Editing Gentleman's Agreement

{{Short description|1947 film by Elia Kazan}}
{{About|the 1947 film||Gentlemen's agreement (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Gentleman's Agreement
| image          = Gentleman's Agreement (1947 poster).jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Elia Kazan]]
| producer       = [[Darryl F. Zanuck]]
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Gentleman's Agreement (novel)|Gentleman's Agreement]]''|[[Laura Z. Hobson]]}}
| screenplay     = {{ubl|[[Moss Hart]]|[[Elia Kazan]] (screenplay revision) (uncredited)}}
| starring       = {{ubl|[[Gregory Peck]]|[[Dorothy McGuire]]|[[John Garfield]]|[[Celeste Holm]]|[[Anne Revere]]|[[June Havoc]]|[[Albert Dekker]]|[[Jane Wyatt]]|[[Dean Stockwell]]}}
| music          = [[Alfred Newman (composer)|Alfred Newman]]
| cinematography = [[Arthur C. Miller]]
| editing        = [[Harmon Jones]]
| distributor    = [[20th Century Fox]]
| released       = {{Film date|1947|11|11|New York City}}
| runtime        = 118 minutes
| country        = United States
| budget         = $1,985,000<ref name="solomon">Solomon, Aubrey (1989). ''Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, p. 244, {{ISBN|978-0-8108-4244-1}}.</ref><ref name="variety">{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/variety171-1948-07|title=Variety (July 1948)|date=July 11, 1948|publisher=New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company|accessdate=July 11, 2021|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
| gross          = $7,800,000<ref>[http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1947/0GNRM.php Box Office Information for ''Gentleman's Agreement''.] The Numbers. Retrieved March 4, 2013.</ref>
}}

'''''Gentleman's Agreement''''' is a 1947 American [[drama (film and television)|drama film]] based on [[Laura Z. Hobson]]'s best-selling 1947 [[Gentleman's Agreement (novel)|novel of the same title]]. The film is about a journalist (played by [[Gregory Peck]]) who pretends to be [[Jewish]] to research an exposé on the widespread [[antisemitism]] in [[New York City]] and the affluent communities of [[New Canaan, Connecticut|New Canaan]] and [[Darien, Connecticut]]. It was nominated for eight [[Academy Awards]] and won three: [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] ([[Celeste Holm]]), and [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] ([[Elia Kazan]]).

The movie was controversial in its day, as was a similar film on the same subject, ''[[Crossfire (film)|Crossfire]]'', which was released the same year (though that film was originally a story about homophobia, later changed to antisemitism).

In 2017, the film was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-17-178/|title=2017 National Film Registry Is More Than a 'Field of Dreams'|website=[[Library of Congress]] |access-date=December 13, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|access-date=2020-10-05|website=Library of Congress}}</ref>

==Plot==
<!-- Film summaries must be less than 700 words long. -->
Widowed journalist Philip Schuyler Green moves to [[New York City]] with his aging mother and his young son Tommy. Phil meets with magazine publisher John Minify, who asks Green, a [[gentile]], to write an article on [[antisemitism]]. At first, he is not enthusiastic about the story.

At a lunch party, Phil meets Minify's niece Kathy Lacey, who is actually the person who suggested the story idea. The next day, at home, Phil admits his surprise after learning that the idea came from "a girl". His mother mocks him for his anti-female prejudice. Phil then tries to explain anti-Jewish prejudice to his son. Realizing how difficult it is to explain these topics, he decides to write the story.

Phil and Kathy begin dating and Phil adopts a Jewish identity to write the story from a fresh perspective. They agree to keep it secret that Phil is not Jewish. Despite seeming to have [[Liberalism in the United States|liberal]] views, Kathy is taken aback after learning of Phil's plan.

At the magazine, Phil is assigned a secretary, Elaine Wales. She turns out to be Jewish, but changed her name to get the job. After learning of Wales' experience from Phil, Minify orders the magazine to adopt hiring policies that are open to Jews. Phil meets fashion editor Anne Dettrey, who becomes a good friend and potentially more, particularly as strains develop between Phil and Kathy.

