Jewish-American Professor Norman Finkelstein vocalizes his criticism of Israeli policy and his views about what he refers to as the "Holocaust industry" in this documentary from filmmakers Nicolas Rossier and David Ridgen. The son of a Holocaust survivor, Finkelstein makes the controversial claim that the state of Israel uses anti-Semitism as a justification for committing war crimes, and that this troubling trend can be traced back to the Jewish state's invasion of Lebanon in 1982. The film
also takes the time to show how Professor Finkelstein's claims have landed him in the hot spot more than a few times, and resulted in the termination of his position at two prominent universities. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A cautiously respectful documentary portrait of a political firebrand who presents himself as a beacon of moral truth in the murk of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Paints an empathetic picture of a passionate Palestinian apologist as a loony loudmouth whose rants deserve respect if only because virtually all of his relatives were exterminated in the Holocaust.
Paints an empathetic picture of a passionate Palestinian apologist as a loony loudmouth whose rants deserve respect if only because virtually all of his relatives were exterminated in the Holocaust.
While this may be straightforward, politically neutral, documentary filmmaking, its makers have chosen an incendiary subject who pisses most people off the moment he opens his mouth.
A well-balanced, important and timely documentary that's provocative and eye-opening regardless of whether or not you agree with Finkelstein's controversial arguments.
With impressive restraint, the fascinatingly thorny American Radical is less interested in the validity of Finkelstein's ideas -- seriously mounted, if inflammatory -- and more in the topsy-turvy life of today's professional academic.
There is nothing to understand better the person finkelstein is absolutely nothing to understand what moves him and the power if his message.However if his action speak for him sometimes he looks suffering.I m wondering if this fight won t finish to drive him mad.One thing is sure the people he is fighting don't
appreciate his sayings.
December 17, 2011
pierre yesaya keddy
A well-made documentary, fair in representing both sides of the story, portraying an uncompromising scholar who is not afraid of speaking his mind. Also, I was disappointed to learn that some American universities can not exactly tolerate freedom of thought, the very principle academia is founded on. Sounds we have not
made much progress since the time Spinoza ("the 'prince' of philosophers" according to Gilles Deleuze) was banished from his community, because he said things nobody wanted to hear.
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