber confides. The actor
was cast as the blue-collar Marty
Kantrowitz and gave a sensitive, mov-
ing performance.
There's a little more to the story.
Schreiber's grandfather had died a
year earlier and, the actor says, "I did-
n't really know anything about
mourning. It was one of those syn-
chronous things where your life meets
something that it needs to meet at a
time when it needs to meet it."
That may sound New Age, but
Schreiber understands just as well the
power of belonging to a people whose
history extends thousands of years.
"The Haggadah is very careful to
catalog the relationship between spe-
cific peoples over the course of hun-
dreds of years," Schreiber points
out. "I think that's a very Jewish
thing, and a very smart thing. It
gives you a context for your life. It's
a network, it's a community and it's
very intelligent." I I
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