Tony Kushner Movies

Steven Spielberg turns his skilled director's eye toward Abraham Lincoln with this biopic starring Liam Neeson and Sally Field from a script by Tony Kushner in this DreamWorks production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Documentary filmmaker Freida Lee Mock explores the rich life of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner in a film that traces Kushner's career from his 2001 play Homebody/Kabul through his 2004 collaboration with Maurice Sendak on a revised version of Brundibar. A trip to Kushner's hometown of Lake Charles, LA, provides a personal touch as the playwright attends his father's birthday party, with quiet scenes in his Hudson River Valley retreat offering moments of thoughtful meditation that stand in stark contrast to his harried Manhattan business dealings. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Much as Steven Spielberg followed 1993's special-effects blockbuster Jurassic Park with a far more downbeat and personal project later the same year, Schindler's List, in 2005 after tearing up the box office with War of the Worlds the director closed out the year with a powerful and thoughtful drama about the human costs of international terrorism. The 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, were supposed to be a peaceful gathering of outstanding athletes from around the world, but on September 5, the games took a sinister turn when eight masked Palestinian terrorists invaded the Olympic village, killing two Israeli athletes and abducting nine others. The kidnappers demanded safe passage out of Germany in addition to the release of Arab prisoners in Israeli and German prisons, but when they arrived at the Munich airport they were met by German police and military forces, and in the melee that followed, all nine hostages were killed. In the wake of the killings, the Israeli government gave Mossad, the nation's intelligence agency, a special assignment -- to track down and eliminate the Palestinians responsible for the death of the Israeli athletes. A young and idealistic Mossad agent (Eric Bana) is assigned to the four-man unit created to wipe out the Olympic terrorists, but while he believes in serving his country, as their bloody work goes on he begins to buckle under the weight of his work and wonders if he can morally justify his nation's acts of revenge. Munich also stars Geoffrey Rush, Daniel Craig, Mathieu Kassovitz, and Ciarán Hinds. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This program takes a lighthearted look at how modern Jewish culture continues to develop and be challenged in America. It was well-received when it was shown during several film festivals, including ones held in 1997 in both Washington D. C. and San Diego. In 1998, it also received high praise when it was included in a festival in Denver. Interviews with Arthur Hertzberg, Tony Kushner, Cynthia Ozick, Rabbi Alexander Schindler, John Zorn, and others provide helpful insights into modern conflicts and debates. Questions about whether Jews should marry non-Jews are addressed, though other segments of the film are simply designed to share Jewish cultural traditions. Viewers will see a Yiddish Cabaret, scenes from a jazz club, and a rather modern, feminist Seder. ~ Elizabeth Smith, Rovi