Some of My Best Friends
- Westminster
- 1969
Charming amateur film featuring the Eisner family, who emigrated to Britain from Romania the year this film was made
This charming amateur film offers a snapshot of a new life for the Eisner family, who had recently emigrated from Romania to the Derby suburb of Allestree. Mum Vera and children Edward and Erica are filmed by dad Joseph in the back garden of their new home and the family enjoy day trips to Chatsworth House, Warwick Castle and Anne Hathaway's Cottage near Stratford-upon-Avon.
The Eisner family after their emigration to Britain from Romania in 1938.
This collection uncovers insights, injustices and hidden histories across a century of Jewish life on British screens. It brings together documentary and first-person accounts of Jewish life in the UK, alongside historical dramas and artists’ work exploring the 20th century Jewish experience. The earliest surviving depictions of Jewish characters in British cinema offer a troubling insight into antisemitic representation, yet prejudice was later tackled head-on, with newsreels documenting the anti-fascist movement of the 1930s.
Drop in on joyous family weddings and community gatherings, and see the ways in which UK Jewry supported Jews young and old, and those fleeing persecution, in a selection of fascinating films from the 1900s to the 1980s.
This collection is generously supported by the Neil Kreitman Foundation, Shoresh Charitable Trust, John S Cohen Foundation, and Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation.