SARATOGA SPRINGS –Saratoga Jewish Community Arts (SJCA) will present a panel discussion on Zoom of the 1966 film “Cast a Giant Shadow,” on Monday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. The film is a part-fact, part-fiction drama inspired by the struggle for Israel’s independence in 1948.

“Cast a Giant Shadow” was directed, produced, and written by Melville Shavelson. It portrays the real efforts of U.S. Army Colonel and West Point graduate David “Mickey” Marcus to organize and train forces for the newly declared State of Israel during the 1948 War of Independence. Marcus was recruited by Jewish leaders, David Ben-Gurion in particular, to reorganize the Haganah, the underground defense force facing an Arab numerical advantage estimated at 60 to 1.

While Shavelson first wrote about Mickey Marcus in 1948, no studios were interested because of the film industry’s reluctance to deal with Jewish subjects. He also alleged that a lingering “pogrom mentality” existed among some Jewish executives who did not wish to draw attention to the Jewish background of Marcus.  Even 17 years later in 1965, Shavelson faced widespread rejections from Hollywood studios, which cited risks from the story’s pro-Jewish/Israel theme and broader industry hesitancy toward politically sensitive Middle East narratives.

Despite a cast that boasted Kirk Douglas as Mickey, Senta Berger, and Angie Dickinson, with cameos from John Wayne and Frank Sinatra, the film drew mixed reviews. Critics praised its pro-Jewishness, historical significance, and human interest, but some labeled it “one more war feature with not much technical value” and “the sorriest of film cliches.”

“In truth,” says Phyllis Wang, coordinator of SJCA, “Cast a Giant Shadow” was the only story of the period, short of the 1960 pre-independence “Exodus” story, to present a positive Jewish viewpoint, in this case a sympathetic portrayal of Israel’s founding.”

Pre-registration is required and may be obtained at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/KDlBxcx/CastGiantShadow