Derudder, immersed himself in five
years' worth of meticulous research on
Lustiger; in one telling interview, soon
after he became archbishop, the priest
insisted that "I was born Jewish and
so I remain, even if that is unaccept-
able to many. For me, the vocation of
Israel is bringing light to the goyim.
That is my hope, and I believe that
Christianity is the means for achiev-
ing it"
While the specifics of Lustiger's
faith ultimately remained a mystery
to Duran Cohen, the filmmaker found
clues as to why the cardinal staunchly
maintained that he was still Jewish.
"Even though spiritually he was a
true Catholic, he didn't want to deny
his mother's death at Auschwitz or to
be cut off from his family" the direc-
tor said. "He was also a child survivor
during the war, and therefore a victim
of the war somehow."
"The young convert Lustiger found
[Catholicism] to be a life jacket
through which he could try to get
through the reality of the martyrdom
of his mother" Lucas, the actor who
portrays the cardinal, said through a
translator in an email.
But when production of The Jewish
Cardinal began in summer 2012, the
project was perceived as so controver-
sial that not a single cathedral in the
Paris archdiocese would allow Duran
Cohen to shoot on its premises; the
filmmaker and his team had to make
do with smaller cathedrals outside the
French capital whose officials were
not as squeamish about the subject
matter.
Duran Cohen re-created the scenes
at Auschwitz, in part, at a train muse-
um in Paris: "Those were very hard
for me because some of the wagons
had almost certainly been used to
transport Jews to the camps" he said.
"So it was a very heavy experience,
but we brought those emotions to the
film"
One of the most excruciating scenes
in The Jewish Cardinal takes place as
Lustiger visits Auschwitz for the first
time, dropping to his knees on the
train tracks, sobbing, and is so over-
whelmed that he can recite neither
the Lord's Prayer nor Kaddish for his
mother.
"I wanted the character to appear
paralyzed and suffocated, as if he were
surrounded by walls crushing in on
him" Duran Cohen said.
"That's the point at which he is at
a crossroads with his identity; he is
there in the camp where his mother
and millions of Jews died, all the
while wearing his dress as a cardinal.
But it's the beginning of his coming to
terms with that conflict"
The Jewish Cardinal ultimately
played to sold-out audiences at the
New York Jewish Film Festival this
year and has received good reviews,
with the Hollywood Reporter noting
its "uncommon depth and nuance:'
"I don't think Lustiger's family is at
ease with the film, but they're some-
how happy that the world now knows
more about him:' the director said.
Nevertheless, Duran Cohen added,
"I came out of this film totally
drained; I couldn't do anything for a
year"
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agents are responsible for hacking
into the Sony Films' computer sys-
tem and releasing confidential cor-
porate information). Major theater
chains declined to show the film.
Note: The Theory of Everything,
the Stephen Hawking biopic star-
ring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity
Jones, opened several weeks ago
but is still playing in theaters. I
recently became aware that the
British physicist who supervised
Hawking's doctorate, the late
Dennis Sciama (1926-1999), was
of Syrian Jewish background; he is
an important character in the film,
played by David Thewlis of Harry
Potter fame.
Kennedy Center Honors
The annual Kennedy Center
Honors, awards for excellence in
the arts, were presented on Dec.
7 in Washington, D.C. At 9 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 30, CBS will host
the network's annual presenta-
tion of the awards ceremony. It is
always a great show and is never
shown in reruns.
I am giving you a heads-up
even though this is the first year
since 2005 in which none of the
five honorees is Jewish.
One honoree is Detroit native
and comedy legend Lily Tomlin.
Another is all-around good
guy Tom Hanks. His buddy and
frequent collaborator, Steven
Spielberg, 67, took the stage
to praise Hanks, calling him
"America's favorite son." Other
honorees include musicians
Sting and Al Green and ballerina
Patricia McBride.
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December 25 • 2014
43