After completing his service in WWII, Dave Goldman, Phil's childhood friend, moves to New York and lives with the Greens while searching for a job and a home for his family. Being Jewish, Dave also experiences antisemitism. Housing is scarce in the city, but it is particularly difficult for him, since not all landlords will rent to a Jewish family.

While researching his story, Phil experiences several incidents of bigotry. When Phil's mother becomes ill with a heart condition, the doctor discourages him from consulting a specialist with a Jewish name. After hearing Phil is Jewish, the doctor becomes uncomfortable and leaves.

In addition, the janitor is shocked to see that a Jewish name is listed on the mail box. Furthermore, when Phil wants to celebrate his honeymoon at a swanky hotel, the manager refuses to register Phil, whom he tells to go elsewhere.

Tommy also becomes the target of [[bullying|bullies]] because of this. Phil is troubled by the way Kathy consoles Tommy, telling him their taunts of "dirty Jew" are wrong because he is not Jewish, not that the [[epithet]] is wrong in and of itself.

Kathy's attitudes are revealed further when she and Phil announce their engagement. Her sister Jane invites them to a celebration in her home in [[Darien, Connecticut|Darien]], which is known to be a community where Jews are not welcome. Fearing an awkward scene, Kathy wants to tell her family and friends that Phil only pretends to be Jewish, but he dissuades her. At the party, everyone is friendly to Phil, though many people cancel at the last minute.

Dave announces he will have to quit his job because he cannot find a residence for his family. Kathy owns a vacant cottage in Darien and Phil sees it as a solution to Dave's problem. Kathy, however, is unwilling to offend her neighbors by renting it to a Jewish family. Phil breaks his engagement to her and announces he will be moving away from New York when his article is published. When it comes out, it is well received by the magazine staff.

Kathy meets with Dave and tells him how sick she felt when a party guest told a bigoted joke. However, she has no answer when Dave asks her what she did about it. She realizes that remaining silent condones the prejudice.

The next day, Dave announces that he and his family will be moving into the cottage in Darien and Kathy will be moving in with her sister next door to make sure they are treated well. Moved by this, Phil reconciles with Kathy. His mother, still recovering from her heart condition, tells Phil that his article has given her new hope for the future, a new motivation to get well.

==Cast==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| [[File:Gregory Peck in Gentleman's Agreement trailer closeup.jpg|70px]] ||[[Gregory Peck]] as Philip Schuyler Green || [[File:Anne Revere in Gentleman's Agreement trailer cropped.jpg|70px]] ||[[Anne Revere]] as Mrs. Green
|-
| [[File:Dorothy McGuire in Gentleman's Agreement trailer cropped.jpg|70px]] ||[[Dorothy McGuire]] as Kathy Lacy ||[[File:June Havoc in Gentleman's Agreement trailer cropped.jpg|70px]] ||[[June Havoc]] as Elaine Wales
|-
| [[File:John Garfield in Gentleman's Agreement trailer cropped.jpg|70px]] ||[[John Garfield]] as Dave Goldman ||[[File:Albert Dekker in Gentleman's Agreement trailer cropped.jpg|70px]] ||[[Albert Dekker]] as John Minify
|-
| [[File:Celeste Holm in Gentleman's Agreement trailer.jpg|70px]] ||[[Celeste Holm]] as Anne Dettrey||[[File:Jane Wyatt in Gentleman's Agreement trailer cropped.jpg|70px]] ||[[Jane Wyatt]] as Jane
|-
|}

===Other cast members===
{|
|-
|[[Dean Stockwell]]
|as Tommy Green
|-
|Nicholas Joy
|as Doctor Craigie
|-
|[[Sam Jaffe]]
|as Professor Fred Lieberman
|}

==Production==
Zanuck decided to make a film version of Hobson's novel after being refused membership in the [[Los Angeles Country Club]], because it was assumed (incorrectly) that he was Jewish. Before filming commenced, [[Samuel Goldwyn]] and other Jewish film executives approached Darryl Zanuck and asked him not to make the film, fearing it would "stir up trouble". They also warned that [[Motion Picture Production Code|Hays Code]] enforcer [[Joseph Breen]] might not allow the film to pass the censors, as he had been known to make disparaging remarks about Jews. There was also concern that Dorothy McGuire's character being divorced would offend the [[National Legion of Decency]].

The role of Phillip Green was first offered to [[Cary Grant]], but he turned it down. Peck decided to accept the role, although his agent advised him to refuse, believing Peck would be endangering his career. Jewish actor John Garfield agreed to play a lesser role in the film to be a part of it.

Portions of the film were shot on location in [[Darien, Connecticut]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Lynn Haney |title=Gregory Peck: A Charmed Life|publisher= Da Capo Press|date= 2003 |isbn =0-7867-1473-5}}</ref>

==Reception and box-office==
''Gentleman's Agreement'' received a generally favorable reception from influential ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' critic [[Bosley Crowther]]. Crowther said that "every point about prejudice which Miss Hobson had to make in her book has been made with superior illustration and more graphic demonstration in the film, so that the sweep of her moral indignation is not only widened, but intensified thereby". However, Crowther also said that the movie shared the novel's failings in that "explorations are narrowly confined to the upper-class social and professional level to which he is immediately exposed". He also said the main character's shock at the extent of anti-Semitism was lacking in credibility: "It is, in a careful analysis, an extraordinarily naive role."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E0DE7DE113AE233A25751C1A9679D946693D6CF |title=''Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947) |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 11, 1947}}</ref>

On review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an aggregate score of 82% based on 83 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "It occasionally fails to live up to its subject matter&nbsp;– and is perhaps an 'important' film more than a 'great' one&nbsp;– but the performances from Gregory Peck and Dorothy McGuire are superb."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gentlemen's Agreement |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gentlemans_agreement |access-date=August 13, 2023 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=[[Fandango Media]]}}</ref>

''The New York Herald Tribune'' described it as a "brilliant blow against racial and religious intolerance".<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/motionpictureher169unse|title=Motion Picture Herald|date=July 11, 1947|publisher=Quigley Publishing Co.|accessdate=July 11, 2021|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> ''The Daily Mirror'' assessed it as "the most explosive picture of the year" and "one of the most exciting and punch-laden pictures you've ever seen."<ref name="auto"/>

In addition to winning Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actress ([[Celeste Holm]]), ''Gentleman's Agreement'' was one of Fox's highest-grossing movies of 1947. The political nature of the film, however, upset the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]], with [[Elia Kazan]], [[John Garfield]], and [[Anne Revere]] all being called to testify before the committee. Revere refused to testify and although Garfield appeared, he refused to "name names". Both were placed in the ''[[Red Channels]]'' of the [[Hollywood Blacklist]]. Garfield remained on the blacklist for a year, was called again to testify against his wife, and died of a heart attack at the age of 39 before his second hearing date.

In recognition for producing ''Gentleman's Agreement'', the Hollywood chapter of [[B'nai B'rith International]] honored Darryl Zanuck as its "Man of the Year" for 1948. On Sunday, December 12, a gala commemoration evening was held in downtown Los Angeles at the Biltmore Hotel before a crowd of over a thousand. Among the tributes to Zanuck, New Mexico Senator [[Clinton Presba Anderson|Clinton Anderson]] said, "He does not storm up and down the streets of a community, urging its citizens to do good. He does not fill the pages of books with words that string together into a sermon. He allows you to be seated comfortably in a theater, to be absorbed in a problem and to walk out into the night with your thoughts clarified and your lips saying, 'This situation ought to be changed'."<ref>''Los Angeles Times''. (December 14, 1948). p. 14.</ref> After the formal speeches there was a star-studded variety show, including the debut before the Hollywood film world of the team of [[Dean Martin]] and [[Jerry Lewis]].

The movie was an unexpected hit at the box office. According to ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', it earned $3.9&nbsp;million in rentals in the US in 1948.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/variety173-1949-01|title=Variety (January 1949)|date=July 11, 1949|publisher=New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company|accessdate=July 11, 2021|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

[[Leonard Maltin]] said "sincere...then-daring approach to the subject matter is tame now."<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005">{{cite book|isbn = 9780452286207 |publisher = Plume |editor1-last= Maltin |editor1-first= Leonard |title = Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide|date = 2005|editor2-first=Spencer|editor2-last= Green|editor3-first= Luke|editor3-last= Sader }}</ref>

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| rowspan="8"| [[20th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Motion Picture]]
| [[20th Century Fox]]
| {{won}}
| rowspan="8" align="center"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1948 |title=The 20th Academy Awards (1948) Nominees and Winners |access-date=August 18, 2011 |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706093801/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/20th-winners.html |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| [[Elia Kazan]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| [[Gregory Peck]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| [[Dorothy McGuire]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| [[Celeste Holm]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Anne Revere]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay]]
| [[Moss Hart]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]
| [[Harmon Jones]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[5th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Picture]]
| {{won}}
| rowspan="4" align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/gentlemans-agreement |title=Gentleman's Agreement |publisher=[[Golden Globe Awards]] |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director – Motion Picture]]
| Elia Kazan
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture]]
| Celeste Holm
| {{won}}
|-
| Special Award – Best Juvenile Actor
| [[Dean Stockwell]]
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[National Board of Review Awards 1947|National Board of Review Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|Top Ten Films]]
| {{draw|7th Place}}
| rowspan="2" align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1947/ |title=1947 Award Winners |publisher=[[National Board of Review]] |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[National Board of Review Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| Elia Kazan
| {{won}}
|-
| [[National Film Preservation Board]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Film Registry]]
| {{won|Inducted}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/ |title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |access-date=December 16, 2015}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[1947 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|New York Film Critics Circle Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
| {{won}}
| rowspan="4" align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nyfcc.com/awards/?awardyear=1947 |title=1947 New York Film Critics Circle Awards |publisher=[[New York Film Critics Circle]] |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| Elia Kazan {{small|(also for ''[[Boomerang (1947 film)|Boomerang!]]'')}}
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| Celeste Holm
| {{nom}}
|-
| Dorothy McGuire
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[9th Venice International Film Festival|Venice International Film Festival]]
| [[Golden Lion|Grand International Prize of Venice]]
| Elia Kazan
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| 
|}

==See also==
* ''[[Black Like Me (film)|Black Like Me]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Guess Who's Coming to Dinner]]'' (1967)

==References==
{{More citations needed|date=February 2010}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Gentleman's Agreement (film)|Gentleman's Agreement}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0039416}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=76108}}
* {{AFI film|id=26428}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|gentlemans_agreement|Gentleman's Agreement}}

{{Elia Kazan}}
{{Darryl F. Zanuck}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for ''Gentleman's Agreement''
| list =
{{AcademyAwardBestPicture 1941-1960}}
{{Golden Globe Award Best Motion Picture Drama}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1947 films]]
[[Category:1947 drama films]]
[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]
[[Category:American drama films]]
[[Category:Opposition to antisemitism in the United States]]
[[Category:Best Drama Picture Golden Globe winners]]
[[Category:Best Picture Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:Films about journalists]]
[[Category:Films directed by Elia Kazan]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award–winning performance]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe–winning performance]]
[[Category:Films set in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
[[Category:Films whose director won the Best Directing Academy Award]]
[[Category:Films whose director won the Best Director Golden Globe]]
[[Category:Films scored by Alfred Newman]]
[[Category:Films produced by Darryl F. Zanuck]]
[[Category:Films about antisemitism]]
[[Category:United States National Film Registry films]]
[[Category:1940s English-language films]]
[[Category:1940s American films]]